Cheers to Community
Last weekend, we welcomed the cooler fall temperatures in the company of our amazing volunteers! Community members from our volunteer programs gathered to enjoy snacks, refreshments, conversation, and a warming fire. While the event was a tribute to volunteers, the star of the show was the elderberry swirl ice cream, custom-made locally by our friends at Sweet Willows Creamery!
We’re grateful for the dedication and comradery of the volunteers who’ve uplifted our work and mission in so many ways throughout this year. With the help of our volunteers we:
- Planted 1500+ trees, helping to establish the final 2 acres of our multifunctional riparian buffer planting and 1 acre of a forest garden style restoration planting;
- Tended 16 total acres of multifunctional riparian buffers, including mitigating damage from voles this year;
- Stewarded about 10 acres of wooded areas on the farm helping to maintain and create new trails, bolstering the understory with new plantings, removing invasive species, and helping to improve our outdoor classroom space;
- Assisted with 5 new cooking workshops in our summer kitchen;
- And, sold nearly 3000 pounds of pawpaws and welcomed 1800+ visitors to a rainy but joyous Pawpaw Festival event.
It truly takes a village to steward our land and carry out our mission. So whether you broke a sweat in the forest with us this year, or assisted a summer kitchen class, or helped us pull off the wettest Pawpaw Festival ever, THANK YOU. There is power in every hour. Our small staff of 6 could not be more grateful for the impact created by this year’s volunteers, who’ve dedicated hundreds of hours across our landscape, programs, and events.
Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming volunteer opportunities in the field this fall. Registrations for next year’s Community Crew training days will also be shared before the end of this year. And, we will close out 2023 with our second annual community willow coppicing.
2024 Greenhouse Internships: Now Accepting Applications
Interested in learning about nursery plant production and greenhouse management? We have two internship opportunities available next year that will provide hands-on learning and personalized job coaching with Farm Manager, Andrew Horn.
Throughout the course of the internship students will learn:
- Production planning and seeding schedules
- Seasonal greenhouse management
- Plant propagation techniques
- Materials & Methodology
- Plant Anatomy, taxonomy, physiology, chemistry, biology, genetics
- Irrigation – watering, water testing, understanding plant nutrition
- Plant Health Management – foliar sprays, root dips, seed coats
- Plant Sale Management – budgeting, pricing, product placement, retailing
Become a Beekeeper Next Year
Keeping bees is an amazing experience; enlightening, humbling, educational, and rewarding. Beekeeping supports community pollination, food supplies, and fosters bee populations outside of the commercial beekeeping industry. Plus, beekeeping can provide a multitude of personal benefits, including honey, beeswax, and pollen, all of which can support a small cottage business or simply your own household use.
Next year, the Horn Farm Center is hosting its 8th annual Beekeeper Training Program. Taught by Mark Gingrich of Gingrich Apiaries, the Horn Farm’s Beekeeper Training Program explores beekeeping from its scientific underpinnings to implementing a hive at home.
Over the course of this two year program, participants will work side by side with Mark and other program participants to learn all aspects of keeping bees. At the end of year one, each participant will have the option of receiving a bee colony to be moved to their home property. During the second year, participants will benefit from repetition of some aspects of the program, learn more advanced techniques and troubleshooting while managing their own hive at home.
Support Horn Farm Center for ExtraGive
For the first time EVER, the Horn Farm Center is participating in ExtraGive!
On November 17th, join thousands of people across our community to support more than 400 local organizations in our region.
We have seen firsthand the amazing things that can happen when our community comes together to give back! Whether you make a $10 donation or a $100 donation, your gift will go further for the Horn Farm Center during ExtraGive!
Mark your calendars, invite your friends, and get ready to give EXTRA to support the Horn Farm Center on November 17th!
Eastern Coyotes: Myths & Truths
Whether you have seen them or not, coyotes are all around us.
How did one of the most hated animals in the US become so successful in the face of 100 years of attempted eradication? And how did we as a society come to the conclusion that they should be eradicated in the first place?
To answer these questions, we will first dive into the history of human and coyote interaction, starting with Native American mythology and branching out into European stories about wolves. We will explore how these ancient stories have shaped our modern understanding of the coyote. Then we will uncover the coyote itself; its biology, its natural history, and its role in the ecosystem. We will also attempt to dispel some common misconceptions regarding coyotes and suggest some ways our two species can better co-exist.
Discover the myths and truths about the eastern coyote on November 19th from 2PM-3:30PM.
This program is hosted by the Horn Farm Center and will take place indoors at the Hellam Township Municipal Building at 35 Walnut Springs Road, York, PA 17406.
Heart-Centered Business with Mark Silver
At the heart of regenerative agriculture are so many caring, masterful people who are self-employed or run small businesses. The skills they bring are critical to what we’re trying to do in this region. Yet, toxic business culture has ravaged our world, our economies, and our communities, leaving most of us with a legitimate distrust of business, and a lack of healthy models that mirror the care we have for the earth.
Join us for “Heart-Centered Business” with Author and Business Coach, Mark Silver on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 from 6PM-8PM.
In two hours, Mark Silver will introduce a heart-centered approach to business, and will cover the developmental stages of a small business, plus a relationship-based approach to effective marketing with integrity. His work is based in Sufi spiritual principles, and the truth that every act of business can be an act of love. There will be time for Q&A and coaching.
100% of the tuition for this two hour workshop will benefit Horn Farm Center. Mark’s book, Heart-Centered Business will be available for sale at the event.
This program is hosted by the Horn Farm Center and will take place indoors at the Hellam Township Municipal Building at 35 Walnut Springs Road, York, PA 17406.