Tom Mullineaux’s father taught him that working in agriculture is a gamble. “My father said, ‘I can take this money and plant a crop or I can go to Las Vegas. It’s about the same,'” Mullineaux, the owner of Epix Seed Co., said. When Russia invaded Ukraine — one of the top global grain producers in the world — in February 2022, Frederick County farmers had to navigate a volatile market.
