As a local, vertically integrated brand, Roseda is constantly striving to protect future generations by seeking out ways to be a more sustainably responsible company. After two years of discussion and negotiation, we’ve finally been approved for a grant that will make a huge impact on bettering the carbon footprint (or hoof print) of our farm.

In 1999, Roseda was honored as “Cooperator of the Year” by the Baltimore County Soil Conservation District. Thanks to Ecotone, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Roseda Farm has just recently broken ground on a project that will build on the efforts that we were acknowledged for with the award. This venture will completely restore our streams, stop excess erosion and sediment, provide additional watering options for our cattle, and hopefully make our streams a more enticing place for some of Maryland’s treasured, local wildlife to return to their waters.

When cattle walk through streams, their hooves kick up lots of dirt and sediment (erosion), causing it to settle in the water, which makes it harder for other animals and fish to live there. This grant will provide us with several additional spring fed cattle-waterers so that our animals will no longer have any reason to need the streams, and be kept out of them for good.

Once the cattle are out and away from the streams, Ecotone will begin slopping back the banks of the stream and adding bends in it, to slow down the speed of the water flow. They will also plant tall grasses with strong root-networks to catch runoff, and finally, they will add rock beds that will lower the temperature of the water, ultimately bringing fish and other important microorganisms back into our streams. All of these improvements, plus an abundance of fish, should also entice other animals to return to the stream as a source of food, shelter, and clean water.

As proud residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we feel that efforts such as this one, are essential to maintaining the health of our waterways, wildlife and people! We know that in an industry like ours, where so much of what we do involves land and nature on a large scale, people are more concerned than ever about what companies are doing to reduce their impact. We hope that this grant will help our farm to flourish for years to come, and set a precedent for future environmental improvements down the line.