The Cecil County Department of Economic Development highlighted our farm below. Check it out!

Long Green Farms Inc.

Dairy

Long Green Farms is a small family operating dairy farm. The total herd size is approximately 330 cows, predominantly Holsteins, along with a fair mix of Jerseys. We raise our calves and heifers on site. We milk our cows twice per day at 4am and 4pm in our herringbone double eight milking parlor. We utilize automated milkers that measure each cow’s milk production at each milking. Long Green Farms Inc. produces approximately 10,500 pounds of milk per day. That’s close to 4 million pounds of milk each year!!

Long Green Farms Inc is a member of Land O Lakes. Once a day, our milk is picked up and delivered to a Land O Lakes processing facility. The milk is used to make many delicious products that you see on your grocery store shelves including cheese, butter, half and half, hot chocolate mixes, and much more. Some items may not have the Land O Lakes logo. These include milk, yogurt, ice cream, chocolates, desserts and powdered cheese flavored snacks.

what do we feed our cows?

We grow all of our cows’ feed on the 560-acre farm. We grow corn, soybeans, triticale, rye and grass hay. We partner with a dairy nutritionist to ensure the daily ration of feed is optimal for our cows’ nutritional needs. Each day we mix approximately 25,000 pounds of feed!

At birth, our calves are given colostrum from their mother’s milk to ensure they receive the additional nutrients and antibodies to help protect their bodies. Our calves are fed fresh milk twice per day along with a special mix of feed to ensure optimal growth and development for their age. The calves live in a special barn, giving each their own room to protect their growing immune system.

At 60 days, our calves move up to the heifer barn. The calf is now called a heifer. The heifer remains in this barn, moving up by age group until they are 8 months and 1 week pregnant with their first calf. This is usually somewhere around 2 years old.

Our nearly due heifers and cows live together at our dry cow barn. These soon-to-be lactating mothers are fed a special diet to ensure their growing nutritional needs are met. As they begin to show signs of nearing labor, the cow is moved to the animal hospital for closer monitoring and delivery.

How do we feed our cows?

During the summer months, we harvest our grass hay 2-3 times. These three harvests provide sufficient grass hay for our heifer and dry cows for a full year. We harvest the corn once per year. Some of the corn is combined to create grain. The remaining corn is chopped to produce corn silage. The soybeans are combined once per year. The combination of the grain, corn silage, and soybeans create our cows feed ration for the year.

The Fields

Long Green Farms Inc consists of 560 acres. Of the total acreage, about 425 acres are used to grow feed for the cows. We grow corn, soybeans, triticale, rye, and grass hay. Every spring starts in the fall of the previous year. When the prior harvest is complete, we plant approximately 300 acres of triticale and rye. These are cover crops. Cover crops retain nutrients in the soil and prevent sediment run off throughout the winter months. In the spring, we harvest approximately 180 acres as a portion of our yearly supply of forage or feed.

Drag-lining

We plant 225 acres of corn, 120 acres of soybeans, and 80 acres of grass hay. To minimize commercial fertilizer application, we apply our animal waste to the fields through a process called drag-lining. Drag-lining is like a very large water hose that is connected to a tractor with a large sprinkler system and boom to equitably distribute the manure. A large blender or agitator is placed in the manure pit to stir the liquids and the solids to ensure equal application of nutrients.

Long Green Farms hosts an annual Halloween party for the community. This is a great opportunity to bring farms and families together. We Trick-or-Treat around the farm, take a hayride through the fields and fellowship with families over dinner.