Learn & Grow Together in Service
Since our founding, volunteers have made an incredible impact at the Horn Farm Center. From planting thousands of trees to supporting our annual events, we couldn’t do it all without the generosity and commitment of our caring and eager community.
That’s why we’re excited to share a NEW TRAINING DAY for the Horn Farm Community Crew–a dedicated volunteer program launched in 2023 that provides specialized training, service-learning workdays, and perks for returning volunteers!
Attend our Community Crew Training Day on Sunday, August 11th from 10am to 3pm to partake in land stewardship while getting oriented to the Horn Farm’s mission and projects. You’ll also see how we’re expanding our volunteer ecosystem in 2024, offering more ways to engage with the land and nourish our educational mission!
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All the Buzz on the Farm
This week, members of our Beekeeper Training Program monitored Horn Farm’s apiaries and explored how to keep the honeybees healthy and pest-free at this particularly taxing time of year.
With the soaring temperatures, they arrived to see hundreds of bees performing a hive-regulation maneuver called “bearding.” To keep internal temperatures at the optimum level, bees converge on the outside of the hive and flutter their wings in unison, sending cooler air to the chambers within. As the course instructor Mark Gingrich says, “It’s a bee’s version of sitting on the front porch on a hot summer day.”
All told, the honeybees are managing well, and soon our backyard beekeepers-in-training will be establishing their own broods for tending at home!
Elderberry: From Harvest to Syrup
Elderberry, Elder-Mother, Tree of Music: steeped in lore and reverence, this healing plant has fascinated and nourished people for centuries.Today, many are familiar with elderberry’s immune-boosting properties; elderberry syrup is a staple among herbal remedies. But have you ever worked closely with elderberry to craft your own?
On Saturday, July 20 from 9AM-1PM, we’re hosting a special foraging program celebrating the medicinal powerhouse of elderberry. Join us for Elderberry: From Harvest to Syrup, where we’ll dig into the history, ecology, identification, and medicinal preparation of Sambucus canadensis.
Looking for more ways to explore this healthful plant? Join us for two Elderberry Harvest Volunteer Days coming up in August!
Click here to Register
Celebrate & Volunteer!
As you plan your Wild & Uncommon Weekend experience, consider lending a hand! We’re seeking plenty of volunteers for the 20th annual Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center–the signature event of our NEW Wild & Uncommon Weekend.Sign up for a volunteer shift on Saturday, September 28th!
Areas of volunteer need include admissions, pawpaw sales, parking, and anywhere that involves engaging and supporting visitors. As a volunteer, you’ll enjoy free admission to the Pawpaw Festival, a free lunch, and priority access to purchase pawpaws.
Help us make our largest annual event a success by joining the fun as a volunteer! And don’t forget to check out ALL the unique local offerings happening over our debut Wild & Uncommon Weekend, September 26-29, 2024!
Click here to Volunteer
Learn Practical Earth-Skills with Northern Appalachia School at Horn Farm
This Sunday, July 14th at the Horn Farm Center, our friends from the Northern Appalachia School are offering back-to-back skill-building classes celebrating the incredible gifts of our local plant allies.
From 9:00AM-12:00PM, educator Jaybird Tignor will be leading Making Natural Cordage, a hands-on exploration of simple cord-rendering using wild-harvested, fibrous plant material. Jaybird is a PA Master Naturalist, Certified Permaculture Designer, Certified Wildlife Tracker, Wilderness First Responder, ecological steward, and craftsman.
From 12:30PM-3:00PM, Jaybird and partner educator Calyx Liddick will lead Foraging First Aid, a unique look at foraging plants for first-aid situations. Calyx is a certified clinical herbalist and nutritionist, field botanist, wildcrafter, activist, writer, and mother of two.
Join us this Sunday, July 14th at the Horn Farm Center to explore the age-old ways humans have used–and continue to use–the plants around us to meet our needs. In addition to developing skills and tapping into ancestral knowledge, participants will learn about local ecology, ethical harvesting, and the healing work of building relationship with plants.
WE ARE HIRING: We are seeking a creative, motivated full-time Farm & Agroforestry Manager to join our talented team of land stewards and educators to innovate on-farm learning experiences and lead cutting-edge regenerative farming projects.
The Farm & Agroforestry Manager will have the opportunity to collaboratively design and lead a new demonstration forest garden project, reshaping the way our community thinks about agriculture and helping to achieve Horn Farm Center’s strategic vision.
Interested in learning more? Check out the full position details linked below. To apply send a resume and letter of interest to Executive Director, Alexis Campbell at executivedirector@