Community Connections : Your Agrihood Story

Community Connections : Your Agrihood StorySarah Uhrig2024-02-08T09:53:07-05:00

New Neighbors in The Grant Village

Mel Dunham2024-03-21T09:09:12-04:00March 20, 2024|Categories: Community Connection|Tags: Land Stewardship|

Your Neighbors Are Claiming New Homes in The Grant Village Early in March, ten new homes were completed in The Grant Village of Willowsford. Demand for these new homes was very competitive. Prospective residents were flocking in to see them and explore the spacious interiors and appealing exteriors. By ...

My Top Wildlife Encounters in the Greens

Sarah Uhrig2024-02-08T09:50:51-05:00February 8, 2024|Categories: Community Connection|

Written by Christian Cali I spend a lot of time on the trails around the Greens, especially during winter when few people or bikes are out and about. And, always when it snows to better see the animal tracks. I have seen a good bit of wildlife around here. ...

willowsfordconservancyandfarm

willowsfordconservancyandfarm

Apr 26

Happy Arbor Day! 🌳 From cleaning air to providing habitats for wildlife, trees provide innumerable benefits to our world. Rob from our Land Stewardship team recently attended a three day ArborMaster training course learning all about safely climbing and ascending trees! The skills he learned will allow our team to do more tree work in house and take better care of our forests here at Willowsford.

Rob is second from the left (clearly not afraid of heights!)

Apr 25

We’re excited to announce that the Willowsford Conservancy is teaming up with Natural Leaders to bring a week of nature-based camp to Willowsford this July! 🌿 The Ultimate Explorer Summer Day Program is an outdoor drop-off camp that meets daily from July 22nd- July 26th. Students will have the time of their lives exploring the wilds of Willowsford and making friendships while developing self-reliance skills they will carry with themselves forever. From hiking trails and exploring creeks to learning primitive survival skills like shelter building and fire making, this camp is perfect for any kid ready for outdoor adventure!

Click the link in our bio to learn more & register today!

Apr 23

What do these four humans have in common?! They've each made it their life's work to serve, protect and promote our environment! Check out the Willowsford Conservancy & Farm Team's path to their passion in the field here ==>

https://willowsfordconservancy.org/planting-our-environmental-seed/

Apr 22

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 Thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday for our annual Earth Day Celebration! While the gloomy weather may have thwarted our picnic plans, it didn’t keep us from having a great time. Special thank yous to @honorbrewingcompany and @strollwillowsford for sponsoring our drinks station and for the Knuckle Dusters for keeping the tunes coming.

We also want to thank anyone who supported our fundraisers! At the drinks station our Land Stewardship team fundraised for a pond enhancement project and to help expand our greenhouse. We also launched our ongoing “Coffee for a Cause” fundraiser selling bird-friendly coffee to raise money for nest box monitoring cameras! You can still support this initiative by purchasing coffee during our weekly Boat House Egg Sales or at future events.🪺

Apr 21

We're excited to annouce our new partnership with @theechobarkery ! ECHO Barkery is a nonprofit organization committed to providing employment, opportunity, and community to adults with disabilities. At The ECHO Barkery, they've created a nurturing space where compassion meets craftsmanship. The dedicated team of talented individuals comes together to create handcrafted dog biscuits that not only warm the hearts of four-legged friends but also transform lives for the better. ECHO Barkery dog biscuits are now available on the Online Farm Store and at the Farm Stand this summer! We hope you and your pups love ECHO Barkery as much as ours do! Visit the link in our bio to add these treats to your order today!

Photo Credit: @theechobarkery

#willowsfordfarm #echobarkery #greatcause #forthemission #loudouncounty #loudouncountyva #leesburgva #dog #pets

Apr 18

Our annual Earth Day Celebration is almost here! 🌎 Don’t forget to join us behind the Willowsford Boat House tomorrow from 5-7pm for live music from the Knuckle Dusters, face painting, a native plant sale, beer and wine from @honorbrewing and @strollwillowsford, our popular veggie tattoos, and more!

We hope to see you there!

Apr 15

#TeamFarmKid Leo teaches how to seed peppers at the Farm. She was a great help, thank you Leo!

#willowsfordfarm #loundouncountyfarms #loudouncountyva #farm #farmkid #farmlife #seeding #veggies #vegetables #Educational #educationmatters

Apr 13

Nestled in the Bull Run Mountains, in western Loudoun County is @locksleycheese. They raise Brown Swiss, Jersey, Black and Red Holsteins, and American Milking Devon dairy cows at The Ag District, on a 412-acre sustainable working farm. The farm crew uses progressive grazing techniques, harvesting their own hay baleage, and supplementing the cows’ diet with grape pomace left over from their sister company, Chrysalis Vineyards. Every choice made regarding the cows is what contributes to the rich fat content and delectable flavor of the milk the herd produces. The farming method is 100% focused on their cows. Locksley measures their performance by cow comfort, longevity, and health rather than just output. In short, happy cows make the best milk, which makes the best cheese!

