Horn Farm Happenings – June 25, 2021

The Horn Farm Team is Growing this Summer

We are pleased to welcome two college student interns to the Horn Farm Center this summer.

Lee Matthews (pictured left) is a senior Environmental Studies and Public Policy major at Franklin & Marshall College. Raised in Philadelphia, Lee has gained strong interests in agriculture, sustainability, and community development while residing in Lancaster for the past three years. On campus, she is actively involved with the Environmental Action Alliance, Asian American Alliance, and F&M Orchestra.

Lee joined us earlier this month and will be serving as our Research & Development Intern until the end of July. In addition to learning about regenerative agriculture, agroforesty, and the ins and outs of a small non-profit organization, Lee is helping to develop agroforestry products while researching target markets within the Susquehanna bio-region. Lee is interning with the Horn Farm Center as part of F&M’s Public Service Summer Institute (PSSI) program.

Tess Wilson (pictured right) is a senior at College of the Atlantic where she studies Human Ecology. She has an interest in pursuing Environmental Education and recently completed a senior project focused on developing educational materials on the Eastern Coyote. During her time with us at the Horn Farm, Tess will be working with us to (among other things) give a talk about eastern coyotes and their history with humans, create a new visitor map, and assist our Woodland Steward in his research, education, and ongoing restoration projects on the farm.

Early Tomatoes from the Kilgore Family Farm

At the end of last year the Kilgore Family Farm embarked on a new project at the Horn Farm Center. Thanks to a grant from the USDA, the Kilgore Family was able to purchase and install a new high tunnel aimed at extending their growing season this year.

With much hard work and attention the detail, the project has been a success! The hoop house is now bursting with an abundance of early tomatoes, summer squash, and more. We congratulate the Kilgore Family on their accomplishments and we are enjoying the fruits of their labor! Horn Farm CSA members have already received delicious ripe tomatoes in their weekly shares.

Betsy’s Flowers at the Farm: CSA Now Open

Betsy’s Flowers will once again be offered as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), much the same as a vegetable CSA, but instead of vegetables you will receive beautiful flower bouquets! By purchasing a “share” upfront, Betsy is able to buy seeds and supplies. In return, you will receive 5 weeks of organically grown, fresh cut flower bouquets along with a Victorian “Language of Flowers” interpretation of your bouquet.

A few of the flowers growing this year are: Sunflowers, Zinnias, Lavender, Cosmos, Lisianthus, and Snapdragons, and a variety of herbs. Your bouquet will arrive in a Kraft paper sleeve, all ready for your favorite vase or jar!

There will be two pick-up locations for your flowers: TMC Wellness through Movement in Harrisburg from 3:00 pm until 6:30 pm on Fridays, and The Horn Farm Center in York after 12:00 pm on Wednesdays.

Weather permitting, the first 5-week Flower CSA will run from7/21 – 8/18/21.

After the first 5-week CSA, additional shares will be offered every 5 weeks with sign-ups on her website.

The cost for each 5-week Flower CSA is $100

The Dream Tree Team – Nearly 7,000 trees planted, 3,000 more to go!

You are looking at the Tree Planting Dream Team of 2021 – Alyssa Swartz, Keegan Rahman, Annette Arnold, Cindy Pizziketti, Emily Neideigh, and HFC Woodland Steward, Wilson Alvarez (pictured above)! These six land stewards have planted hundreds of trees since the beginning of April and we can’t thank them enough for their dedication and hard work.

We thank ALL of our volunteers who have come out week after week, rain or shine, to make a huge impact on the health of our local waterways! To date we have had over 100 volunteers help us with planting trees this year. Collectively these hardworking volunteers have planted nearly 7,000 trees!

We are nearing the last leg of our race to plant 10,000 trees – for now anyway. Our goal is to plant all of our remaining seedlings by the end of NEXT WEEK, before the weather gets too hot for planting. We will pick up the project again in the fall once conditions are safe.

Our final spring volunteer days are this coming Sunday, June 27th from 11am-3pm and Wednesday, June 30th from 12pm-4pm. We hope to see you on the farm!

Save the Date: Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center

Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual York County Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center! Join us on September 18 & 19, 2021 for an outdoor, family-friendly festival celebrating York County’s beloved pawpaw – the largest edible fruit native to the Eastern United States that grows in abundance in the Susquehanna River region.

Rain or Shine. Free Admission. $5.00 Tasting Fee
Pawpaw fruit and trees available for purchase.
Proceeds support local regenerative agriculture practices and education programs at the Horn Farm Center.

Click here for more information!

UPDATED: Horn Farm Center Health and Safety Policy

The Horn Farm Center is offering on-site educational programming with some modifications due to COVID-19. Multiple hand sanitizer stations are available. We will adjust as needed as time passes and things change.

In order to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff, participant expectations are as follows:

Participants are required to bring a mask and wear it when indoors, unless you are fully vaccinated.
Do not attend if sick or recovering.

Horn Farm Happenings – June 11, 2021

The Heat is On!

Last Wednesday, June 2nd marked the start of the Horn Farm CSA. In our first 2 weeks we shared a bounty of spring greens – asparagus, cilantro, kale, spring lettuce mix, cucumber, spinach, and green garlic- all grown at the Horn Farm by the Kilgore Family and Farm Manager, Andrew Horn.

We were happy to welcome back returning members as well as some new faces this year. We are invigorated and humbled by the support of our members, who truly value our work to grow healthy food while restoring the health of our ecosystems.

