Gratitude & Growth in the New Year

At the start of each new year, we look forward with hope and optimism to the 365 days to come. At the farm, we do so with gratitude: for the hard work of our board and staff – and especially, for the dedication and support of our program participants, volunteers, and donors.

Thank you for being a friend of the farm last year, and for helping us continue our mission! In 2023, we are planning for another year of learning, growth, and community. Together, we will:

• Launch an improved volunteer program focused on more opportunities for engagement, learning, and volunteer benefits;
• Offer a robust program schedule with a variety of topics, such as farm & garden workshops, summer kitchen classes, advanced foraging programs, and a new human ecology series.
• Diversify our CSA by partnering cooperatively with local, organic farms and offering payment plans and early-bird pricing;
• Train a total of over 45 students with our signature Training Programs;
• Finish planting over 17,000 trees in two final acres of multifunctional riparian buffers on the farm;
• Begin rebuilding the farmhouse this spring and celebrate our new energy-efficient classroom and office spaces by the end of 2023.

As for 2022, we made great strides towards acheiving our strategic goals. We grew our staff, enhanced our programs, and overcame a multitude of challenges. You will learn more about last year’s accomplishments in our upcoming Annual Report.

We look forward to the next 365 days with you – as we continue to learn and grow together. Cheers to another year of good friends, hard work, and a mission that matters.

See you at the farm!

Sincerely,

Alexis Campbell, Executive Director

Become a Beekeeper This Year

A few spots remain in the introductory track of the 2023 Beekeeper Training Program! Curious about how you can support a hive at home? Don’t miss your opportunity to train with apiarist, Mark Gingrich at the Horn Farm.

This two-year program meets monthly, starting January 18th, and provides both biological foundations and hands-on experience for raising honey bees. At the end of your first year of training you will take home your own bees and beebox. No prior knowledge of bees required–just an interest in exploring a new backyard hobby!

Click here to Register

A Few Spots Left: HFC Training Programs

Immerse in new skills this new year! The Horn Farm’s training programs are your invitation to reimagine our relationship with the natural world, with hands-on practice in helping wildlife and natural spaces flourish.

Best of all, our programs welcome all experience levels.

You don’t need any prior knowledge or training–just curiosity and a passion for connecting with nature!

Want to get started on your journey?–the spring training programs are your doorstep to becoming a lifelong advocate and caretaker for the planet, with skills you can bring to your everyday life.

Applications close in two weeks! Learn more about these empowering programs and apply today:

• Land Steward Training Program
• Ecological Gardener Training Program
• Beekeeper Training Program

Join us next year for a learning adventure at the Horn Farm Center!

Click here to learn more about Training Programs

In the News: Mind, Body, Detox Podcast

by Firefly Hollow Wellness in York, PA

We want to create that spark that leads to some sort of transformation in people’s lives and helps them feel connected and comfortable and happy in the outdoors, because there’s a lot of work to do. We want people to feel so strongly about nature and our wild spaces that they’ll want to steward those spaces as well …”

Our gratitude goes out to Kara Lovehart and Firefly Hollow Holistic Wellness Center for giving us a platform to share our work! Listen in to hear from Executive Director, Alexis Campbell about regenerative agriculture, the importance of soil health, the value of nature connection, and the many ways we demonstrate earth renewal at the Horn Farm Center.

The Mind Body Detox podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and fireflyhollowwellness.com/podcast/

New Program Series: The Land & Peoples of the Lower Susquehanna Valley

Are you interested in the natural forces and human activities that have shaped our unique region? If so, this course is for you!

In four two-hour sessions, this new series will take you on a fast-paced tour through the geological, archaeological, and historical past to reach a deeper appreciation of the land we live on and the people who have left their marks on it. The sessions will be run in seminar style, and participants will be invited to share their own stories, insights, and local knowledge.

Each session will be led by HFC Board Member, Dr. Ed Wilson, who will be accompanied by regional experts with specialized knowledge about topics of interest. Program topics include:

• Origins of the Landscape
• The Indigenous Peoples & Their Land
• European Settlement and the Collision of Worlds
• The Contemporary Landscape and Its Challenges

Join us for “The Land & Peoples of the Lower Susquehanna Valley” program series  starting on Thursday, March 9th at 6pm.

Click here to Register.