We’re delighted to offer Locksley Farmstead Cheese on our Online Farm Store! If you are interested in the best that local northern Virginia producers have to offer, check out the link in our bio to shop our Online Farm Store!

📷: @locksleycheese

Apr 11

We had an amazing time at our Raptors Up Close program yesterday at the Boat House! 🦉 Thank you to Secret Garden Birds & Bees for coming out to introduce us to these magnificent birds and teach us about their lives.

The best part is that all of these birds are native and can be found throughout Willowsford. On your next walk, keep an eye out for owls nesting in the cavities of trees or a kestrel perched on a snag!

Apr 10

A sneak peek inside our Greenhouse! We have thousands of little plants that are being transplanted over the next few weeks for our Summer season. 🥦🍅🧅🍆🌶

#farm #farmlife #willowsfordfarm #loudouncounty #loudouncountyfarms #loudouncountyva #shoplocal #localbusiness #vegetables #veggies

Apr 9

‘Tis the season…for spring ephemerals! If you walk along our trails, you’ll likely see some of these short lived wildflowers along your path. To see bluebells, check out Bull Run Overlook trail in The Greens!

Photo 1: Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Photo 2: Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
Photo 3: Spring beauties (Claytonia virginica)

Apr 6

Have you tried a Harvest Symphony Pie or quiche? Located right here in Loudoun County, Beth and Bud Harris offer artisanal baked goods! Their fantastic selection is Non-GMO, Wheat-Free, Soys-Free, Glyphosate-Free, and made without preservatives, so you can enjoy high-quality pies and quiches made from the best possible ingredients. They have done tasting at our Farm Stand before and are just as sweet as their baked goods! When you purchase Harvest Symphony products through our Online Farm Store, you are supporting a local, family-owned and operated, small business that is just as passionate about conservation and sustainability as we are! We're excited to announce that a selection of pies and quiches are available on the Online Farm Store for pickup or delivery on April 17th! Quantities are limited, check out the link in our bio to place your order today!

#willowsfordfarm #farmpartner #loudouncounty #loundouncountryva #loudouncountyfarms #smallbusiness #shoplocal #glutenfree #pie #quiche #yum

Apr 4

We are excited to kick off our second season of selling native plants grown in the Conservancy Greenhouse! 🌱In addition to in-person sales which will take place all season (with the first at our Earth Day event on April 19), we have launched an online storefront to make it quicker and easier for you to bring natives to your garden.

Check out the link in bio to explore our selection and order today!

Apr 2

We had a great time at our Build-a-Birdbox Workshop last week at Cedar Pond Pavilion in The Greens! Thanks to all who came to learn about local birds and build nest boxes for them 🪺

Apr 2

One of our most important initiatives at Willowsford Farm is soil health. We've seen improvement on this front, but how is soil health defined? Farm Director Andrew has some answers for you in our fascinating field note! Click the link in our bio to read all about Willowsford Farm's soil health journey.

#willowsfordfarm #loudouncountyfarms #loudouncountyva #loudouncounty #farm #farmlife #soilhealth #thinkgreen #agriculture

Mar 30

We want to say THANK YOU to Farmer Ben! This is his last week at Willowsford Farm and we appreciate all the hard work he's put in. Here's what Ben had to say about his time here:

#willowsfordfarm #loudouncounty #farmer #farm #farmlife #thankyou #csa

Mar 29

Check out what we caught on our trail cam this month! 🐾 This cam was placed along Broad Run Stream in The Grange which proved to be a busy spot for all kinds of critters, including a mink! We’re excited to continue sharing our trail cam sightings from throughout Willowsford to showcase the wonderful diversity of wildlife in our community.

Mar 28

Farmer Andrew explains one of our cover crop seeding methods!

#willowsfordfarm #farmlife #covercrops #loudouncountyfarms #loudouncounty #farm #education

Mar 26

Last Friday the Farm Team got to work with the new coop cover for the hens! After the crazy winds from a couple weeks ago, the previous "roof" for the ladies was blown halfway to Kansas. Before the new cover arrived, the coop had a temporary fix with some shade cloth but finally it was time for the full renovation. After aligning the new cover, it was secured around the edges with "wiggle wire" a shaped wire designed to fit into the grooves of the metal frame to hold material in place. Coop maintenance is an essential part of animal husbandry. In addition to food, water, access to fresh air and sunshine, it's important that our flock have a safe and comfortable home 🐔🏠

#willowsfordfarm #chickens #farmlife #animalhusbandry #loudounva #loudouncountyfarms

Mar 23

Guest chicken staying home today bc EGGstravagana moved inside due to weather BUT we will still be at the Lodge 10 am - 1 pm talking bird and egg facts AND making fun signs for the Farm Stand season ahead. See you there?

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