Mill Hill Dairy

At Mill Hill Dairy, we learned how a 200-year old farm has added 21^st century conservation practices to increase its profitability. Mill Hill Dairy, which has been in the Biddle family since 1797, is currently owned by Jim and Carol Biddle. They produce crops and milk 370-head of Holsteins. The Biddles, who were awarded the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award in 2010, have a long history of implementing best management practices that help reduce soil erosion, streambank protection, and nutrient loss.

Their newest project, a ½ acre bee pollinator area, includes native wildflowers and wildlife cover that will encourage greater pollination of crops at the same time it protects wildlife. Other projects include a composted manure bedding pack that allows a manure-sawdust mixture to compost over the winter months providing cattle comfort and high-quality fertilizer; paddocks and stream crossings for rotational grazing; and no-till crop production.