Highview Farms, which started as a small family farm with just 30 acres and a small herd of Hereford cattle in Whiteford, would eventually turn into a 500-acre operation raising 160 cattle at multiple farms around Harford County.
Its owner, David Doran, 80, has been named Harford County’s Farmer of the Year for 2024, celebrating his decades of dedication to farming in the county.
Doran was recognized at the annual Harford County Farm Bureau Banquet on Nov. 15 at Pond View Farm in White Hall. Doran’s family gathered to celebrate with him, taking pictures and enjoying a speech from his granddaughter, Kimberly, who commended his lifelong commitment to farming.
“I was very surprised and very humbled by it,” Doran said. “Everybody on that list who has received this award through the years, they’re outstanding farmers, and I didn’t feel like I belonged to that group, really.”
Doran received a glass plaque to commemorate his recognition, along with a proclamation certificate from County Executive Bob Cassilly.
“I didn’t get a chance to work with you, but after watching Mike [Doran] and Kimmi [Doran Lyons] in action, I see that nothing comes from nothing, and you’re obviously an incredible person because they’re both incredible people,” Cassilly said regarding Doran’s son and granddaughter.
Cassilly noted that as a family, the Dorans have volunteered at the Harford County Farm Fair since David’s sons, Mike and Tommy, were old enough to join the county’s 4-H program in the early 1980s.
An Army veteran originally from Pompano Beach, Florida, David married his wife, Carol, in 1965, and they built their first house on a piece of family property in Whiteford, in 1972. A year later, David and Carol’s father invested together in a herd of about 25 cattle. On top of juggling his responsibilities at the farm, David worked at Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania for more than 40 years while Carol worked as a secretary at Jarrettsville Elementary School.
The couple’s first son, Mike, was born in 1976, and three years later the family officially put a name to their business: Highview Farms.
“In the early years, the tractors were too small and the equipment was too junky,” Doran said. “We’d make three bales of hay and not have to work for two hours and then we’d make another three. But we’ve had lots of help, the family has always been involved and a lot friends have advised us along the way.”
David and Carol had a second son, Tommy, when Mike was 4 years old. They raised both in Harford County’s 4-H program and in North Harford High School’s FFA chapter. The boys spent years showing animals at the Harford County Farm Fair, and Mike’s two children, Kimberly and Zachary, would eventually follow suit.
Doran said over the many decades he has spent farming, his greatest accomplishment was raising a family who became just as involved in agriculture as he has been.
“Kimmi, Zach, Mike — they’re all involved in agriculture now. Big time. Mike has pretty much taken over the decision-making for us here, but Kimmi is the animal expert, and Zachary works at Clear Meadow Farm but helps us also,” he said.
David’s son, Mike, is now a leading volunteer at the county fair. Originally a chairman of the livestock sale committee, he is currently a superintendent for all outdoor exhibits (including livestock) and makes arrangements with county police and bus drivers to handle the volume of visitors and traffic. Kimberly is now the agricultural coordinator for Harford County government.
In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family opened an onsite meat market that allows visitors to purchase cuts of meat from their very own cattle.
“Starting the market came as a decision during COVID when the grocery store shelves were empty and food security was at risk,” Kimberly Doran said. “I don’t think when we started it in 2020 we thought that we would still be doing it now, especially at the extent that we’re doing it, but it was just something that took off.”
“I think the community feels more secure and safe buying from their neighbors than they do from a store,” she added.
On top of helping run the meat market, David is on the Board of Supervisors for the Harford Soil Conservation District, where he serves as treasurer. He is also on the Harford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
As treasurer for the Harford Soil Conservation District, Doran said his own farm has taken advantage of the department’s management practices to better the health of the surrounding environment and Chesapeake Bay. Highview Farms includes a variety of these practices, such as the implementation of contour farming, grass-filled waterways, stream exclusion fencing and concrete stream crossings.
When asked how he maintains so many responsibilities at the age of 80, Doran said he “doesn’t have a choice.”
“You know you have your responsibilities, along with aches and pains, but you just have to carry on. Believe me.”
As for the future of Harford County agriculture and the future of his family business, Doran worries about the current prices of commodities, but says he has enough support from his family to keep the farm running for years to come.
“Input costs are killing us, and the prices we get for our commodities are downright terrible,” Doran said. “But for the future here, I think we’re in pretty good shape with the grandchildren involved now. Tommy is retiring in a year from the Navy and he’s going to come back in one way or another.”
Five months ago, David’s grandson, Zach, and his wife, Kendall, welcomed their son, Bruce, who looks to be the firstborn in Highview Farms’ fourth generation of farmers.
Have a news tip? Contact Brennan Stewart at bstewart@baltsun.com, 443-800-5902, or @BrennanStewart_ on X.
Leave A Comment