Our incubator farm program requires participants to have two years of farming experience, and we found there were lots of people feeling called to farm who didn’t meet that requirement. In 2016, to meet that need for experience, the Horn Farm launched a farm internship program. We welcomed four interns into our new program and the season was successful beyond our wildest dreams. All four interns are continuing to build their skills and experience in farming both on and off the Horn Farm.

Joshua Witchger

Leaving behind a job as a fermentation specialist at Brooklyn Brine, Joshua and his wife moved from New York City to York where she completed a year-long residency at Memorial Hospital. Looking for a community of like-minded people, Joshua contacted the Horn Farm and quickly found a place to fit in. He volunteered in 2015 on Sterling Farm–one of the farms in the Incubator Farm Project. In 2016, Joshua took part in our Farm Internship. He was particularly inspired by the Introduction to Permaculture class that he took as part of the internship.In December, Joshua returned to the Horn Farm to teach a Vegetable Fermentation class.  He has moved back to Brooklyn, where he is continuing his permaculture studies, working in a ‘cave’ aging fine cheeses while looking for work as an urban farm manager.

Miranda Komissar-Gindling

Miranda was looking for a farm internship where she could learn farming techniques which used hand tools. She relocated from Maryland to be part of the farm internship at the Horn Farm. A very hard worker who enjoys weeding made her an invaluable part of the Horn Farm team. Miranda is completing a farm internship on a convent in upstate New York where she is responsible for the dairy cow and is learning to make artisanal cheeses. We are delighted that this spring she plans to return to the Horn Farm for a second year in the internship program.

Andrew Horn

Andrew spent a year in New Zealand working on a variety of organic farms in exchange for food and lodging. He returned to his hometown of York looking for a way to continue to explore his interest in farming. The Farm Internship was exactly what he was looking for. Andrew wanted to continue his exploration of a career in farming, and the Horn Farm needed skilled help on the farm this season, so we’ve hired him to be Assistant Field Manager for 2017. He’ll be starting seeds in the greenhouse next week.

Betsy Dorbian

In 2016, Betsy Dorbian was considering a career change. After 25 years as a massage therapist, Betsy was ready for something different. Having studied permaculture design in an academic setting, she felt she needed hands on skills. She applied to and was accepted into the Farm Internship program. Betsy ended her first season by saying that she’d ‘found her people and her place’ at the Horn Farm. She is returning for 2017 ready to make her dream of becoming a flower farmer come true. As a second year intern, Betsy will plan, grow, harvest, and market cut flowers.

We are proud to be growing tomorrow’s farmers! Is farming calling to you? Our Farm Internship is a part-time, hands-on training program for people with 0 to 2 years of farm or gardening experience. The program provides foundational knowledge and practical skills for those interested in small-scale, intensive, organic, permaculture-based production methods. Applications are now being accepted.

It’s been cold, dark, and damp. We long for the light and the heat. Be patient, Spring is coming!

Signs of Spring:

Monthly Foraging classes and Foraging Intensive dates are on the calendar. Foraging is the act of finding and gathering wild foods. For the majority of our existence on this planet, human beings lived as hunter-gatherers. By engaging in this age-old practice, we can provide ourselves with healthy and FREE food and medicine, become more self-reliant, and connect on a much deeper level to the landscape in which we live. At the Horn Farm Center, we offer monthly foraging classes throughout the year as well as a 9 month Foraging Intensive. Each monthly class is appropriate for beginners and experienced learners and focuses on a different topic relevant to the specific time of year. More information and registration here.

Is the land calling to you? Our Farming Internship may be your answer. This program is valuable and suitable for anyone interested in exploring a future in small-scale vegetable production as well as anyone interested in learning growing skills for the purpose of homesteading, gardening, and feeding themselves and their community. Accepting applications now.

Save the date! Our annual Heirloom Vegetable Plant Sale will be held Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Horn Farm Center. We will have over 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, culinary and medicinal herbs, and more! All selection of hard to find varieties.

The Horn Farm Center CSA incorporates fresh, chemical-free produce grown by participants in our Farming Internship Program and Incubator Farm Project. By choosing to be a member of our CSA you are supporting aspiring farmers as they develop both horticultural and business skills. Your membership also helps to fund the Horn Farm Center as we work to connect our community to local food, to provide valuable educational classes and workshops, and to create a model of regenerative agriculture for our region. Sign up for your share today!

For 2017, we are offering more than 65 classes and workshops on a wide range of topics all chosen to connect you–our community, to local food. Classes through April are posted here.

The Horn Farm Center relies on the generosity of people just like you. If you feel that the work we do at the Horn Farm is important to the well-being of our community, please donate today!

In 2016, Betsy Dorbian was considering a career change. After 25 years as a massage therapist, Betsy was ready for something different. Having studied permaculture design in an academic setting, she felt she needed hands on skills. She applied to and was accepted into the Farm Internship program. Betsy ended her first season by saying that she’d ‘found her people and her place’ at the Horn Farm. She is returning for 2017 ready to make her dream of becoming a flower farmer come true. As a second year intern, Betsy will plan, grow, harvest, and market cut flowers.
Interested in making a career change of your own? Our Farm Internship is a part-time, hands-on training program for people with 0 to 2 years of farm or gardening experience. The program provides foundational knowledge and practical skills for those interested in small-scale, intensive, organic, permaculture-based production methods. Applications are now being accepted.

It’s time to get your CSA share! The Horn Farm is joining together with Kilgore Family Farm to provide your fresh vegetables for 2017 with our CSA. Pick up at the Horn Farm or at Seventh & George just off route 30 in North York. Early bird discount through January 31st. More information and sign up here.

Land Regeneration: Engineering Ecosystems and Restoring Humanity into Wildlands
Join us for this innovative two-day intensive on disturbance ecology and integrated disturbance-based land management. We will focus on the semi-wild landscapes that surround us and will explore ways to return to a more collaborative approach to land design. More information and registration here.

For 2017, we are offering more than 65 classes and workshops on a wide range of topics all chosen to connect you–our community, to local food. Classes through April are posted here.

As a not for profit organization, the Horn Farm Center relies on the generosity of people just like you. If you feel that the work we do at the Horn Farm is important to the well-being of our community, please donate today!