Long Green Farms in Maryland: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Long Green Farms of Rising Sun, Maryland, has been in the Crothers family since 1759. Caleb Crothers, an eighth-generation dairy farmer, took over the 200-cow herd in 2015, and he and his wife Alice won the 2022 Maryland Leopold Conservation Award for stewardship near the Chesapeake Bay.
| Location | Rising Sun, Maryland (North East Creek watershed) |
|---|---|
| Founded | In the family since 1759 |
| Sectors | Dairy; corn, soybeans and hay; heifers |
| Scale | 200-cow herd; 225 acres of corn, 120 of soybeans, 80 of hay; 535 acres protected |
| Why it is elite | 2022 Maryland Leopold Conservation Award; eighth generation |
| Ownership | Caleb and Alice Crothers |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award announcement |
History of Long Green Farms
The farm has been in the family since 1759. Caleb Crothers is an eighth-generation dairy farmer who took over the 200-cow herd in 2015, and Alice previously worked in law enforcement and healthcare.
The farm sits near the Chesapeake Bay in an area of intense residential growth, and its land drains to North East Creek, a Bay tributary. The Crothers received the award at the Maryland Farm Bureau's Annual Convention on December 5, 2022.
What Long Green Farms Grows and Raises
The farm milks a 200-cow herd, raises heifers and grows 225 acres of corn, 120 of soybeans and 80 of hay. About 300 acres are planted with cover crops.
Conservation work includes more than 14,200 feet of reconstructed streambank and 60,000 newly planted trees. 535 acres are permanently protected through the Cecil Land Trust. The family is also exploring methane-digester electricity generation.
How Long Green Farms Makes Money
Milk
The 200-cow dairy herd is the farm's core business, and heifer raising supports herd replacement.
Home-grown feed crops
Corn, soybeans and hay support the herd and cut feed purchases.
Energy exploration
The family is exploring electricity generation from a methane digester, a way to turn manure into a possible second product.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Long Green Farms
The first lesson is to protect land while keeping it in production. Easements through a land trust can secure farmland near fast-growing areas.
The second lesson is to treat streams as part of the farm. Streambank work and tree planting reduce erosion and protect water. The third lesson is to keep exploring new revenue such as energy.
A farm that has been going since 1759 has outlasted every farm fad, every milk price panic and probably several fence disputes. For farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes with a Holstein twist, farm.FM is a fine break from chores. Eight generations in, the cows are still the ones deciding when the day starts.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Long Green Farms
No official farm website was found in November 2026, and no phone, address or email was verified. The linked page is the award announcement. Contact via local extension or the Maryland Farm Bureau.
Long Green Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation announcement - 2022 Maryland Leopold Conservation Award details
- 2022 finalists announcement - The 2022 Maryland finalists
- Maryland Farm Bureau Leopold coverage - Farm Bureau stories on the state conservation award
- University of Maryland Extension cover crop consulting - University help with cover crops
- Maryland Department of Agriculture Cover Crop Program - State cost-share program for cover crops
Long Green Farms FAQ
What award did Long Green Farms win?
The 2022 Maryland Leopold Conservation Award.
How long has the family farmed it?
Since 1759.
How many cows?
A 200-cow herd.
How much land is protected?
535 acres through the Cecil Land Trust.
Long Green Farms shows how a dairy near suburban growth can protect land and water. See the Maryland farms guide for more profiles and the state picture.