Farming and Soil Conservation

Harford County has a long history of responsible farming practices. Agricultural journalist Russell Lord, who lived in the area during portions of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, recognized that the region’s “picturesque views and thriving farm communities spoke to decades of rural community engagement in land preservation and conservation,” and noted early adoption of “contour plowing, terracing, and field-to-pasture conversion.”

In fact, Margaret Eppig, doctor of environmental studies, writes, “the Harford County Soil Conservation District was one of the first soil conservation districts in the country to form under the Soil Conservation Service… [I]ts rural heritage zones, watershed associations, local land preservation and easement programs, and rich history of community agricultural conservation serve as models for national and regional studies of successful rural lands preservation.” (Eppig, Russell Lord and the Permanent Agriculture Movement, p.123-6)

Rendering by Ward Bucher, April 1999.

Rusell Lord often devoted space in his journal, The Land, to the farm restoration and soil conservation efforts of Harford County farmers. He also provided his own expertise to help make projects a success. In the 1930s, when Charles Bryan sought to restore the "washed and wasted" land at Mount Pleasant (near Havre de Grace), Lord suggested terracing the hill and treating the soil. Bryan used straw, lime, and horse manure from the nearby Havre de Grace race track, and within a few years, the stabilizing fruit trees he had planted were thriving.

Leaving stubble on the fields in winter prevents soil erosion from wind, rain, and snow, and helps to hold in some moisture.

Cover crops like those shown above can be planted to hold the soil in place, and some, like crimson clover, fix nitrogen in the soil for the next crops planted and help to build soil structure. Maryland is far ahead of many other states in its use of cover crops, in part because of proximity to the delicate estuarian ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay.

Suburban commuters in Harford County were surprised a few years ago when fields between Creswell and Churchville burst into bloom with crimson clover. Much as they do when farmers fill a field with cheery sunflowers, passersby were stopping for photo opportunities along the road.

Diagram by Ohio State University Extension.

Buffers—whether called environmental buffers, filter strips, riparian buffers, or vegetative barriers—serve a crucial function in agriculture and in land usage planning in general. These grasses, shrubs, and trees slow down runoff, allowing it to soak in. They filter out sediment, heavy metals, nutrients, and pesticides that would flow into rivers and streams and then into the Chesapeake Bay. 

Forest buffers also serve as windbreaks and reduce smells and noises that might aggravate neighbors. Residential developments near farmland benefit from these buffers (especially in the spring!), and Aberdeen Proving Ground, for example, actively seeks to maintain nearby forests and undeveloped land as sound barriers. You can spot buffers along roads and streams throughout Harford County.

Aerial view of vegetative buffers and farm fields along Schucks Road in Harford County. Image courtesy of Google Earth.

From the ground they may look wild and even random, but aerial views reveal the watersheds-in-miniature that they protect. In the image at right you can see the broad buffers maintained by farmers in the wedge between Route 543 and Route 136, following the seeps and streams.

 To help decrease farm runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus (which harm the fragile Chesapeake Bay ecosystem), farmers in Maryland don’t just rely on buffers. They have nutrient management plans as well. Sampling soil types in fields, studying weather patterns, and restricting chemical inputs accordingly requires more planning, but it’s better than purchasing and applying nutrients only to have them wash away!