At Harborview Farms, he and his team are breaking new ground with innovative and creative farming techniques — combining the wisdom of traditional practices with forward thinking, environmentally conscious solutions that are shaping the future of the agricultural industry. Trey talks about his operation, his focus on technology and sustainability, carbon markets, and much more!
Read MoreMaryland farmer Trey Hill pulled in a healthy haul of corn last fall and then immediately planted rye, turnips, clover and other species, which are now spreading a lush green carpet over the soil. While his grandfather, who started the family farm along the Chesapeake Bay, always planted in the spring in a clean field, in Hill’s approach to farming, “you never want to see the ground.”
As the winter cover crops grow, they will feed microbes and improve the soil’s health, which Hill believes will eventually translate into higher yields of the crops that provide his income: corn, soybean and wheat.
But just as importantly, they will pull down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the ground. Hill is at the cutting edge of what many hope will provide not just a more nature-friendly way of farming, but a powerful new climate solution.
Read MoreFarm Journal announces the formation of The Carbon Council, comprised of eight farmers and ranchers who actively participate in and advocate for carbon-related programs.
Recognizing the need for thought leadership in the carbon market, Farm Journal stepped up to help the industry navigate the carbon space by assembling this group of diverse leaders in agriculture. These charter members bring a range of expertise and the drive to share the financial and ecological benefits of carbon programs.
Read MoreIN THE SPRING, the fields of flowers at Harborview Farms cause drivers to pull off the road to take pictures. "It's unbelievable the amount of people who will compliment me on my flowers," Trey Hill says as we walk through a field of rapeseed. A few weeks earlier, Hill tells me, this was all corn.
Read MoreFarming soy, wheat, corn and carbon. How one local farmer is leading the discussion on climate-smart agriculture
As climate change continues to alter our environment, we know we have to adapt. One industry that knows a thing or two about adjusting to the elements is farming.
Read MoreJoin Harborview Farms President Trey Hill in this new podcast, “The Tomorrow Farm,” as he shares his unconventional approach towards farming and how his innovative solutions can help other farmers fight climate change.
Read MoreWith climate resilient farming, my fields are better able to thrive in severe weather, my soils are richer and more productive, and I’m bettering the environment. But there are other, more personal benefits. By being open to change and adaptation—observing and taking my cues from nature—I’m getting back to the roots of farming. Getting the shovel out and seeing the earthworms thrive in my living fields has reawakened a sense of not just how but why we farm.
Read MoreNow, the idea of using agricultural land as a tool to sequester tons of atmospheric carbon is catching on. Several marketplaces are springing up to pay farmers for their carbon-storing efforts.
In fact, Maryland farmer Trey Hill is one of the early users of the carbon marketplace. In January, he received his first payoff — a check for about $120,000 for sequestering 8,000 tons of carbon over a three-year period on his 2,500-acre farm.
Read MoreIf becoming more environmentally responsible and climate-sensitive means more work, at the same pay, and requires a radical shift in thinking—how do we get farmers to do it?
Read MoreTrey Hill led a small group of fellow farmers to a field outside his office in Rock Hall on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It was a cloudy February day, but the ground was alive with color — purple and red turnip tops mixing exuberantly with green rye, vetch and clover, and beneath it all, rich brown soil. Hill reached down, yanked a long, thick, white daikon radish from the earth and showed his visitors sumptuous coffee-colored clods clinging to hairy rootlets. Those clumps, he explained, hoard carbon — carbon that’s not heating the planet.
Read MoreThis is a great video done by The Nature Conservancy showing the conservation work that occurs between Harborview Farms and the folks that we work with.
https://youtu.be/M91PVZ14jpc
Read MoreI am very excited that after 2 years of working with Nori, we have the first carbon credits for sale in a marketplace. All of the work we have been doing to build resiliency in our soils and sequester Carbon to help reverse climate change is paying off. Hopefully, this is the start of a huge change that will take place in agriculture .
Read MoreAlmost 90 miles east of Beltsville, Trey Hill squints against the afternoon sun as he looks out at the land his family has been farming for more than a century. Harborview Farms is headquartered in Rock Hall, Maryland, a charming seaside village on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, and encompasses 13,000 acres and more than 80 farms over three counties.
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"Smart farming" helps counter climate change
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Read MoreThank you farm credit for participating in Project Protein and being this months sponsor! We greatly appreciate it.
Read MoreWe are happy to have completed all of our First aid, CPR, and sprayer safety training
Read MoreThe second year of Project Protein was a great success! We are looking forward to our third year of Project Protein. Thank you to those sponsors who have already agreed to participate!
ShoreAg AirService, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Francis J. Hickman Farm Management & Consultation, Binkley & Hurst, Jeff and Molly Chorman or Chorman Spraying LLC, Bayer, Hoobers, Atlantic Tractor, Nutrien, Willard Agri-Service, Pioneer Seed, and FAM & M Insurance
Thank you for your support! We greatly appreciate it!
Read MoreSaving soil isn't the only reason Trey Hill practices no-till – it also saves money.
Read MoreThis is a great film for anyone wanting to learn about soil health. Harborview is one of the farmers that they featured.
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