Gratitude & Growth in the New Year
At the start of each new year, we look forward with hope and optimism to the 365 days to come. At the farm, we do so with gratitude: for the hard work of our board and staff – and especially, for the dedication and support of our program participants, volunteers, and donors.
Thank you for being a friend of the farm last year, and for helping us continue our mission! In 2023, we are planning for another year of learning, growth, and community. Together, we will:
- Launch an improved volunteer program focused on more opportunities for engagement, learning, and volunteer benefits;
- Offer a robust program schedule with a variety of topics, such as farm & garden workshops, summer kitchen classes, advanced foraging programs, and a new human ecology series.
- Diversify our CSA by partnering cooperatively with local, organic farms and offering payment plans and early-bird pricing;
- Train a total of over 45 students with our signature Training Programs;
- Finish planting over 17,000 trees in two final acres of multifunctional riparian buffers on the farm;
- Begin rebuilding the farmhouse this spring and celebrate our new energy-efficient classroom and office spaces by the end of 2023.
As for 2022, we made great strides towards acheiving our strategic goals. We grew our staff, enhanced our programs, and overcame a multitude of challenges. You will learn more about last year’s accomplishments in our upcoming Annual Report.
We look forward to the next 365 days with you – as we continue to learn and grow together. Cheers to another year of good friends, hard work, and a mission that matters.
See you at the farm!
Sincerely,
Alexis Campbell, Executive Director
Become a Beekeeper This Year
A few spots remain in the introductory track of the 2023 Beekeeper Training Program! Curious about how you can support a hive at home? Don’t miss your opportunity to train with apiarist, Mark Gingrich at the Horn Farm.
This two-year program meets monthly, starting January 18th, and provides both biological foundations and hands-on experience for raising honey bees. At the end of your first year of training you will take home your own bees and beebox. No prior knowledge of bees required–just an interest in exploring a new backyard hobby!
Click here to Register
A Few Spots Left: HFC Training Programs
Immerse in new skills this new year! The Horn Farm’s training programs are your invitation to reimagine our relationship with the natural world, with hands-on practice in helping wildlife and natural spaces flourish.
Best of all, our programs welcome all experience levels.
You don’t need any prior knowledge or training–just curiosity and a passion for connecting with nature!
Want to get started on your journey?–the spring training programs are your doorstep to becoming a lifelong advocate and caretaker for the planet, with skills you can bring to your everyday life.
Applications close in two weeks! Learn more about these empowering programs and apply today:
Join us next year for a learning adventure at the Horn Farm Center!
Click here to learn more about Training Programs
In the News: Mind, Body, Detox Podcast
by Firefly Hollow Wellness in York, PA
We want to create that spark that leads to some sort of transformation in people’s lives and helps them feel connected and comfortable and happy in the outdoors, because there’s a lot of work to do. We want people to feel so strongly about nature and our wild spaces that they’ll want to steward those spaces as well …”
Our gratitude goes out to Kara Lovehart and Firefly Hollow Holistic Wellness Center for giving us a platform to share our work! Listen in to hear from Executive Director, Alexis Campbell about regenerative agriculture, the importance of soil health, the value of nature connection, and the many ways we demonstrate earth renewal at the Horn Farm Center.
The Mind Body Detox podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, and fireflyhollowwellness.com/
Listen to Episode 33: Regenerative Agriculture
Early-Bird CSA Registration Open
Now through January 31st, 2023, we’re accepting early-bird registrations fort the Horn Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program.
For 20 weeks from June to October, CSA members receive a weekly box of seasonal, organic produce grown by the Horn Farm and our local partners. Fill your plate with local flavor while supporting small-scale agriculture and the Horn Farm’s land-healing mission!
Click here to Register for the CSA
Volunteers Needed: Final Willow Harvest
We are seeking daytime volunteers to help us complete our second annual willow tree coppicing! Community workdays are scheduled for January 16th & 17th.
Coppicing is the process of pruning a tree or shrub to ground level in order to stimulate the growth of shoots and provide a sustainable supply of agroforestry products year to year. This winter, we are harvesting willow shoots for basketry, kindling for biochar, and live stakes.
Tasks will vary depending on our progress and volunteer counts. These can include: pruning willow branches with hand pruners (down to stump level); sorting harvested branches by height and thickness; bundling and tagging prepared branches; laying down ground pack; and carrying branches and branch bundles.
Let us know if you can join us!
Click here to Volunteer
New Program Series: The Land & Peoples of the Lower Susquehanna Valley
Are you interested in the natural forces and human activities that have shaped our unique region? If so, this course is for you!
In four two-hour sessions, this new series will take you on a fast-paced tour through the geological, archaeological, and historical past to reach a deeper appreciation of the land we live on and the people who have left their marks on it. The sessions will be run in seminar style, and participants will be invited to share their own stories, insights, and local knowledge.
Each session will be led by HFC Board Member, Dr. Ed Wilson, who will be accompanied by regional experts with specialized knowledge about topics of interest. Program topics include:
- Origins of the Landscape
- The Indigenous Peoples & Their Land
- European Settlement and the Collision of Worlds
- The Contemporary Landscape and Its Challenges
Join us for “The Land & Peoples of the Lower Susquehanna Valley” program series starting on Thursday, March 9th at 6pm.
Click here to Register.
Upcoming Classes & Workshops:
January 19, 2023: Bread Baking: Sourdough
January 28, 2023: Winter Plant & Tree Identification
February 5, 2023: February Foraging Walk
February 25, 2023: Maple Sugaring
February 25, 2023: Maple Sugaring
March 9, 2023: Land & Peoples Series: Origins of the Landscape
March 16, 2023: Flatbread
March 23, 2023: Land & People Series: The Indigenous
March 25, 2023: Hugelkultur Workshop
April 6, 2023: Backyard Composting
April 6, 2023: Land & People Series: European Settlement
April 8, 2023: Regenerative Foraging
April 13, 2023: Spring Garden Prep & Planning
April 15-16, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend
April 20, 2023: Backyard Composting
April 20, 2023: Land & People Series: The Contemporary Landscape
May 11, 2023: Understanding Your Garden Q&A
June 10-11, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend
June 15, 2023: Gardener’s Guide to Weeds
July 6, 2023: Insect Identification for Gardeners
September 9-10, 2023: Foraging Foundations Weekend
Save the Dates: 2023 Events:
May 4-5, 2023: Give Local York
May 7, 2023: 11th Annual Plant Sale
September 23 & 24, 2023: 19th Annual York County Pawpaw Festival
2023 Training Programs- Applications Close Soon!
Land Steward Training Program
Ecological Gardener Training Program
Beekeeper Training Program
Volunteer Events:
January 16, 2023: Willow Harvesting Work Day
January 17, 2023: Willow Harvesting Work Day