Jay Baxter simply gave up.
The Georgetown, Delaware, crop and poultry farmer parked his tillage equipment while learning to never say never.
“We have practically given up on all tillage practices,” Baxter says. “When we ran the numbers, we found that it’s more economical for us to grow everything no-till.”
Baxter Farms, Inc., a partnership run by Jay and his sister, Kristy Malin, grows soybeans, corn, milo, sweetcorn and lima beans. The operation also includes a contract poultry operation.
Blessed with the opportunity to farm the land under their care, Baxter says he and his sister believe it is their duty to give the next generation the opportunity to do the same.
“Our grandparents and parents provided a legacy of hard work, dedication and conservation to the best of their ability, making changes when needed to better the next generation,” Baxter says. “We believe it is our God given duty to be good stewards to all He has trusted us with. We pass these characteristics on to our children.”
As Baxter Farms continues to expand for the next generation to bring their own innovations into the business, Jay and his wife, Jessica, diversified their small, partnering farming operation into production greenhouses and cover crops, selling cover crop seed and blends. They also have a cover crop interseeder and hope to add application drones as they look to build the business with their own children.
With a rich conservation heritage, Baxter Farms and its entire team shares in the philosophy that the land itself is the farm’s legacy. That said, soil health is at the forefront of the operation’s management decisions, driven largely from use of no-till, cover crops and water management.
Legacy in the making
Credited as four generations, Baxter Farms, Inc., traces land grants from colonial times. James Baxter, Sr., began the farming operation in 1903 to support his tomato canning business. At 16, James Jr. “Jim” purchased his first farm with the proceeds from his poultry operation. Returning from World War II on Christmas Eve, 1945, Jim continued to grow his farm and soon started a machinery business with his wife, Ruth. Jim’s two sons, James III (Jimmy) and Bill, both passed away in their early 50s.
From the time he could walk, James IV (Jay) followed the shadows of his father, uncle and grandfather. Even at a young age, the lad had his mind set on farming.
After losing his father only months earlier, Jay graduated college in 2002 and went right to work on the farm. Two years later, he convinced his grandfather and uncle to convert a 90-acre farm to no-till, planting a cover crop on the ground the following fall.
Fast forward to 2025. Jay and sister, Kristy, have grown the operation to its current scope of 100% no-till and cover crop — even on the farm’s vegetable acres. About 85% of the farm’s acreage is irrigated by center pivot, which is crucial in the arid, sandy soil of the coastal plain region where the family farms. While the soil is conducive for growing vegetables, irrigation is a must for efficient crop production. Water conservation and irrigation efficiency are chief reasons no-till and cover crop practices are commonplace for the operation.
Creating intentional stewardship
Twenty years ago, when Baxter convinced his uncle to let him experiment with cover crops on an unproductive, irrigated parcel of land, he made a vow to figure out no-till. From that point forward, no-tilling and the use of cover crops were key in building the soil.
“The effects were drastic,” Baxter says. “We started seeing almost immediate improvements in yield, and then we started asking why. That’s when we started to realize the productivity and the benefits of the different soil health practices.”
Today, Jay Baxter is a self-professed cover crop geek! In fact, he intends for every acre of Baxter Farms to be seeded in a cover crop every year.
A vital role in how the farm operates, legumes such as vetch and clovers help provide necessary nitrogen to grow corn, sweetcorn, sorghum and lima beans. Other grass species like rye and oats help repair and bond the farm’s sandy soils. Baxter has also found benefit from sunflowers, lablab and phacelia, all of which assist in pollinating lima beans.
“We are learning that other cover crops like buckwheat, radish and oats sequester potassium and phosphorus, which is extremely helpful in high phosphorus soils,” Baxter explains. “We never stop exploring or experimenting with cover crops here.”
Making good neighbors
Today, Baxter Farms is nestled in a growing population, just 30 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, creating a unique set of challenges for the generational agribusiness.
Traversing large-scale farm equipment from farm to farm as well as nuisance complaints such as smell, noise and dust propel Jay to lead the way in advocating for his family’s and communities’ agricultural heritage.
“We are surrounded here by a growing population of what we call transplants,” Baxter explains. “People that move here to be in the proximity of the beach, for our low taxes, for the ‘country lifestyle, urban lifestyle.’ Our biggest hurdle is educating our neighbors about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
The farm itself is split in two watersheds, one of which is the Chesapeake Bay. Scrutinized for nutrient management, every decision Baxter Farms makes weighs heavily on how it affects future generations.
“We enjoy the same resources as our recent and incoming neighbors,” Baxter says. “Our mantra is to preserve them, too.”
Located in Sussex County, Delaware, Baxter Farms is home to virtually flat topography. The farm operates on land ranging from eight feet to 30 feet above sea level, which Baxter says results in some conservation challenges.
Because of the operation’s proximity to water, nutrient conservation is a must for area farmers.
“In some cases, our nutrient management plan recommends the farm use buffer strips along waterways, ditches and boundaries,” Baxter explains. “We use water control structures in ditches to control water flow and the flow of nutrients off the farm.”
Because vacationers frequent the region and new building projects, farmers are encouraged to conserve water. Baxter says Variable Rate Irrigation is a tool of the future, once the technology is perfected and becomes more economically feasible. The farm relies on water meters and irrigation efficiency test training provided by the University of Delaware to help track its water usage and minimize waste.
“Everyone wants to move here,” Baxter explains. “We’re not growing chickens to pollute the groundwater. We’re not spreading manure as fertilizer to make stink in the air. We’re doing the best we can with the technology we have to be a good steward on our land so we can pass that legacy on.”
Truly rooted in conservation and land stewardship, Baxter Farms hopes to leave more than a name to the next generation.
“We’re not just leaving assets behind,” Baxter concludes. “We were given soil, something to grow. We were given something to love and to steward, and that’s what my legacy means.”
