Our History and Background
Emory Knoll Farms is situated in northern Harford County, Maryland; between Baltimore, and the border of Pennsylvania, in the Maryland piedmont. This richly historic area has traditionally been a farming region. Corn, soybeans, and cattle for beef and dairy industries are still prevalent in this area.
In 1709, the Snodgrass brothers, James and John, arrived in Philadelphia; having been kicked out of Scotland. Since then, the Snodgrass family has farmed the land at Emory Knoll Farms for 6 generations now. Over the years since the early 1800’s, we’ve evolved through many stages of traditional farming, raising corn, cattle, and even Christmas trees.
In the 1980's, family farms came under a lot of stress from the economic downturn. For many it took dramatic changes in thinking to thrive. It was during this period, that Ed Snodgrass, the current owner, began to redesign the farm under the principles of sustainability, using the Natural Step process. Over the years, Ed has worked with businesses; helping them to adopt the Natural Step Framework. Ed is a committed conservationist, and has put most of the land into an agricultural preservation trust. We’ve dedicated a significant portion of the land to restoring indigenous trees, and native meadow plants as a natural habitat for mid-Atlantic fauna and songbirds.
As far as agriculture, we are now dedicated solely to propagating plants for green roof construction projects. In fact we’re the only nursery operation in North America that’s dedicated to just green roof plants.
As our business grows, we hope to maintain a strong sense of our heritage here and a closeness to the original beauty and vitality of the land. We're counting on the next generation of cultivators to help preserve this feeling. Click 'Next' to learn more.
Links:
Emory Knoll Farms
3410 Ady Rd.
Street MD 21154
410-452-5880