Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education

Horn Farm Happenings – September 5, 2025

Monarchs & Milkweed: A Perfect Pair

Monarch butterflies share a remarkable partnership with a unique plant that is essential for the survival of this iconic species. Monarchs rely on milkweed as the only plant where they can lay their eggs and feed their caterpillars – and milkweed benefits from the pollination provided by adult butterflies!

Watch the video linked above to learn more about this fascinating symbiotic relationship and discover why planting milkweed is a simple yet powerful way to support monarch populations. You can explore more seasonal diversity by joining an upcoming class or workshop at the Horn Farm Center!

Growing Like an Ecosystem

Since early spring, the inaugural cohort of the Regenerative Grower Training Program has been hard at work at the Horn Farm, learning how to grow food in ways that support ecological health. From ground preparation and soil management to insect identification and agroforestry, students are immersing themselves in every aspect of regenerative agriculture.

Above all, they are embracing the art of thinking – and growing – like an ecosystem!

In our most we recent blog post, we dug into their journey to explore how they’re cultivating a future where agriculture and nature thrive together. Check out the new article linked below!

READ STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Why Dandelion, Garlic & Parsnip?

Whether we’re learning from the past or discovering the healing properties of wild foods, there are many reasons to “remember our roots” at the Horn Farm Center. But why did we select dandelion, garlic and parsnip to highlight this mantra?

Click the video link above to find out! In this short clip, we share the story behind these beloved plants and how they remind us to stay rooted as we grow.

Shop to Support Horn Farm

Weekend Spotlight: Meet the Makers

What better way to celebrate local flavors, crafts, and nature than with a special makers market?

To kick off the 2025 Wild & Uncommon Weekend, The Gardener of the Owl Valley is hosting a pawpaw-themed makers showcase featuring local artists, producers, and crafters—including this one-of-a-kind artwork by Hollie Johns of Virtue Local Art Market!

Stop by John Wright Restaurant from 5:30-8:30pm on Thursday, September 18th for this Wild & Uncommon kickoff event, happening during the Pawpaw Experience at JWR. This festive evening will surely get you into the spirit of Wild & Uncommon Weekend, happening from September 18th-21st. 

With over 15 Wild & Uncommon experiences right around the corner, it’s time to plan your weekend in the Lower Susquehanna Riverlands!

And, don’t forget to grab your tickets for the signature event: the 21st Annual York County Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center on Saturday, September 20th!

Meet the Makers Event

Wild & Uncommon Weekend wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors:

Plan Your Wild & Uncommon Weekend

Help & Enjoy Pawpaw Fest: Free Admission for Volunteers

Love pawpaws? Volunteers at the 21st annual Pawpaw Festival on Saturday, September 20th enjoy free admission while helping make the festival a success! Join our volunteer crew for a few hours and you can spend the rest of the day with community, food, music, and pawpaw-filled fun. Can you help out? 

  • ADMISSIONS | afternoon shift (12:30-4:30pm)
  • FLOATERS | afternoon shift (1-5:30pm)
  • INFO & MERCH BOOTHS | afternoon shifts (12:30-5pm)
  • PARKING | both shifts (8am-12:30pm / 12-4:30pm)
  • ROAD BLOCKS | 2nd and 3rd shifts (11am-2:30pm / 2-5pm)

Group volunteering is also an option – if you’re affiliated with a church, business, or club that likes community service – please let us know!

Sign Up to Volunteer

Connecting People for Healthier Living

Natural Awakenings is a free, monthly magazine that uplifts stories inspiring healthier living, ecological awareness, and community connection. As an organization rooted in reconnecting people with the land through education and regenerative practices, we are proud to partner with Natural Awakenings to grow a more sustainable future!

A big thanks to Lancaster/Berks and South Central Natural Awakenings for their annual sponsorship of the Horn Farm Center. Together, we’re working toward a more resilient and thriving future for our communities and the natural world.

Horn Farm Happenings – August 22, 2025

Summer Season Highlight: Staghorn Sumac

The word “sumac” can cause some confusion. Poisonous plant? Or mid-summer foraging staple? HFC foraging educator Andrew Leahy explains – click the video link above to learn the difference!

Staghorn sumac’s bright red berry clusters can be collected in late summer and early fall to make a tangy, vitamin C–rich drink often called “sumac lemonade.” This nourishing summer treat can be also crafted into a flavorful spice!

