Hedgeapple Farm

The mission of Hedgeapple Farm, the centerpiece of the Jorgensen Family Foundation (JFF), is to develop and demonstrate a beef production model capable of producing (breeding, growing, feeding and finishing) and direct-marketing beef in a way that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Hedgeapple optimizes the use of on-farm resources such as pasture, hay and facilities which also models environmental stewardship and conservation practices reducing our overall impact on the surrounding ecosystem and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. We are proud that the many resources on our property – water, plants, animals and a variety of wildlife – coexist because of our farm’s conservation-minded stewardship not in spite of our farming operation. In 2010, Hedgeapple Farm was the first farm in Frederick County to be recognized as a “”Certified Agricultural Conservation Steward”” by the Maryland Farm Stewardship and Certification Program. In addition, in keeping with the applied research component of the JFF, we participate in the trial use and evaluation of alternative forage species and forage management, including warm-season grasses, summer annuals, and forage stockpiling to supplement and extend the animal grazing season. The results of all of our work is presented and shared through various white papers and through invited presentations at producer-directed workshops and symposia across the northeast and mid-Atlantic region. “