Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education

Author Archive: Alexis Campbell

Horn Farm Happenings – January 09, 2026

A Call to the Wild Ones

To those who love to get their hands dirty, who come alive in wild spaces, who know there is more to learn and want to make a difference… we are saving a place for you at the Horn Farm.

A new year is opening, and with it an invitation to grow your skills, deepen your connection to the land, and become part of something larger than yourself. Horn Farm Center’s immersive training programs offer a path toward purpose, connection, and meaningful change.Through hands-on learning, you will gain practical skills and the confidence to care for land in ways that heal and sustain. You will learn alongside others who share a desire to give back and become thoughtful stewards of the places they love.

Ecological Restoration Certificate
Jan 17th, Jan 31st, & Feb 14th | Last Chance to Apply, Starts Saturday
Beekeeper Training Program
January -October, Once a Month | Only a Few Spots Left! Apply by January 20th
Regenerative Grower Training Program
February 19th-October 16th, Tuesdays & Fridays | Apply by January 25th
Ecological Gardener Training Program
February-May, Once a Week | Apply by January 25th

Uncover your true power to become an agent of positive change. If you’re ready to grow and make a lasting impact on the land and people around you, this is your moment. We are saving a space for you in our 2026 Training Program cohorts!

2026 Training Programs

Beavers, Baskets & Branches

What do these three things have in common? Each winter, we gather in community to coppice hundreds of willow branches for basketry and local uses. This renewable supply of woody material is made possible by willow’s evolution as a wetland species, adapted to frequent disturbance from forces like floods, ice floes, and feeding beavers.

Watch the short video linked above to discover how willows weave together agriculture, ecology, and ancient craft at the Horn Farm Center.

And, you can be part it! Start the new year with some fresh air, hands-on learning, and winter fun. Join us for our annual willow harvest on January 18, 19, & 20 from 1-4pm at the Horn Farm Center.

Sign Up to Volunteer

“This was such an impactful program. I came into it with some knowledge of how to co-exist with the ecological world and came out with a robust and straightforward way of making that a daily reality.”

– Rain, Ecological Gardener Training Program Graduate

Are you interesting in growing beyond traditional gardening? Discover how to cultivate garden habitats that support local pollinators and wildlife this spring!

Learn about native plants, thoughtful design, and earth-friendly, seasonal care with the Ecological Gardener Training program. Whether you are tending a backyard or starting a new profession, this program empowers you to create beautiful gardens that nourish bees, butterflies, birds, and the web of life that depends on them.

The 2026 Ecological Gardener Training program runs once a week on Tuesdays from February 3rd through May 19th. Space limited; Apply by January 25th! 

2026 Ecological Gardener Training Program

A Few Spots Left: Beekeeper Training

Step into the hum of the hive to become a beekeeper this year. The Horn Farm Center’s Beekeeper Training Program offers a chance to learn the language of bees and care for one of our most essential allies.

Through classroom sessions, hands on learning, and seasonal guidance, you’ll build the skills and confidence to tend healthy hives that you will take home at the end of the program. No prior experience needed! 

Don’t wait to register! The 2026 Beekeeper Training program starts on Wednesday, January 21st and runs once a month through October 10th. 

2026 Beekeeper Training Program

Winter & Spring Foraging Walks

Foraging is a practice rooted in our human story that fosters reconnection with the land, ourselves, and one another. Horn Farm Center’s monthly foraging programs offer something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned practitioners.

Sunday, February 1 | 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Sunday, March 1 | 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Sunday, April 12 | 10AM – 12PM

Sunday, May 3 | 10AM – 12PM

Sunday, June 7 | 10AM – 12PM

Enrich your connection with the land through foraging. Explore plant identification, ecology, safety, respectful harvest, and ways to give back to the land. Join us to celebrate and enjoy nature’s bounty together.

Horn Farm Happenings – December 23, 2025

Reflecting in Gratitude & Celebrating Community Abundance

As we bid farewell to 2025, we invite you to celebrate a year shaped by shared learning and a deep commitment to caring for the land.

Thank you for standing with us in this work. Together, we’re growing food, nurturing community, and igniting the collective spark to build a more resilient future. Your participation and support makes all the difference, and we can’t wait to see what next year brings.

Cheers to health, abundance, and a continued love for the land in 2026. We hope to see you soon at the Horn Farm Center!

“The Ecological Restoration Certificate was designed with the underdog in mind. Supporting courageous land stewards whose hearts beat for compassionate care, knowing intuitively (and scientifically) that toxic chemicals are not the path forward in restoration.

This learning container provides a place to explore language, tools, and techniques that will further empower you to take action with professional confidence.

It is encouraging to witness the community that naturally develops in this space, giving you the added benefit of allies that will help bolster your work in your neighborhood, community preserve, or place of work.” – Elyse Jurgen, Waxwing EcoWorks

Learning to Heal the Places We Love

The land is asking for our care. Are you ready to answer the call? The Ecological Restoration Certificate training program is a three-day, hands-on learning experience rooted in compassionate care for the land. Together, we’ll learn regenerative, human-powered techniques that support ecological healing while honoring the wisdom of natural systems.

Whether you are just beginning or have years of experience, this program offers space to slow down, listen, and build confidence in skills that truly matter. What you learn can be carried into your home landscape, your work, and your community—where small, thoughtful actions can create lasting change.

Join us for the 2026 Ecological Restoration Certificate training program, held on January 10th, January 24th and February 7th at the Horn Farm Center.

Register for Ecological Restoration Certificate program

Tis the Season for Red Osier 

Next time you’re near a wetland, or strolling through a holiday-lit town square, keep an eye out for the bold red stems of red osier dogwood. Winter is when this native plant truly shines.