Discover more seasonal abundance by joining an upcoming foraging program at the Horn Farm Center! Fill your basket with new knowledge about local plant foods, herbs, and ways we can give back to the land through foraging.

Upcoming Foraging Programs

“Remembering Our Roots” T-Shirt is Here!

However you’ve connected with the Horn Farm Center – through classes, volunteering, events, or even online – you know our mission is rooted in building connection with the land. Now you can share that message in style while supporting ecological education and regenerative land stewardship!

Special thanks to York-based artist Steph Holmes for turning parsnip, dandelion, and garlic into stunning wearable art.

A Diversity of Unique Learning Experiences at the Horn Farm

This summer, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting over a dozen community groups for tours of the Horn Farm ecosystem! The photos above captured our latest excursion with the York College of Pennsylvania Alumni Association Hiking Club!

From regenerative growing fields to recovering meadows and forests, hikers explored how the Horn Farm Center brings together community-based agriculture and ecological restoration. Where else can you find three sisters gardens, elderberries, a woodland classroom, and mini forest plots all in one walking loop?

Custom educational outings are a great way to spend quality outdoor time with your group, camp, classroom, or colleagues.

Photos: courtesy of the YCP Alumni Association

Learn About Custom Tours & Programs

It’s All About Trees & Local Author Talk: In Search of the Old Ones

Horn Farm Center’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend celebrates pawpaws – and the whole landscape it calls home!

On September 20th, visit the Kreutz Creek Library from 10AM–3PM for “It’s All About Trees!” – a family-friendly, all-ages event with activities, tastes, free trees, and more. At 10:30AM, author Anthony Fredericks will share stories from his book, In Search of the Old Ones, revealing the remarkable secrets of some of the world’s oldest trees.

Presented by the Hellam Township Environmental Advisory Council and Kreutz Creek Library, this Wild & Uncommon event is free and open to the public! Please register to attend the author talk.

Don’t forget: Tickets are now available for the main event—the 21st Annual York County Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center. Explore the full weekend lineup and start planning your Wild & Uncommon Weekend adventure!

Wild & Uncommon Weekend wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors:

Plan Your Wild & Uncommon Weekend

New Festival Feature: Pawpaw Beer & Craft Brews by Collusion Tap Works

The 21st annual Pawpaw Festival is almost here—celebrating York County’s favorite wild fruit with food, music, crafts, over 40 vendors, and educational experiences throughout the day!

For the first time this year, we are excited to welcome Collusion Tap Works, who will be serving up their signature craft brews—plus an exclusive pawpaw beer made just for the occasion. That’s right – you can sip on tasty pawpaw beer while enjoying the festivities at the Horn Farm!

You can also stop by Collusion’s downtown location throughout Wild & Uncommon Weekend! Don’t miss your chance to taste this one-of-a-kind seasonal pour!

Advancing Health & Wellness

Just as we work to restore ecosystems, grow healthy food, and build resilient communities, UPMC is dedicated to advancing health and wellness across our region through clinical and technological innovation, research, and education.

Together, we’re growing a healthier future for both people and the planet!

As a sponsor of Horn Farm Center’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend, UPMC is helping us connect more people to the land and to each other. We are grateful for their partnership in our mission and work!

Learn More About UPMC

Horn Farm Happenings – August 8, 2025

Express Your Creativity with Plants

Working with plants can be more than a practical endeavor! From healing and relaxation to crafts and nature-inspired art, plants offer endless opportunities for creativity. This season, we have a fresh line-up of hands-on experiences designed to invigorate your body, spark your imagination, and deepen your relationship with the land.

Whether you’re harvesting, foraging, journaling, or creating, each gathering offers a chance to slow down, get your hands dirty, and reconnect. Join a vibrant community of curious minds as we dive into the art of working with plants!

Preparing for Elderberry Season with Glatfelter Insurance Interns

This month, interns from Glatfelter Insurance Group brought their values to life during a volunteer day at Horn Farm Center. In the spirit of Glatfelter’s enduring commitment to community service—an ethic inspired by founder Art Glatfelter—this year’s cohort chose Horn Farm as a place to make a meaningful, hands-on impact.

