Written By Jennifer Noel
Contemporary farming, particularly BIG farming, is a high tech business, employing the latest technology to plan, plant and harvest crops on the basis of computer modeling.
Lippy Brothers of Hampstead oversees almost 10,000 acres of farmland, most of it in Carroll County. One of the largest agricultural operations in Maryland, it is pioneering new methods to help create a more efficient and effective agricultural business.
Each of its four combines and 10 tractors is equipped with a Geographic Information Systems device much like the familiar satellite-based Global Positioning System. The GIS helps guide them in the field. Soil moisture, nutrients and pH levels are measured in the traditional way; by taking samples., but can be factored into the appropriate models.
“With GIS we are able to navigate within a specific farm,” explained Adam Orenstein, IT and GIS manager, the mapping specialist of the Lippy team. “All the crops are color coded and we can access information about previous crop yields, planting dates, as well as soil deficiencies. The system helps us to remain compliant with nutrient management laws as well as maintain healthy soil.”
Marshall White, Lippy’s nutrient manager, confirmed the importance of advancing technology.
“These types of systems allow us to plan crops on the computer in advance and are good instruments for looking ahead.”
The GIS systems also reports where the crop yield is low and allows farmers to take preventative measures against crops’ largest problem: feeding deer.
At the same time, there are some things about farms, no matter how big or technologically oriented, that do not change.
While many Carroll County residents are still hitting the snooze button on their alarm clocks, Ed Lippy, the oldest of the brothers, along with his team, has been up since 5 a.m. With responsibility for acreage far surpassing the average size of farms in Maryland, it is important that Lippy and the firm he helps operate get an early start to the day.
Lippy Brothers Incorporated grew out of the family dairy farm on Houcksville Road near Hampstead where Ed, Donald, Joe, and Wilson Lippy were born, worked for their father in their youth, and learned a love for the soil.
When they graduated from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture in 1950, Ed and Joe started buying up other farms. Wilson joined his brothers a year later. The three began leasing more land in 1955 but did not imagine that one day they would own 2,500 acres of land and lease another 7,000. The business leases land from 115 owners across Carroll and Baltimore Counties, as well as in York County, Pennsylvania.
The business was incorporated in 1965 in order to allow Donald to also be an equal partner.
“The real thing that made us successful was our ability in the beginning to put every penny we made back into the farm,” said Ed Lippy. “All of our wives had jobs, so we were able to live off their salaries. That was really important.”
Of the more than 1,100 farms in Carroll County, Lippy Brothers ranks as one of the largest. According to the 2007 Census for Agriculture, the average farm size in Maryland is 160 acres; Lippy Brothers far surpasses the state average.
Lippy Brothers employs 26 people who help run the daily operations of such a large scale farming business. In summer, at the height of the growing season, they often work 12 to 14 hours a day. But it is hardly monotonous.
“I think people who work here see variation in their work each day,” said Brad Rill, manager, and Donald Lippy’s son-in-law. “We are also a close knit group; that’s why I think we have dedicated workers.”
Beginning in May, the Lippys begin planting corn and soybeans. They then plant green beans for three months. They plant small grain in September and harvest it in June; plant wheat in October and harvest it, along with hay and straw, in June and July. Harvesting of corn and soy beans is usually finished around Thanksgiving.
Lippy harvests about 45 bushels of soybeans and 150 bushels of corn per tillable acre each year, according to Ed Lippy.
After harvesting, crops such as corn and wheat are shipped to mills in Pennsylvania, while others such as soybeans can travel halfway around the world to China. Green beans are trucked six or eight times a day to Hanover Foods in Hanover, Pennsylvania.
The winter months are not a season of hibernation, however. The Lippys use the relative down time to haul crops (They own five tractor trucks, two 10-wheelers, and a number of smaller trucks.), plan for the next season, and maintain equipment.
Lippy Brothers does not only plant, grow and harvest crops. The firm also owns 400,000 laying hens on Sunnyside Farms in Westminster. During a 10-year period beginning in 1992, the business even leased 800 acres in Puerto Rico, where they consulted with the local government on a plan to grow grain for cattle rather than just sugar cane.
A top priority for Lippy Brothers is conservation management and sustainable agriculture. Each farm has conservation plans in place as well as certified pesticide and nutrient programs.
“We use the bare minimum amount of pesticides to get the job done,” said Ed Lippy. “We believe in sustainable agriculture.”
Community involvement lies at the core of Lippy Brothers. Ed Lippy was the Director of the Farmers Merchants Bank in 1964 and served on the Farm Credit Council for 11 years as well as the Carroll County School Board for 19 years. Donald Lippy is a trustee at Carroll Community College and is involved in the Carroll County fair. Brad Rill remains active in 4-H with his children as well as being involved in coaching Carroll County sports programs for children.
Unlike many farms that have transitioned to corporate organization and management, Lippy Brothers has remained steadfast in its own links to the land.
“The unique thing about Lippy Brothers is that we are grown, owned, and operated by the family,” said Ed Lippy. “We have our lives in this; our roots are here. None of us live farther than two miles away. And driving the tractor is where the fun is.”
