Our Staff

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Our Mission

Helping farmers throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast region become more skilled, sustainable, and profitable through education and use of our environmentally and economically sustainable farming model.

Our Staff

Dr. Barao is a graduate of Michigan State University where he received a doctorate in beef cattle nutrition and management. He also holds a masters degree in microbiology and a bachelors degree in human nutrition and biochemistry.

Scott held a faculty position in the Dept. of Animal Sciences at the University of Maryland for 20 years where he served as the state Beef Cattle Specialist and Beef Program Leader. There, he directed all beef research and education programs at the university's Wye Research and Education Center, the home of the historic Wye Angus herd.

Scott has been with the Jorgensen Family Foundation since 2006 overseeing the operation of both the foundation and the farm.

Dr. Scott Barao, Executive Director

Chris Zook, Farm Manager

With Wife Thalia and Daughter Rose

Seth Young

Assistant Farm Manager

Shepard's Pie Recipe

Tender Sirloin Tip Roasts!

Savory Southwest
Crescent Pie Recipe

The legacy of Hedgeapple Farm dates to 1731 when the property was granted to the Meredith Davis Sr. family. Since 1956, the Jorgensen family has operated a dairy farm and a beef farm on the acreage, beautifully situated along the Monocacy River. In 1997, the Jorgensens gifted a conservation easement to the Maryland Environmental Trust in perpetuity to protect the farm from future development.

The farm has grown to over 300 acres and is located just north of the historic village of Buckeystown, MD. All the acreage is in permanent grassland and is utilized as pasture and hay for the farm's herd of Black Angus cattle. All of our grass-fed beef is direct marketed through our on-farm market.

The farm's one-mile of frontage along the Monocacy River makes stewardship of the soil and water resources especially important. We work hard to implement best management practices for improving the water quality of the Monocacy and Potomac Rivers, along with the Chesapeake Bay.