Training for a Regenerative Future
We are currently accepting applications for the 2024 Land Steward and Ecological Gardener training programs, which begin in February at the Horn Farm Center!
You may be asking: am I a good fit?
For anyone wanting to connect more deeply with natural spaces and help take care of the natural world, this experience is for you!
The Horn Farm Center’s training programs are “immersive introductions,” welcoming all experience levels and backgrounds to take the dive with us into how we can heal, protect, and advocate for our shared environment.
Previous cohorts have included students, parents, teachers, part-timers, full-timers, city dwellers, and rural folks: all like-minded community members sharing a love for nature and a passion for environmental stewardship.
For the Land Steward Training Program, don’t miss your chance to take advantage of our early-bird discount, expiring in just over a month.
We hope you’ll join us to share in the wonder, rigor, and joy of caring for the earth this Spring. Our wild spaces need all of us now more than ever!
Click here to learn more & apply.
Rebuilding & Learning What It Takes
Earlier this week we received the final construction documents for the Horn Farm Center’s new classroom and office building. The road to revitalizing and rebuilding our facility has been a long one. This Wednesday, October 25th marked two years since lightning struck our historic farmhouse, damaging it by fire.
We remain steadfast in our determination to bring the new design for an accessible, energy-efficient, functional, and historically-inspired educational facility into reality. Through a significant amount of time, focus, and community investment, we are learning what it takes to truly live our values.
Honoring our history: We’ve been careful to preserve historic features in the design – including extensive repointing of our 19th century brick, restoring wood lintels, sills, and bullnose architectural moldings of all 26 windows, reconstructing the original chimneys, and adding a new standing seam metal roof.
Increasing our capacity to educate and serve our community: Once parceled into separate rooms for an 1800s residence, the floor plan has been re-engineered to accommodate a large classroom downstairs and an open concept office space and meeting rooms upstairs. The building will also be more accessible with commercial ADA upgrades.
Reducing our environmental impact: Infrastructural features like improved insulation, a nearly air-tight building envelope, and a powerful solar system will keep the building’s carbon emissions, and energy costs, to zero. And, water catchment and infiltration systems will conserve water on site.
At this stage, we’re awaiting final cost estimates for the project. We’ll begin sharing more routine updates as we complete the final steps that will get us to construction this spring.
We’re enormously proud of our team, collaborators, and donors for keeping our values front and center to guide this process.
A special thanks to our design contractors Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects, Lewis Contractors, Quarry View Building Group, and 7group for embracing and leading our most daunting project. We’re grateful for their patience, expertise, and commitment to their craft.
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
We are accepting applications now through November 10th!
Become a Beekeeper Next Year
Join us for our 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 keeping 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!
Volunteer for the Trees
Volunteer tree days are here! Learn about riparian buffers as we prepare over 8 acres of new plants for the winter.
Volunteer workdays are a great way to get out in nature, meet like-minded community members, and participate in hands-on learning in the field. Not to mention, they’re an excuse to skip the gym!
With thousands of young native trees to check and care for as the winter approaches, you’ll help us ensure our restoration fields thrive while learning about the value of riparian buffers, native plants, and caring for the natural landscapes that we depend on.
Eager to get stated? Our first workday is THIS SATURDAY, October 28th from 9:30AM to 11:30AM. If you can’t be one of our Halloweekend helpers, we’ve also got the following workdays coming up:
- Sunday, November 5th (9AM-11AM)
- Wednesday, November 8th (10AM-12PM)
- Saturday, November 11th (10AM-12PM)
We + the trees hope to see you there!
Heart-Centered Business with Mark Silver
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, seasoned small-business owner, or curious patron of local business, we welcome you to an enriching conversation and Q&A spanning topics like:
- Addressing toxic business culture,
- The developmental stages of a small business,
- Relationship-based approaches to marketing with integrity, and …
- Creating healthy business 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.
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.