Long Grain and Livestock recieves Clean Water Farm Award

The Clean Water Farm Award, a State award sponsored by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, is given to Virginia farmers who implement nutrient management plans and are exemplary in their protection of the State’s soil and water resources. Clean Water Farm nominees may be chosen to represent any of the 94 counties and 18 cities of Virginia. From the pool of Virginia Clean Water Farm Award recipients, up to 10 grand winners representing Virginia’s major river basins are selected each year.

This year’s Clean Water Farm Award was awarded to David Long of Long Grain & Livestock who then was awarded the Grand Basin Coastal Award. David Long was born and raised in Cape Charles. He graduated from Broadwater Academy in 1973. In 1975 he obtained an Associates De-gree in Swine Management from Morgan County Community College in Colorado.

He returned to the Eastern Shore and started Long Grain & Livestock. He raised hogs and cattle while custom farming acres in Northampton County, eventually acquiring and tending his own crops. He began to grow toma-toes, potatoes, and eventually cotton. He currently serves on the Virginia Irish Potato Board and previously served on the Virginia Cotton Board. Long Grain & Livestock has grown to 2,000 acres with diverse products including cotton, sweet corn, field corn, wheat, soybeans and potatoes.
Mr. Long is a regular participant in the District’s annual small grain cover crop program and maintains a current nutrient management plan.

In addition to cover crop enrolled in District programs, he also has 400 acres enrolled in NRCS small grain cover crop program. A comprehensive resource management plan has been developed for his farm which has been reviewed and approved by the District. He is working toward having the plan certified by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Through a grant obtained by the District from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, 2,300 feet of buffers on Mr. Long’s farmland were found to be in compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.

All of his cropland has a minimum 35’ buffer width to reduce non-point source runoff and remove excess nitrogen and phosphorous into our local waterways. He maintains nine irrigation ponds to water crops in times of drought and a minimum 15’ buffer around pond edges enables native plants to thrive and filters additional run-off. In 2014, he established a 2.3 acres pollinator habitat and plans to plant an additional 9 acres.