Your Farmers


We are Ben and Heather Sayler. Ben attended Middletown High School. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Forestry at Virginia Tech and his MBA at Mount Saint Mary’s University. Much of his work experience has been in the outdoors.  He has worked for Monocacy National Battlefield in the natural resources department and managed local, private forests for Weaber, Inc. as a procurement forester. Ben also worked as the Quality Assurance Manager for Flying Dog Brewery. The season prior to starting their own farm, Ben worked with Rick Hood at Summer Creek Farm in Thurmont, MD.

Heather attended Governor Thomas Johnson High School. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Mount St. Mary’s College and her Master’s degree in Mathematics Education at Hood College. She worked as a math teacher for Frederick County Public Schools from 2003 to 2015. She now works on the farm, as a private math tutor, and a great mom to their two children, Griffin and Magnolia.

Ben and Heather spend most of their free time in nature. Some favorite hobbies include hiking, camping, gardening, and just being outside.  When not enjoying the outdoors, they can be found in the kitchen.  They love to cook (and eat!) and respect the ingredients they use to create meals.  In 2008, they moved into a downtown Frederick home together and dug up half their lawn to grow fresh veggies. In the winter of 2012, they moved to Mt. Pleasant, and, once again, immediately put in a garden. Farming has an important place in their lives because it provides delicious, healthy, safe ingredients to use in the kitchen.

​Ben and Heather started Pleasant Hill Produce to provide their community with the same wonderful food they have enjoyed for years.  They are very excited to share their passion for food with you! 
​Food for Thought


"Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: 'Love. They must do it for love.' Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to wok outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they like to work in the company of their children and with the help of their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss."


- Wendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: Writings on Farming and Food