With enthusiasm and care, the team helped tend our flourishing elderberry shrubs, which are nearing their summer harvest. Students cleared and weeded the understory and rejuvenated the soil with compost and mulch—giving the plants a healthy boost just in time for our upcoming elderberry workshop “From Harvest to Syrup” on August 21st!

We’re so grateful to the Glatfelter interns for rolling up their sleeves and leaving a lasting mark on the farm!

This week, students in our Regenerative Grower Training program rolled up their sleeves to plant succession crops—including broccoli, collards, scallions, and beans—for the fall harvest. Successional planting helps to maximize yields, extends the growing season, and make the most of available garden space.In addition to planting, our regenerative growers explored the crucial role of insects in our ecosystem. With 95–99% of insects being beneficial or harmless, students are learning how to manage pests in ways that support rather than disrupt the natural balance—an essential principle of regenerative agriculture.

Wildly Uncommon Outdoor Adventures

There’s no better time than pawpaw season to explore the trails and wild spaces of the Lower Susquehanna Riverlands!

As part of Wild & Uncommon Weekend, taking place September 18–21, 2025, our friends at Lancaster Conservancy are offering a trio of special outdoor learning experiences at their York County preserves—perfect for deepening your connection with nature. An unforgettable weekend adventure awaits:

Friday, September 19 | 5-7pm
Guided Hike: Ecological Restoration Tour at Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve
Saturday, September 20 | 3-5pm
Service Learning: Volunteer Workday at Graham Nature Preserve
Sunday, September 21 | 1-3pm
Guided Hike: Ferns & Falls at Mill Creek Falls Preserve

These events are part of Wild & Uncommon Weekend, your invitation to celebrate the season with local flavors, hands-on experiences, and wild beauty.

Don’t forget: Tickets are now available for the main event—the 21st Annual York County Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center. Explore the full weekend lineup and start planning your Wild & Uncommon Weekend adventure!

Wild & Uncommon Weekend wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors:

Plan Your Wild & Uncommon Weekend

All Weekend: Local Food, Relaxation, & Pawpaw Beer

Horn Farm Center’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend is a curated collection of experiences that nourish body, spirit, and community. From September 18-21, you can enjoy special offers from the best of York County, PA – all weekend long!

Uncommon Calm Massage Packages
Firefly Hollow Holistic Wellness Center
Unplug and reset with a 60- or 90-minute massage featuring a limited-edition pawpaw-inspired massage cream handcrafted by local artisans exclusively for the Wild & Uncommon Weekend. Space limited: call to reserve!

Pawpaw Beer & Local Craft Brews
Collusion Tap Works
Sip a limited-edition pawpaw beer alongside a full tap list of local favorites.
Available all Weekend while supplies last!

Farmer’s Feast & Pick Your Own
Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market
Get hands-on with the harvest! Pick your own produce and enjoy orchard-fresh treats straight from the farm.

Let’s Eat More Local Food – 10% Off
Leg Up Farmers Market
Shop and save on local favorites like Mad Radish Farm Organic Produce, Linda Jean’s Microgreens, The Breaded Egg Artisan Breads, Old Grumpy Mark’s Hot Sauces, and more. 10% off select local goods all Weekend!

Remembering Our Roots

We are thrilled to share a sneak peek of something special that’s been growing behind the scenes: we’re getting ready to introduce a brand new t-shirt into our merch ecosystem!

This new apparel offering, with a graphic thoughtfully designed by local artist Steph Holmes, features a hand-drawn collage of dandelion, parsnip, and garlic – deep-rooted plants that echo our mission and connection to the land.

Get ready to show your support of the Horn Farm Center in style! Sales go live Tuesday, August 12th at 12PM on Bonfire – link available soon! Stay tuned, help us spread the word, and Remember Your Roots.

Connecting to Place with the Lisa Naples Team

We’re proud to partner with the Lisa Naples Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty this year! Just as we help people reconnect with land through education, restoration, and regenerative farming, Lisa and her team help people connect with place—guiding individuals and families through one of life’s most important decisions: finding home.

As an annual sponsor of the Horn Farm Center, Lisa Naples and her team are helping to strengthen our mission and make programs like our Regenerative Farmer Training program possible. We’re grateful that they share our commitment to environmental health and community well-being.

Thank you, Lisa Naples Team, for supporting our mission and helping us grow!

Learn More About Lisa Naples & Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices