This year, the United Nations is shining a light on women in agriculture, declaring 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Across the globe, women are playing an increasingly important role in local farm ecosystems. To better understand their work, I decided to focus my camera lens on four female farmers in Maryland and Virginia, with Christi Dorsey, founder of Taste Symmetry Consulting, and the good folks at the Chesapeake Agricultural Innovation Center helping me make connections with these accomplished women.
I usually photograph food, looking at the end result of those in the culinary world. So this project was a chance to go back to the roots, literally, of the food chain. As readers meet these women, I hope they come away with a sense of the unique contributions they are making to our communities, and perhaps a better understanding of the diverse nature of their work. After spending some time with these images, readers might also look at their own food and fresh flowers a little differently.
As Tresor Thomas, founder of My Mustard Seed Holistic Urban Farm, says, “I believe that when we nurture a seed with faith, purpose, and love, we grow more than a harvest — we cultivate hope, strengthen communities and create a legacy that nourishes generations to come.”
Maya Kosok of Hillen Homestead, Baltimore
Tresor Thomas of My Mustard Seed Holistic Urban Farm, Owens, Maryland
Kathy Ward of Hendricks Family Farm, Prospect, Virginia
Laurie Savage of Brown Cow Creamery, Mount Airy, Maryland
Peggy Cormary is a D.C.-based photographer who specializes in food, hospitality and interiors. Cormary is also a fine art photographer; her solo show, “In Light and Shadows,” opens at Washington Printmakers Gallery in December.
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