Promoting local agriculture and dairy farming requires connecting consumers directly with working farms. Paper maps highlighting agricultural areas can be great for young kids but can’t offer additional features like driving directions, suggestions for what’s nearby or the ability to link directly to a location’s website for up-to-date information.
Maryland's Best addresses this issue by launching a new digital app for the 2026 Ice Cream Trail. This transition to a mobile application allows residents and visitors to easily track their progress as they explore local dairy farms across the state. In this interview, we discuss the development of the new app, its impact on local farmers and how the program strengthens community ties to agriculture.
Q: Transitioning from a self-reported tracker to a digital app is a significant update for the 2026 season. What specific feedback from past participants drove this change?
Maryland's Best: In the past we asked consumers to take photos at each location they visited and then submit them to an email. It was cumbersome for both the consumer and for us to manage. Consumers had reached out wanting to see their progress–makingsure they didn’t miss any locations—and wanted an easier way to track how they were performing.
Q: How does the new mobile application improve the daily experience for families visiting these local dairy farms?
Maryland's Best: The digital pass is really great at organizing all the information and keeping it in one place. You can find all 13 on-farm locations in one list and identify the matching hikes that correspond to each creamery. It offers details about each of the businesses like their address, hours and phone number which consumers would have had to look up on their own in the past.
Q. The Ice Cream Trail directly supports state agriculture. How are the participating farmers preparing for the expected increase in app-driven foot traffic?
Maryland's Best: The ice cream trail is in its 14th year and many of the dairy farms have been participating since the beginning or near the beginning. In the last three years they have commented on the increase of the marketing of the trail and all of them are pleased to have more visitors coming through. These businesses are ready to welcome as many ice cream lovers as possible!
Q: Beyond simply tracking visits, what additional educational features or farm details does the new digital platform provide to users?
Maryland's Best: The digital pass offers a description of each location as well as images consumers can view ahead of time. People can “favorite” the locations that are closest to them or have their favorite flavors so they can visit them in the future. Additionally they can earn points each time they check-in to a location and redeem those points for prizes.
Q: Managing a state-wide agricultural tourism program involves many moving parts. What was the biggest challenge your team faced in launching this app for the current season?
Maryland's Best: The biggest challenge for marketing in general is awareness. We want to make sure that first, consumers know about the Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail and second, that there is this great free tool they can use while they enjoy the trail. There is a lot of noise and a lot of competing advertisements out there so making sure we get in front of our audience is the biggest challenge. Once they know about it, that’s the easy part – everyone wants to enjoy local ice cream!
Q: As user adoption of the app grows, how do you plan to expand the digital features of the Maryland Ice Cream Trail in the coming years?
Maryland's Best: As the trail grows we are hoping to integrate additional prizes and ways for consumers to interact more in the app. For example, take a poll asking your favorite flavor of ice cream. Additionally, we would love to capitalize on the success of the ice cream trail and bring that to other agricultural products like cut flowers, oysters, beer, wine and more.
This discussion highlights the value of updating traditional agricultural tourism with modern technology. Moving the Maryland Ice Cream Trail to a digital platform removes friction for participants, making it easier to support local dairy farms. By simplifying the tracking process, the state ensures that both consumers and farmers gain the maximum benefit from the annual event.
Connecting communities with local agriculture remains a critical priority for state programs. As mobile tools become the standard for tourism, initiatives that adapt to user expectations will see the highest levels of engagement. Maryland's Best provides a clear blueprint for successfully merging technology with traditional farming support.
To learn more visit https://marylandsbest.maryland.gov/ice-cream-trail/