Upcoming Classes & Workshops:

January 19, 2023: Bread Baking: Sourdough
January 28, 2023: Winter Plant & Tree Identification
February 5, 2023: February Foraging Walk
February 25, 2023: Maple Sugaring
February 25, 2023: Maple Sugaring
March 9, 2023: Land & Peoples Series: Origins of the Landscape
March 16, 2023: Flatbread
March 23, 2023: Land & People Series: The Indigenous
March 25, 2023: Hugelkultur Workshop
April 6, 2023: Backyard Composting
April 6, 2023: Land & People Series: European Settlement
April 8, 2023: Regenerative Foraging
April 13, 2023: Spring Garden Prep & Planning
April 15-16, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend
April 20, 2023: Backyard Composting
April 20, 2023: Land & People Series: The Contemporary Landscape
May 11, 2023: Understanding Your Garden Q&A
June 10-11, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend
June 15, 2023: Gardener’s Guide to Weeds
July 6, 2023: Insect Identification for Gardeners
September 9-10, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend

Save the Dates: 2023 Events:

May 4-5, 2023: Give Local York
May 7, 2023: 11th Annual Plant Sale
September 23 & 24, 2023: 19th Annual York County Pawpaw Festival

2023 Training Programs- Applications Close Soon!

Land Steward Training Program
Ecological Gardener Training Program
Beekeeper Training Program

Volunteer Events:
January 16, 2023: Willow Harvesting Work Day
January 17, 2023: Willow Harvesting Work Day

The Season for Learning & Growth

The slower winter pace of outdoor work at the Horn Farm has provided an opportunity for exploration and learning. This past week, HFC staff took two field trips to learn from regenerative practioners in Pennsylvania.

Our first trip was to Green Light Plants to learn about perennial plant propogation and forest farming. Dale Hendricks has been growing and propagating plants professionally since 1975. In 1988, he co-founded North Creek Nurseries, and in 2009, Dale founded Green Light Plants to build carbon-friendly and regenerative landscapes. He has been growing native, woodland and permaculture plants, organically and joyfully ever since. Dale graciously invited our entire team to his property to learn first-hand how he has implemented regenerative permaculture systems on his homestead.

We also visited Foggy Blossom Farm outside of Pittsburgh, PA to learn about growing and coppicing willow for basketry. Owners Dan and Betsy Brockett are raising a food forest and nursery in tandem with an ever-expanding willow program. Dan began teaching himself how to weave willow baskets in 2018 and he hasn’t slowed since.

Over the course of several hours, Dan walked us through Foggy Blossom Farm, teaching everything from willow-specific pests to demonstrating his harvesting and sorting processes. Learning from Dan was a unique opportunity since he is both a grower and a crafter of willow. His perspective was incredibly helpful as we make plans for managing over 800 willows for basketry that were planted in 2018 at the Horn Farm.

We are grateful to have such talented and generous friends who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences with us. We thank Dale Hendricks, Dan Brockett, and Betsy Brockett for helping our team and the Horn Farm grow!

Rebuilding the Farmhouse

Just a few months ago on October 25th, we reached the one year anniversary of the farmhouse fire. We have come a long way since, with many months spent on:

• recovering our operations,
• engaging contractors and architects,
• determining our goals for the rebuild,
• and working on the design process.

We still have work to do but we anticipate being ready to rebuild by next spring. To keep you up to date on our progress, we created a new landing page that will provide regular updates and information on the farmhoues rebuild.

Apply Today: HFC Training Programs

“I signed up for the Land Steward Training Program because I own a small farm with a woodlot and space for gardening. What I learned gave me skills and knowledge for using local energy and existing ecosystems to achieve my goals.

I’m now a lifelong student of my land. More than that, I gained lasting friendships with likeminded people in the area, and these are an important source of ongoing encouragement and volunteer labor on my farm! I’ll always be grateful for my time at the Horn Farm.”

— Chris Upham, 2021 Land Steward Training Program graduate

• Land Steward Training Program
• Ecological Gardener Training Program
• Beekeeper Training Program

Each program fosters deepened connectivity with the land around us while providing hands-on practice to develop skills in your area of focus. Join us next year for a learning adventure at the Horn Farm Center!

Each program fosters deepened connectivity with the land around us while providing hands-on practice to develop skills in your area of focus. Join us next year for a learning adventure at the Horn Farm Center!

Click here to learn more about Training Programs

In the News: Wandering in York County

History teacher and blogger, Jamie Noerpel, took a Foraging Class at the Horn Farm with five of her students. She shared their experience learning with Woodland Steward, Wilson Alvarez in her York Daily Record blog “Wandering in York County.”

We thank Jamie for capturing the essence of our educational programs and for featuring the Horn Farm Center in her blog!

Photo Credit: Jamie Noerpel

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Winter Plant & Tree Identification with Calyx

Identifying plants in the winter presents a unique set of challenges. Practicing this skill will not only strengthen your plant ID skills, but will also provide you with a renewed sense of abundance for the food and medicine available to us throughout the cold season.

Join us on Saturday,  January 28th at 1pm-4pm for a Winter Plant & Tree Identification Walk with Calyx Liddick of Northern Appalachia School.

Click here to Register for Plant ID Walk

We envision a world where people live in reciprocity with nature, and our agricultural practices revive ecosystems and human well-being.”

– HFC Vision Statement

Reciprocity is the practice of mutual exchange. This principle is essential to our work. In everything we do, we seek to give as much—and more—than we take.

Giving to the land isn’t easy. It takes patience, knowledge, optimism, resources, and above all, incredibly strenuous work. The same goes for our efforts to extend our giving outward: to grow regeneratively while educating others.