Slate Ridge Dairy Farm in Pennsylvania: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Slate Ridge Dairy Farm near St. Thomas in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, is owned and operated by Ben and Sharon Peckman and won the 2020 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award. The mid-sized dairy farms shallow, shale-based soils with no-till, cover crops and a methane digester. It shows that conservation and dairy income can go together on thin ground.
| Location | Near St. Thomas, Franklin County, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Sectors | Dairy; cover-crop grazing study with beef steers; on-farm energy |
| Scale | Described by the award announcement as a mid-sized dairy; acres and herd size not published there |
| Why it is elite | 2020 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award ($10,000 and a crystal award) |
| Energy | Methane digester supplying about a third of farm energy use, with the remainder sold to the grid |
| Ownership | Ben and Sharon Peckman |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation 2020 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award announcement (no official site found) |
History of Slate Ridge Dairy Farm
Ben and Sharon Peckman own and operate Slate Ridge Dairy Farm in south central Pennsylvania, in an area of shallow, shale-based soils that the award announcement calls less productive. Ben adopted no-till and cover crops early, well before they were widely used by dairies.
The award was announced on November 19, 2020 at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's virtual annual meeting, with sponsors Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, The Heinz Endowments and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
What Slate Ridge Dairy Farm Grows and Raises
The farm plants corn into living cover crops using a custom-made roller on the planter, and it keeps pollinator plots, manure storage facilities and a silage leachate collection system. Solar panels and a methane digester provide energy.
A Penn State Extension simulated rainfall test found zero runoff from three inches of rain. The Peckmans also bought beef steers for a soil health study on grazing cover crops, though the dairy herd itself is not grazed, and they host conservation events and demonstrations for other farmers.
How Slate Ridge Dairy Farm Makes Money
Milk
Milk is the main product of a working dairy, and the farm's soil and feed practices are aimed at keeping feed cost and soil loss down on thin ground.
Energy from the digester
The digester supplies about a third of the farm's energy use, and the remainder of its output is sold to the electric utility's grid, according to the announcement.
Solar and study partnerships
Solar panels cut purchased power, and partnerships with Penn State Extension on the steer grazing study bring research support. The announcement does not describe revenue from these.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Slate Ridge Dairy Farm
The first lesson is that low-productivity ground rewards soil armor: living roots, residue and no-till keep water and soil in place. The second is to test the results. A rainfall simulator showing zero runoff turns a practice into proof.
The third is to share it. Hosting demonstrations earns neighbor trust and award recognition.
A farm built on slate and shale deserves an extra cheer for growing corn through a living cover crop, and at farm.FM we are happy to give it. Our farm satire files include a note that Slate Ridge's rainfall test left the weather with nothing to complain about. The farm humor desk and the ranch humor desk agree that the best farm jokes here are about three inches of rain and zero runoff, and that the Peckmans have heard them all.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Slate Ridge Dairy Farm
No official website, address or phone for Slate Ridge Dairy Farm was found in the sources used, so none is listed. Contact Pennsylvania Farm Bureau or Franklin County extension to ask about conservation events.
Slate Ridge Dairy Farm Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Slate Ridge award announcement - Sand County Foundation release on the 2020 award
- Sand County Foundation Pennsylvania award page - Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award program
- Leopold Conservation Award - National award program
- USDA NASS Pennsylvania 2022 Census profile - State dairy, farm counts and sales
- Pennsylvania Farm Bureau - State producer association and award sponsor
Slate Ridge Dairy Farm FAQ
Where is Slate Ridge Dairy Farm?
Near St. Thomas in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
Who owns it?
Ben and Sharon Peckman.
What award did it win?
The 2020 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award.
Does the farm have a methane digester?
Yes, the award announcement says it supplies about a third of the farm's energy use.
Slate Ridge Dairy Farm proves that a mid-sized dairy can win by protecting thin soil and using its manure well. For the climate, programs and markets behind it, read our Pennsylvania farms guide and the other profiled operations.