For Tom Linthicum, farming is as much about looking forward as it is honoring the past. His family has farmed in Montgomery County since 1826. Today, Tom operates Seneca Ayr Farms in Laytonsville, where he grows primarily corn and soybeans, and raises a small herd of Hereford cattle.
Over two centuries, however, Seneca Ayr Farms has looked very different. The family started growing tobacco before moving into grains, added dairy cattle in the 1930s, and eventually transitioned back to grain production in the late 1990s.
For Tom, adapting is simply part of farming. “You need to evolve to keep growing,” he says. That philosophy also describes how Tom manages nutrients across the farm today.
In 2018, he began incorporating precision agriculture through a soil conservancy program to explore variable-rate applications. Today, more than 600 of the farm’s 1,000 acres use variable-rate technology.
This technology naturally supports his involvement in the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program. The principles of the program are: applying the right nutrient source at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place. The goal is straightforward — give crops the nutrients they need while reducing the potential for nutrients to be lost to the environment.
Rather than applying the same amount of fertilizer across an entire field, Tom uses field data to determine where nutrients are needed most. “You’re able to put the amount of nutrients where they really need them,” he says.
Tom and his agronomist, Dave Shriver of The Mill, developed variable-rate zones using field and yield data. That information helps them tailor applications, including nitrogen applied to corn during the growing season.
The results provide reassurance that the approach is working. In 2025, Tom achieved a nitrogen use efficiency of .707, demonstrating that the farm was making effective use of the nitrogen it applied. Even in a dry year, strong yields showed that crops were receiving the nutrients they needed without unnecessary applications.
Adopting the “4Rs” does require an investment. Mapping fields, analyzing data and developing management zones all carry upfront costs. Tom credits the Mid-Atlantic 4R Voucher Program with helping make that transition easier by offsetting some of those expenses and reducing the financial risk of trying something new.
He encourages other farmers to take advantage of similar opportunities. “Don’t be afraid to try it — it does work,” Tom says. “Change can be hard to accept, but this is a change that’s for the better.”
Tom also credits his partnership with Dave and The Mill, whom he has worked with since 2019. Together, they evaluate potential practices, look at whether they make sense agronomically and financially, and then decide whether to put them to work. As they have seen positive results, they have continued adding acres to the farm’s variable-rate program.
That teamwork recently earned them some well-deserved recognition. Tom and Dave were selected as the first-ever 2026 Mid-Atlantic 4R Advocates, recognizing their commitment to effective nutrient stewardship.
Tom admits the honor caught him by surprise. “There are a lot of folks out there doing a really good job,” he says. “I was surprised we were chosen.”
In addition to being named Mid-Atlantic 4R Advocates, they were also recognized on the national level as a 4R Advocate from The Fertilizer Institute.
After 200 years in farming, the future of Seneca Ayr Farms isn’t set in stone. Tom plans to follow the same philosophy that has carried the farm through generations of change — keep evolving and see what comes next.
Hungry for more? Read about the 4Rs. Learn more about precision agriculture.