Peace, Gratitude, and Planning Forward

For those of us who love the land and live by the seasons, winter is a refuge of stillness that welcomes our tired hands. After a long and fruitful summer, we put our gardens to rest, slowing down and going inward.

While our current circumstances have demanded more endurance than usual, we haven’t forgotten the valuable gifts this season brings: recovery, community, and space for reflection. 

Today and in the coming weeks, we are taking some time to slow down and plan ahead. Our “rebuild team” held a collaborative visioning session to kickstart our efforts to rebuild the farmhouse next year. Our planning will continue through the spring.

Also, for the first time since the fire, the HFC team came together to review the 2022 program calendar. In addition to our signature training programs, we have a robust schedule of classes and workshops planned for next year. We appreciate your patience as we get these new learning opportunities up on our website. We can’t wait to share and learn with you, and foster a love for the earth together.

In all of our work at the Horn Farm Center, we aim to inspire and innovate practices and behaviors that address some of our planet’s most pressing needs: restoring broken ecosystems, rebuilding lost wildlife habitat, and reversing climate change.

Remaining mindful of the gravity of our mission and looking optimistically toward the unique challenges ahead of us, we are eternally grateful for the community of people that make this work possible. Thank you all for being a part of our mission.

As the year winds down, we wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. You may not hear from us for awhile; we doing the important work of reconnecting with ourselves, our families, and our dreams for the future at the Horn Farm.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2022! 

Click here to support the Horn Farm Center

Even the midst of our challenges, we are feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. We have heard from so many friends, supporters, and community partners, who truly value our mission. Thanks to our community, we are discovering sweetness and warmth alongside our struggles. Thank you to those of you who are committed to making a difference. We are also endlessly grateful to the seventeen first responders, who courageously responded to the farmhouse fire at the Horn Farm Center on October 25th. We can’t thank you enough for your bravery and service.

In this season of thanks, we are truly counting our blessings. Thank you!

Training for a Regenerative Future

We believe in the power of education. By demonstrating and teaching holistic land management practices, we are building a community of skilled land stewards.

This year, we launched our signature Land Steward Training program, equipping eleven new land stewards with applicable skills to restore broken ecosystems, rebuild lost wildlife habitat, and reverse climate change.

Next year, we are expanding our training programs by increasing our enrollment capacity and adding a new learning module. Taught by Elyse Jurgen of Waxwing EcoWorks, the new Ecological Gardener Training program will compliment the Land Steward Training program and focuses on rebuilding biodiversity and other ecosystem services in human spaces.

Both programs are immersive learning experiences focused on deep ecological literacy and practical skill-building. Participants will gain a deep understanding of regenerative practices and land stewardship.

We are also proud to host our 7th Beekeeper Training program at the Horn Farm Center. Taught by beekeeper, Mark Gingrich of Gingrich Apiaries, participants will learn all aspects of caring for honey bees.

Are you ready to train for a regenerative future at the Horn Farm Center? Apply for one of our training programs today! Applications are now being accepted for our 2022 Training programs. 

Click here to learn more and apply!

Even the midst of our challenges, we are feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. We have heard from so many friends, supporters, and community partners, who truly value our mission. Thanks to our community, we are discovering sweetness and warmth alongside our struggles. Thank you to those of you who are committed to making a difference. We are also endlessly grateful to the seventeen first responders, who courageously responded to the farmhouse fire at the Horn Farm Center on October 25th. We can’t thank you enough for your bravery and service.

In this season of thanks, we are truly counting our blessings. Thank you!

While this tragic event is unbelievably challenging and we are still grieving what was lost, we are choosing to accept that fire is a gift. We trust that this disruption will lead to extraordinary growth for the Horn Farm Center. 

Over the past two years the Horn Farm Center adopted new leadership, grew its staff, engaged over 160 volunteers, and launched its new signature Land Steward Training program. This year, we set out to plant 10,000 trees, and in October, we achieved that goal. It is from this foundation that we are reaching forward and planning our next steps.

In recent months, our board and staff have been working tirelessly on a new strategic plan, positioning the organization for growth and broader impact – both on the land and in our community. In addition to addressing our immediate needs due to this crisis, we are preparing to do whatever it takes to usher this new and evolving vision into reality.

We have our work cut out for us. The farmhouse was the heart of our operations from which we have served the York community ever since the County entrusted us with the land in 2007.

We plan to rebuild as quickly and as sustainably as possible, but that rebuild will take time. Although we are fortunate to have insurance, our expenses will exceed any insurance funds we receive.

In addition to reimagining and rebuilding the farmhouse, we remain committed to carrying out our mission.

In the days following the tragic fire, we experienced an incredible sense community. Like family around the hearth, the people of York County and beyond are gathering around us, sharing warmth, stories, and dreams with one another.

Over the next year you will receive a number of invitations to be a part of our efforts to rebuild and grow. Today, we are asking that you join us in this pivotal moment, as we birth a new iteration of the farm into being.

If you are able, please donate to the Horn Farm Center, either by check or online, where you can also find updated information about our fire recovery needs.

Some of you have responded to our calls for help and have already provided financial support. We are grateful for your commitment to our work. If you are unable to increase your donation at this time, please consider asking your friends and family to become champions of our mission.

We have a long road ahead of us, but we believe the future is bright. Together we will persevere and thrive.

Sincerely,

Alexis Campbell
Executive Director

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