Watch the video linked above to learn more about this attractive local plant! Horn Farm Center staff educator Andrew Leahy shares how red osier can support local ecosystems and add beauty to our landscapes.

There’s so much to learn even in winter, which is why we’re welcoming the new year with our Winter Webinar Series. From forest gardens to live stakes, join us online to explore regenerative land practices that help us create positive change.

Winter Webinar Series

Thank You 2025 Sponsors!

Horn Farm Happenings – December 12, 2025

Warm Up for Spring with Winter Webinars

“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius” – Pietro Aretino

There’s no better time than winter for scheming and dreaming for the upcoming season. That’s why we’re excited to welcome the new year with a new way to engage with land-based learning! Join the Horn Farm’s staff and special guest presenters throughout the winter months for our fully-virtual Winter Webinar Series —Regenerative Roots: Ecological Action for the Local Landscape.

Over six sessions, we’ll dig deep into regenerative land care, spotlighting ways we can benefit local ecosystems while feeding and nourishing people. From community-centered agroforestry to backyard restoration, you’ll learn how to act intentionally for the land, reviving the relationships we need to ensure mutual wellbeing for ourselves and nature.

Program highlights include gardening like the forest, planting mini-forests, and unpacking our culture’s obsession with lawns!

Register for Winter Webinar Series

Many Hands Make Impactful Work

As fall wraps up, we’re feeling the gratitude for our volunteers! Spreading leaf mulch, planting shrubs, and harvesting willows, a community of friends helped enrich our educational ecosystem in exciting ways!

In the demonstration field, a new teaching space for forest gardening is taking shape. Volunteers from our Community Crew service learning program planted over 90 elderberries and chokeberries, which will soon find good company with a groundcover of wild ginger and other native plant neighbors. All together, this plant community will provide a teaching model for multi-layered production, inspired by natural ecosystems and replicable in places like backyards and small farms.

Across the farm, in our multifunctional riparian buffer, another 200 native shrubs are now taking root thanks to volunteers from York College of PA and Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12. Last year we launched our first live stake sale to support restoration efforts in our community. Thanks to grant support from GIANT and Keep PA Beautiful, the newest plantings will help us expand these offerings, providing more native plant cuttings for local land stewards while bolstering ecological and educational value on our landscape.

Lastly, we just wrapped up with our first run of Winter Willow Workdays. Over two blustery afternoons, volunteers helped us gather and sort thousands of basketry willow branches for drying over the winter. If you’re curious about this agroforestry crop and want to help continue the harvest, join us for our perennial volunteer gatherings on January 18th, 19th  & 20th.

P.S. –  If you’re crafting this winter, Horn Farm’s basketry willow varieties are now available for purchase online: hornfarmcenter.org/shop

Wrap Up Some Magic This Season

Looking for meaningful, locally rooted holiday gifts? Share the spirit of the Horn Farm Center’s land-healing and heart-inspiring work.

  • Gift Certificates: Perfect for the adventurous nature-lover or green thumb on your list, give a gift of hands-on learning experiences!
  • T-Shirts: Shop for wearable art from our collection of Horn Farm t-shirts, designed to celebrate our values and ecological focus.
  • Basketry Willow: Crafters will love this regeneratively-grown crafting material for weaving and natural works of art.

Every purchase supports our mission and brings a little bit of the Horn Farm Center’s special care and creativity to someone you love.

Sweet Rewards: Become a Beekeeper

Beekeeping is more than just a hobby; it’s a beneficial practice that boosts local ecosystems by supporting pollination and bee populations. It also offers sweet rewards such as honey, beeswax, and pollen, which can fuel a small business or be used for personal consumption.

Next year, we are hosting our 11th Beekeeper Training Program at the Horn Farm Center. Taught by professional apiarist Mark Gingrich, the program explores all aspects of beekeeping – from the science behind it to managing a hive at home.

Learn alongside a community of budding beekeepers! The program is held once a month from January-October.

At the end of the first year, you will take home your own bee colony. In year two, you’ll have the option to further grow your skills with advanced techniques.

Register now to join next year’s cohort of beekeepers.
The 2026 Beekeeping program begins on January 21, 2026

Register for Beekeeper Training Program

Help Us Move In Next Spring

As we prepare for the grand opening of our new Education Center this spring, we’re collecting a few essential items to make our community hub ready to welcome learners of all ages.

Each gift on our Wish List will support hands-on programs, workshops, and the meaningful connections with nature that make the Horn Farm such a special place.

Holiday shopping this weekend? Please consider the Horn Farm Center while you’re hunting for deals and discounts. Help us open our doors next spring to teach, inspire, and bring people together.  Note, in-kind donations are tax-deductible! 

Horn Farm’s Move In Wish List

Produce Abundance & Restore the Land

Embark on a year of transformative learning rooted in the land. For students in the Horn Farm’s Regenerative Grower Training Program, growing food is just the beginning.

This part-time field experience spans 33 weeks from February to October and teaches how to produce abundance while restoring the health of the land. From annual vegetables to agroforestry, you’ll design, sow, tend, and harvest alongside our team while building soil, stewarding water, and bolstering biodiversity.

If you feel called to touch the soil and grow your own food, we invite you to apply. Only six spaces are available, and interviews are underway!

WATCH: Learn more about the RGTP
READ: Catch a glimpse of life in the RGTP
JOIN: submit an application today

Together, we’re rekindling the skills our communities need to ensure resilience through an uncertain future. Learn how to feed your family and neighbors resourcefully and responsibly while regenerating the ecosystems we depend on.