FARM BUSINESS PROFILE: Billy Ford of Triple G Farm

October 19, 2016

With just three acres and some advice from a local farmer, William “Billy” Ford began his farming career. Those three acres are now home to Billy’s farming operation Triple G Farm LLC. The farm is family owned and operated by Billy, his wife Mary and their three daughters. What started as a roadside stand selling sweet corn, Triple G Farm has evolved throughout the years into a booming business of hay and grain production on over 390 acres.

Billy and his family have implemented a number of best practices in the operation of their farming business.  In keeping up with the latest on soil health and land stewardship, Billy has participated in the cover crop program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). He utilizes practices to minimize soil loss through no-till planters and residue and tillage management.  In 2016, he planted 290 acres of cover crops. For their commitment to environmentally friendly farming, Billy and his family were honored as the 2016 Conservationist of the Year by the Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District.

Tell us a little bit about your business and how you got started.

My sister had six or seven horses when I was 13. My grandfather owned a farm beside and behind us. I wanted to raise some field corn so we could take it to the mill, have it ground up and save my parents some money. It was also a way to give me something to do because I always liked machinery and tractors.

So I talked to a local farmer who I used to cut tobacco for. He said “If you want to make some money, put it on sweet corn.” He told me to get the ground plowed, get it ready and he would tell me what to get and help me out. His name was Mr. Edward Moreland. He planted it for me and sprayed it for weeds. We made a $600 profit off of three acres that first year. That lit a fire for me that has never gone out.

By the time I was 20, 21, I was farming about 100 acres.  Then I got married and wanted to buy a house. The bank would not give me the money to buy a house with my equipment loans. So I got out of farming for 15 years, moved to the Eastern Shore, and had three beautiful daughters. Eventually I was fortunate enough to obtain that piece of ground that I starting farming when I was 13. I built my house and raised my family there. It’s now the Triple G Farm.

Within a year, I got back into a farming with a little bit of hay because my daughter had some horses and my interest blossomed after that.

Talk about some of your experiences as you set up your business.  What were some challenges and accomplishments?

Being Conservationist of the Year is something that I never imagined. I try to do a good job. I have rules and regulations I have to follow. I’ve always believed that if you take care of something that it will take care of you, in terms of the land.

The biggest challenges right now are the overwhelming amount of paperwork and record-keeping that we have to do. Also, Mother Nature, you’re at her mercy. And then there are the markets.  Just because we have a good crop year, the markets don’t always pay you those dividends. There are a lot of traders that impact the market which controls the price you get for your crops.

As far as the most gratifying thing, it’s just watching things grow and putting hard work in it. Trying to make decisions at ten or 11 o’clock at night and sticking with those decisions. Being able to reap the fruits of your labor is the biggest thing for me.

What’s a typical work day like?

It depends on the time of year.  During winter time there is not a lot going on, loading straw trailers and delivering hay. Cleaning and repairing equipment constantly through the winter.

I get to my full time job around eight o’clock and I leave around four. I come home and depending on the weather and what time of the year it is, I’m usually out in the field until ten or eleven o’clock at night getting stuff done.

What advice would you offer to someone who is considering getting into the farming business?

To be in this type of farming, you have to be a scientist, a mechanic, a stock broker, a weatherman. It’s not a nine-to-five job. It’s when the going is good, you got to go. You can’t stop until you’re done. If I were a full time farmer and did not have a primary full time job, with my 390 acres, things would be easier on me as far as hours in the day working. But financially, I don’t know. My biggest advice is to get a good education and some kind of agricultural degree so that you really learn. My parents weren’t farmers, neither were my grandparents. I’ve had no one to teach me other than from the good will of neighbors, friends and their families who were willing to talk to me. For me, there was also trial and error.

What is special about doing business in Anne Arundel County?  

We farm a lot of ground right on the West River. I’m not a water person and I don’t like to be on the water. But to be out in the middle of the field and be able to look out across the water is a pretty enjoyable experience. Also, to be able to get the maximum yield possible without causing harm to the waterways and to the bay. Farming this close to water and the Chesapeake Bay , it’s an honor to farm nearby and know that you’re doing a good job.

How long do you want to continue farming?

I guess until I can’t do it anymore. What happens tomorrow, I do not know. But I do not have an exit strategy. I want to continue. My long term goal is to retire but continue to farm until I can’t do it anymore.

Written by Rosa Cruz, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation, and Shelly Hopkins, Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District

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