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Photo by Graham Cullen
Dick Bittner discusses green farming as he draws attention to a blue bird house Sunday at Fox Haven Farm in
Jefferson.
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Jefferson -- While many people only look for four-leafed clovers, Dick Bittner enjoys all clovers.Instead of using chemicals to fertilize the soil, he uses the green plant, which is rich in nitrogen, to put the nutrient into soil. It is plowed and used to grow orchard grass, which will be bailed into hay when it grows high enough. The so-called green manure is just one of several earth-friendly techniques Bittner uses as manager of the Fox Haven Farm. His green efforts were on display Sunday during a Going Green Field Day and Farmers Market at the farm. The free event included tours, education on green techniques and a farmers market. Vendor Bill McGiffin was selling honey from the more than 20 hives he keeps. McGiffin got into beekeeping when he noticed that the trees and flowers in his backyard were not pollinating. A friend brought over a hive, and McGiffin has now been beekeeping for more than 16 years. He admits to getting stung a lot, but said it doesn't bother him much. His bees' honey is not pasteurized or heated, he said. "It's still raw honey," McGiffin said. The Field Day, sponsored by the Maryland Cooperative Extension, was intended to show small family farms how they can conserve and practice sustainable living, said Harriett Crosby, Fox Haven's owner. Crosby thinks many of the roughly 200 visitors came because they wanted to learn new green practices. Crosby began buying land for the farm in the 1980s and owns more than 550 acres. She bought it because she did not want to see the land developed. Bittner and Crosby collaborate on many green projects on the farm, which is certified for organic hay and vegetable production and uses solar energy to power its well. More than 80,000 native trees have been planted, including American chestnuts that they are trying to make stronger through breeding with Chinese chestnuts. Their efforts have helped improve the health of the land and slow runoff into the Chesapeake Bay. The farm is also home to several bee hives whose occupants help to pollinate plants, and to bluebird boxes. "We are using nature to heal nature," she said.
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