As the season heats up, we are continuing to educate and inspire 11 new land stewards in the inaugural Land Steward Training program. On Mondays, future homesteaders and aspiring market gardeners are working and learning with Farm Manager, Andrew Horn. And on Tuesdays, the crew is focused on restoration work and ecological literacy with Woodland Steward, Wilson Alvarez.

So far this integrated learning experience has been a huge success, largely in part thanks to the incredible group of students, each of whom bring their own unique experiences and unbridled enthusiasm for learning to the group.

The new Land Steward Training program is also an exercise in building a more holistic approach to how we steward the land and provide educational programming here at the Horn Farm. Day by day we are slowly growing towards a whole systems approach where all elements of the farm work together in a cooperative ecosystem.

In addition to the CSA and Training Program, our team is hard at work tending to the land, planting trees, organizing programs and events (hint, hint – the 2021 Pawpaw Fest), and having a ton of fun with our friends and dedicated volunteers. We hope that you will join us!

Stop by and visit us at the Horn Farm. We hope to see you soon!

Thank You UNFI!

Thanks to our friends at UNFI, we made great progress building deer fencing, which will help to protect our newly planted trees! These trees are part of a 6 acre riparian buffer that will help to protect our waterways, create wildlife habitat, and produce healthy food. We are so thankful to the hardworking UNFI staff who donated their time to make a huge impact on our work here at the Horn Farm.

UNFI has partnered with the Horn Farm Center over the past several years to offer their generous associates meaningful volunteer experiences.

Over 4000 trees planted, 6000 more to go!

Our marathon to plant 10,000 trees at the Horn Farm this year continues as we near our last leg of the race – for now anyway! Our goal is to plant all of our remaining seedlings by the end of June, before the weather gets too hot for planting We will pick up the project again in the fall once conditions are safe.

Can you help us reach the finish line this month? We have several new volunteer days scheduled, primarily on Sundays and Wednesdays. We really need your help!

We thank our dedicated volunteers (Cindy P. and Keegan are two of them pictured above) who have come out week after week, rain or shine, to make a huge impact on the health of our local waterways!

Click here to help plant trees!

UPDATED: Horn Farm Center Health and Safety Policy

In order to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff, participant expectations are as follows:

Participants are required to bring a mask and wear it when indoors, unless you are fully vaccinated.
Do not attend if sick or recovering.

Horn Farm Happenings – May 20, 2021

Volunteer Spotlight: Ellen Gibb

For many of you, Ellen Gibb needs no introduction. As a long-time volunteer, former board member, and dedicated supporter of the Horn Farm Center, Ellen’s impact can easily be seen and felt at the farm – especially in the Summer Kitchen!

Ellen’s journey with the Horn Farm began over 10 years ago in 2010 when she answered the call to help with Tomato Fest, one of the Horn Farm’s founding community events. While Ellen started as an event volunteer, her service to the organization blossomed over the years from helping with office work and teaching classes to leading the renovation of the summer kitchen and eventually serving on the board. Here are some of the activities that Ellen has dedicated her time and energy to over the years:

Tabling at local events and organizing outreach events to promote the Horn Farm Center
Serving as a member and Chair of the Education Committee
Presenting for Homestead Education Day and kitchen classes
Leading food and summer kitchen presentations at HFC events
Co-chairing the renovation of the summer kitchen – which involved recruiting volunteers, sourcing equipment, attending auctions, helping with design and getting paperwork for inspection, helping with grant writing, and providing blood, sweat and tears during construction!
Coordinating classes in the summer kitchen with Education Director
Serving as 2^nd vice president
Serving as a member of the Nominating Committee for 3 or 4 years
Working the Farm Stand
Providing recipes for the community gardeners and CSA members
Helping to recruit, track, and schedule volunteers

Ellen was inspired to become a volunteer at the Horn Farm Center because it connected her with her childhood. She grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and moved to Pennsylvania after college for a job. The Horn Farm Center was also a place of respite after her husband passed away, especially since there was always something that needed to be done!

When asked about her favorite memory at the farm, Ellen answered “watching people become passionate about food, the land and each other!” She also feels as though the most rewarding thing about volunteering at the Horn Farm is helping to make the world a better place by helping people and children get in touch with our roots.

When Ellen isn’t getting her hands dirty at the Horn Farm Center she volunteers at the York County History Center and serves as Treasurer for her church. Ellen also enjoys spending time with her two wonderful children-Abby and Jason; 2 awesome grandchildren -Elaina and William; and a great daughter in law -Angelica.

We thank Ellen for her many and continued years of service to the Horn Farm Center!

Interested in volunteering? Click here for more information about how to join our team.

Over 4000 trees planted, 6000 more to go!

This past Sunday we were INSPIRED by more than 45 students and volunteers who planted over 1000 trees at the Horn Farm! We thank The Stone Independent School and the student organizers of The Big Do for working with us to reach our shared goals. For more information on this amazing effort to plant 5,000 trees visit thebigdo.org

Horn Farm Center Health and Safety Policy

Due to COVID-19 the Horn Farm Center is offering on-site educational programming with some modifications in order to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff. All classes will be held outside and are limited to 15 participants per class. If more than one class occurs on the same day, start times will be staggered to reduce the number of individuals arriving at the same time. Multiple hand sanitizer stations are available. We will adjust as needed as time passes and things change.

Participant expectations are as follows:

Participants are required to bring a mask and wear it when proper physical distancing cannot be maintained. We have a limited supply on hand if you forget yours.
Physical distancing of 6 feet must be maintained except in case of family members.
Do not attend if sick or recovering.

Until further notice, no indoor classes are available at this time. We are offering virtual classroom experiences via zoom.