Skip to main content
Doing Business with Us
Click here to learn more about doing business with Choptank Electric Cooperative Login to SmartHub
Click here to make a one-time payment Pay Now
Home

Login to SmartHub

Loading NISC SmartHub log in. Please wait...

'Loading NISC SmartHub log in. Please wait...'
Menu
  • About Us
    • The Coop Difference
    • Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Executive Staff
    • Financial Information
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
  • Your Service
    • Apply for Service
    • Payment Options & Your Bill
    • Complaints
    • Rates
    • Meter Sockets
    • Member Guide
    • Customer Choice
    • Business Members
      • Questline
      • Agri-Business
      • Load Control
  • Member Benefits
    • Member Benefits
      • Annual Meeting
      • Capital Credits
      • Discounts
      • E-News
    • Commitment to Community
      • Operation Round Up
      • Donations and Sponsorship
      • Scholarships
      • Youth Tour
      • Legislative News
      • Presentations and Demonstrations
  • Resources
    • Safety
      • Outage Map
      • Miss Utility
      • Storm Preparation
      • Vegetation Management
        • Invasive Species
      • DSTL
    • Energy Solutions
      • Energy Assistance
      • Renewable Energy Certificates
      • Beat The Peak
      • Green Energy
      • Energy Efficiency
      • Chop-A-Watt
  • Choptank Fiber

Oyster Farming on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Wednesday | August 30, 2023
All News

Oyster Farming on Maryland’s Eastern Shore Fuels Member’s Passion

By Matthew Teffeau, Manager Government 
Affairs and Economic Development

Dan Worrell, founder and operator of Fallen Pine Oyster Farm, took a leap of faith right before the Covid-19 outbreak to start an oyster catering company, Shell and Barrell. Worell’s passion started when he worked for the Oyster Recovery Partnership as a shell recovery technician, and as a nationally ranked competitive oyster shucker after college. “Being on the water, in intense environmental conditions, and producing a high-quality product can be overwhelming much of the time. However, improving overall water quality, highlighting the importance of this growing industry, and working the water like my great grandparents is well worth it,” says Worell. During 2021, he changed gears from catering to farming, when he found a gemstone of an existing oyster lease located in a remote area of Worcester County. Worell’s oyster farm sits on the north shore of Brockatonorton Bay, which is a stone’s throw away from Chincoteague Bay.  

man working the water
Nick Tyler takes great care in working the land and growing oysters

Requiring the use of single-phase and reliable power for his on-site refrigeration and oyster tumblers, Choptank Electric Cooperative was there to take the call. On a hot and humid August day in 2022, Worell was to receive a full truck load of 4’ by 6’ floating oyster cages that look like upside down pontoon boats. Employing a small army of friends and family that day, he could not believe what transpired as a fuse box blew due to the harsh salty marsh environment. Within minutes, an outage was reported to Choptank and a crew was dispatched to his location. “If I were to pick one day I could not have a repair vehicle blocking our road, it was that specific day,” Worell recalls. Deciding to break for lunch, Worell and his flotilla of large trucks returned to find that Choptank Electric’s crew had completed the repair and restored power. “Not only was I relieved, but I have rarely been as impressed with the cooperation, and customer service that CEC provided.”

a growing oyster

Keeping the lights on and operating a small business like Fallen Pine Oyster Farm in a remote area is a 24/7 undertaking. Worell, like many, is driven to succeed in his endeavor to grow the oyster farming industry and build future infrastructure to help it grow. Maintaining the increase in demand for his oysters is his biggest challenge right now. The typical market-size oyster takes over two growing seasons (May to November) to achieve. “Growing oysters is a labor-intensive job, and nature doesn’t always cooperate with market demands,” Worell explains. “We must cultivate and check on the oysters daily before they are ready to go to market. Not having reliable sources of energy would make the job impossible.”

oyster tumbler
Separating the oysters by size, the tumbler is an important piece of Fallen Pines’s equipment

Worell’s oysters, Salt Buoys and Wild Ass Ponies, come with a distinctive oceanic taste being so close to the Chincoteague Bay and Atlantic Ocean. He has labeled them as Maryland’s saltiest oysters due to the elevated salinity levels from evaporation in the coastal bay. Bringing fresh products to local markets has been a long-standing tradition on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. If you would like to learn more about Worell’s operation, please visit  > www.fallenpineoyster.com

fallen pine oysters
Fallen Pine Oyster Company's end product is a delicacy and makes all the hard work that goes into it worth it.

 

Back to Top

Quick Links

  • Privacy Policy
  • Rates
  • Employment
  • Contact Us

Footer 2

  • Outage Map
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Doing Business with Us
  • Donations, Scholarships and Sponsorship

Footer 3

  • Member Guide
  • Governance
  • E-News
  • Your Co-op News

Connect with Us

©2023 Choptank Electric Cooperative. A Touchstone Energy Cooperative

  • About Us
    • The Coop Difference
    • Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Executive Staff
    • Financial Information
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
  • Your Service
    • Apply for Service
    • Payment Options & Your Bill
    • Complaints
    • Rates
    • Meter Sockets
    • Member Guide
    • Customer Choice
    • Business Members
      • Questline
      • Agri-Business
      • Load Control
  • Member Benefits
    • Member Benefits
      • Annual Meeting
      • Capital Credits
      • Discounts
      • E-News
    • Commitment to Community
      • Operation Round Up
      • Donations and Sponsorship
      • Scholarships
      • Youth Tour
      • Legislative News
      • Presentations and Demonstrations
  • Resources
    • Safety
      • Outage Map
      • Miss Utility
      • Storm Preparation
      • Vegetation Management
        • Invasive Species
      • DSTL
    • Energy Solutions
      • Energy Assistance
      • Renewable Energy Certificates
      • Beat The Peak
      • Green Energy
      • Energy Efficiency
      • Chop-A-Watt
  • Choptank Fiber