Thank You for Contacting Willowsford Conservancy

Thank You for Contacting Willowsford ConservancyBrandi Delancey2022-04-21T09:33:32-04:00

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willowsfordconservancyandfarm

willowsfordconservancyandfarm

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?

Mar 22

This spring, as we do every year, our Land Stewardship team gave the Wet Meadow its annual ‘reset’. For meadows to remain as meadows and not develop into a forest, they require a level of disruption that ‘resets’ its condition back to the early successional state of a meadow. For the Wet Meadow, this takes extra special attention since we do not drive equipment, such as a brush hog, through the area. Because of the wetland’s sensitive nature, we can only use management practices such as the prescribed burn performed last year, or we use weed eaters to cut down dead vegetation and then rake it up.

This year, the team and some volunteers undertook the difficult (and muddy) task of cutting down the dead vegetation, raking it up, and removing it from the meadow for composting. This allows the new growth to rapidly come up and fill the Wet Meadow with lush blooms once again. It took the team two full days of work to prepare the Wet Meadow for a successful growing season, but now it is at last ready for spring.
We were able to observe the many benefits of the prescribed burn on the Wet Meadow in 2023. The fire burned up the non-native invasives and allowed plant species that had not made an appearance in many years to reemerge. Although we did not burn the meadow this year, it is our intention to bring the many benefits of fire back to the meadow in 2025. Our Land Stewardship team is being equipped and certified to perform prescribed burns in house. Soon we will be able to perform the very important ‘reset’ to the Wet Meadow in the most beneficial approach, and it will only take 30 minutes instead of two full days.

The next time you find yourself in the Grange, swing by the Wet Meadow to see what new growth or new blooms are making their appearance in the diverse conservation space.

Mar 21

Eggs come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and frequencies. This Saturday, 3/23, the Willowsford HOA is throwing their annual EGGstravaganza gathering, and we're celebrating the humble egg by talking chickens and bluebirds at the Farm & Conservancy tables. Come see us and a chicken guest at the Lodge between 10 am and 1 pm to learn why we chose the breed we did, why we facilitate bluebird nesting in the Conservancy, and who that giant white egg belongs to!

Visit Willowsford Life to register.

#agrihood #supportyouragrihood #pasturedpoultry #WSF

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