David Long  was born and raised in Cape Charles, VA. He graduated from Broadwater Academy in 1973. In 1975 he obtained an Associates Degree in Swine Management from Morgan County Community College in Colorado then returned to the Eastern Shore and started Long Grain & Livestock. He raised hogs and cattle while custom farming acres in Northampton County, eventually acquiring and tending his own crops. He began to grow tomatoes, potatoes, and eventually cotton. He currently serves on the Virginia Irish Potato Board and previously served on the Virginia Cotton Board. Long Grain & Livestock has grown to 2,000 acres with diverse production including cotton, sweet corn, field corn, wheat, soybeans and potatoes. Mr. Long is a regular participant in the Eastern Shore SWCD's annual small grain cover crop program and maintains a current nutrient management plan. In addition to cover crop enrolled in District programs, he also has 400 acres enrolled in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) small grain cover crop program. A comprehensive resource management plan has been developed for his farm which has been reviewed and approved by the District. He is working toward having the plan certified by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Through a grant obtained by the District from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, 2,300 feet of buffers on Mr. Long’s farmland were found to be in compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. All of his cropland has a minimum 35’ buffer width to reduce non-point source runoff and remove excess nitrogen and phosphorous into our local waterways. He maintains nine irrigation ponds to water crops in times of drought and a minimum 15’ buffer around pond edges enables native plants to thrive and filters additional run-off. In 2014, he established a 2.3 acres pollinator habitat and plans to plant an additional 9 acres. The Eastern Shore SWCD is proud to have Mr. Long represent the Eastern Shore in winning the 2018 Grand Coastal Basin Award.