Maryland Farmers Demonstrate Leadership in Regenerative Agriculture

Frederick County Event Featured Three Farms Improving Biodiversity and Climate Resilience

Maryland policymakers, conservation partners, public land decision makers, and farm leaders explored three Frederick County farms yesterday that are improving soil health, water quality, climate resilience, and biodiversity through regenerative agriculture.  

Agriculture is the second largest land use in Maryland—covering roughly one-third of the state—and the largest source of pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay. Frederick County has the most farmland out of all Maryland counties with over 188,000 acres. Fortunately, there have been immense improvements that both reduce pollution and help address climate change. Maryland farmers are at the forefront of this effort, implementing regenerative agriculture practices such as crop diversification and rotational livestock grazing, which can improve soil health and reduce a farm’s carbon footprint. 

“Agriculture can be part of the solution or continue to be a problem for the Chesapeake Bay,” said Rob Schnabel, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Restoration Scientist. “Innovative local farmers are proving that regenerative agriculture can restore a farm’s soil health, making their land more resilient and productive, while at the same time reducing costly chemical fertilizer. Over 50% of farms are not profitable, making them vulnerable to development. Regenerative agriculture can be part of the solution to work with diverse natural systems for economic viability and for cleaner rivers and streams.” 

The October 23 event, coordinated by CBF and Mobilize Frederick, toured three unique farm businesses implementing regenerative practices, including: 

• Stone Pillar Farm in Frederick, a livestock and vegetable operation specializing in pasture-raised meat and eggs and marketing directly to consumers; 
• Hedgeapple Farm in Frederick specializing in grass-fed beef and pork, with over a mile of Monocacy River frontage; and,  
• Jehovah Jireh Farm in Dickerson, which specializes in organic pasture-raised eggs and sells to MOM’s Organic Market and other local grocers. 

“We started implementing regenerative practices like cover crops for the environmental benefits, but saw the operational benefits right away,” said Abby Fahrner at Stone Pillar Farm.  

During the event, presenters demonstrated the immediate water quality benefits of regenerative agriculture through rain simulators, slake soil tests, and greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration calculators. Presenters included representatives from CBF, Mobilize Frederick, University of Maryland Extension, American Farmland Trust, Future Harvest, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services, Frederick County Office of Agriculture, Maryland Forest Service, American Chestnut Foundation, Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, local beekeepers, and more. 

“Mobilize Frederick is dedicated to implementing sustainable, equitable local solutions to climate change. We see regenerative farming as a key part of Frederick’s climate resilience and mitigation,” said Karen Cannon, Mobilize Frederick Executive Director. “We import the vast majority of our food from other parts of the country and around the world. To improve local food production and security and to maintain our agricultural heritage we need to ensure farms and farmers have all the tools they need to protect farmland and be profitable in the long run. Regenerative agriculture helps us meet these goals while mitigating climate change.” 

Healthy soil and biodiversity are critical for a prosperous farm. They are also a natural shield against flooding, absorbing rainfall and reducing polluted runoff, rather than letting it run off into our waterways. 

“We can really see the difference,” said Myron Horst at Jehovah Jireh Farms. “Now when we get a heavy rain, it has to rain at least two inches before we start seeing polluted runoff. Usually when it rains, the Monocacy River turns to mud from topsoil.” 

The top principles of regenerative agriculture include:  

• Minimizing negative disturbances like tillage and pesticides that can harm soil biology;  
• Always keeping soil covered with crops to prevent erosion;  
• Diversifying plant cover; 
• Prolonging root life to maintain photosynthesis, sequester carbon, and feed soil microbes, and;  
• Rotational grazing of livestock, which spurs diverse manure probiotics for better plant growth and deeper roots. 

Implementing these principles through a system of conservation practices across the Chesapeake Bay watershed is an efficient and cost-effective way to stop pollution at the source, meet the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint’s clean water goals, and provide economic resilience to farmers. Maryland must invest in the financial and technical assistance that farmers need to implement regenerative agriculture to meet these pollution reduction goals while illustrating the economic benefits for farmer profitability. 

Learn more about regenerative agriculture and how it benefits the health of the Chesapeake Bay.  

This project is made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.