Horn Farm Happenings – October 3, 2025
The Ancient Art of Coppice Agroforestry with Special Guest, Dave Jacke
This month, we are excited to host a rare opportunity to explore the art of coppice agroforestry with Dave Jacke, a leading voice in ecological design and agroforestry.
During a special two-part workshop, we will learn how to manage resprouting trees and shrubs for renewable materials, homestead use, and small farm resilience.
As an educator and author of Edible Forest Gardens, Dave’s teachings have had a profound impact here at the Horn Farm. Both Executive Director Alexis Campbell and Farm Manager Jon Darby have been longtime students of his work. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the world’s foremost forest gardening experts!
Friday Evening Lecture
October 17 | 7–9 PM
Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA
Dave will trace the history, culture, and biology of woody resprouts, setting the stage for a deeper dive into coppice systems and their possibilities.
Saturday Hands-On Workshop
October 18 | 8:30 AM–5 PM
Horn Farm Center, York PA
Spend the day learning directly from Dave in the field. Explore coppice biology, carbon storage, and resprout capacity, while assessing Horn Farm’s coppice species and envisioning practical applications for your own agroforestry systems.
Join us Friday night, or jump in for the full experience: Attend the lecture on Friday, then get hands-on in the field on Saturday. Space limited—register soon!
Fall Foraging: Finding Our Fungal Friends
You don’t always have to head deep into the forest to find tasty mushrooms—some, like the meadow mushroom (Agaricus campestris), pop up in the most unexpected places… even our demonstration gardens at Horn Farm!
Our Farm & Agroforestry Manager, Jon Darby, shares tips for identifying and enjoying this close relative of cremini and portobello mushrooms.
Discover more about mushrooms this October with Wild & Cultivated: Find, Taste & Grow Your Own Mushrooms and other foraging classes at the Horn Farm!
Wrapping Up the Summer, Wild & Uncommon Style!
We’re still beaming from September’s unmatched abundance: local flavors, creative makers, and more than 2,000 people who traveled from near and far to celebrate the pawpaw in the Susquehanna Riverlands!
This year’s Pawpaw Festival showcased how the pawpaw—North America’s largest edible tree fruit—is so much more than a fleeting flavor. It’s an invitation to connect with the land, savor the season, and celebrate together as a community.
Thank you to everyone who came out to learn, explore, and experience the ecosystem that the pawpaw calls home. We’re especially grateful to the vendors, musicians, educators, and 70+ volunteers who made the weekend possible. Like the wild pawpaws thriving in the forests of the Lower Susquehanna, we found ourselves in truly bountiful company!
A big round of gratitude goes to our 2025 partners and sponsors, whose support helped bring this year’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend to life.
As we wave goodbye to summer and welcome fall, we’re already dreaming of the pawpaw’s return in 2026. In the meantime, explore all the ways to stay connected with nature through every season!
Partnering for Learning: Endangered Species Coalition
In recent years, Horn Farm Center has partnered with the Endangered Species Coalition to support hands-on learning experiences through the Ecological Gardener Training Program.
Thanks to their support this year, 15 students designed and installed a new 600 sq. ft. native plant and pollinator garden that will serve as a teaching and demonstration space for years to come. The planting transformed an area in our demonstration field that was overgrown!
Taught by Elyse Jurgen of Waxwing EcoWorks, the Ecological Gardener Training program teaches how to create and care for biodiverse native habitats that benefit both wildlife and people. The program covers native plant selection, lawn conversion methods, scaled landscape design, and seasonal management techniques.
Our partnership with Endangered Species Coalition will continue to grow this winter with a collaborative webinar – stay tuned – more information coming soon!
Read More: Endangered Species Coalition Blog
Susquehanna River in PA, USA on a summer autumn day. It is the longest river on the East Coast of the United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, via the Chesapeake Bay.
Land & Peoples Series Returns!
Back by popular demand! Explore the natural forces and human activities that have shaped our region—from ancient Indigenous lifeways to the transformation of forests into farms, towns, and suburbs. This four-session course offers a fast-paced journey through geology, archaeology, and history, guided by Dr. Ed Wilson and regional experts.
Engage with the past, share personal insights, and deepen your appreciation for the world. Register for individual sessions or enjoy the full course at a discounted rate.
