Horn Farm Happenings – March 8, 2019

We are delighted with the ways in which so many of you are connecting with us here at the Horn Farm! We filled the Regenerative Farming Internship for 2019. From left to right above are Sam, Haley, Liana, Jessie, and Simone standing with their two main instructors Field Manager Andrew Horn and Education Director Jon Darby. These are the folks who will be growing the plants for our Heirloom Plant Sale and food for our CSA. Like last year, we will be taking pre-orders for plants beginning next week and continuing through March 30. You let us know which plants you want to buy and we will have your order packed and ready for you to pick up the day of the sale: May 4.

Our classes and workshops are filling more quickly than ever before. Thank you! We are so grateful for your support.

It seems like a good time to remind you of why we’re doing what we do.

Problem

Today’s food and farming systems have succeeded in supplying large volumes of foods to global markets, but are generating negative outcomes on multiple fronts: widespread degradation of land and water and ecosystems, high greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity losses, persistent hunger and micro-nutrient deficiencies alongside the rapid rise of obesity and diet-related diseases, and livelihood stresses for farmers around the world.

Industrial agriculture and the industrial food systems that have developed around it are locked in place by structures which allow control to accrue to a limited number of players which reinforces their economic and political power.

Solution

We must transition from our current unsustainable farming methods to ones that work in cooperation with natural cycles. It is time to look at a farmer as both a provider of agricultural goods and as a participant in an ecological system. This agro-ecological system provides a number of public goods and services including: water, soil, energy, biodiversity, recreation, and carbon sequestration. By changing the way we farm, we can restore the health of our soil, water, and woods while providing for the food needs of our community in the face of a changing climate.

What is required is a model of agriculture based on diversifying farms and farming landscapes, optimizing biodiversity, stimulating interactions between and among different species, building long-term fertility, healthy agro-ecosystems, secure livelihoods: diversified agro-ecological systems.

Our Approach

The Horn Farm Center believes in the power of education. By partnering with local farmers and concerned citizens in our region, we teach and demonstrate how gardeners and farmers can establish healthy relationships with natural ecosystems to increase the quality and quantity of locally grown food, improve financial returns, and remove more carbon from the atmosphere. We are building a community of skilled land stewards who, by building soil fertility and restoring ecological balance to our place on this planet, are better able to feed our community in the face of economic and environmental uncertainty.

We are happy to be on this journey with all of you!

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There’s still space for a few more people in our March 19 Bread Baking: Quick Breads class. Quick breads are made without yeast and are very versatile. Quick breads can be sweet or savory, made with fruit, nuts, and/or vegetables. The basic recipe is easy to adjust for almost any flavor combination.  We’ll supply everything you need to boost your creativity in the kitchen!

Upcoming events:

March 19 – Bread Baking – Quick Breads
March 30 – Monthly Foraging Walk
March 23 – Wilderness Skills: The Art of Seeing & Nature Observation
March 30 – Wilderness Skills: Shelter Building & Finding Water
April 13 – Wilderness Skills: Ancient Art of Fire by Friction
April 20 – Wilderness Skills: Foraging, Hunting & Trapping
April 27 – Wilderness Skills: Advanced Primitive Hunting Techniques
April 27 – Introduction to Lacto-Fermentation (waitlist)
April 27 – Foraging – Spring Greens
May 3 – Give Local York
May 4 – Heirloom Plant Sale
May 18 – Herbal Intensive
May 19 – Mushroom Cultivation
June 1 – Introduction to Plant Communication(new!)
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 29 – Raising Insects for Food and Farm
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level

2019 Horn Farm Vegetable CSA
Betsy’s Flowers at the Farm Flower CSA
Regenerative Farming Internship (filled)
Woodland Steward Training Program
Herbal Intensive
Foraging Intensive (filled)

See you at the farm!