A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Culpeper County
PEC’s Culpeper County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Culpeper’s rural character, environment and historic resources.
New ‘Buy Fresh Buy Local’ Food Guides Now Available!
This text was taken from an email alert sent out on May 7, 2025. Sign up for email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
We’re excited to announce that PEC’s 2025-26 Buy Fresh Buy Local Guides have been printed and are on their way to you!
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is proud to produce and mail Buy Fresh Buy Local guides to over 330,000 households throughout our nine-county region and make it available online (see links below). These popular local food guides are a great way to support working farms and learn more about local food options!
For more than 50 years, The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has worked to conserve and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont. We believe that doing so requires a strong, sustainable agricultural economy that helps keep rural lands economically viable.
That’s why we take a direct role in promoting working farms and the fresh foods and beverages they produce through our biennial Buy Fresh Buy Local guides. From veggies and fruit, to meat and dairy, to beer, wine and more, you’ll find all of your favorite local foods and beverages in our newly released 2025-2026 guides for the Northern Piedmont, Loudoun County and Charlottesville Area.
Learn more about each of our three guides below:
Northern Piedmont
Our Northern Piedmont guide features nearly 250 local food producers and distributors in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties. Among its listings are 124 local farms and orchards, 11 farmers markets, 37 specialty beverage producers, 24 restaurants and caterers that source locally, and 24 retailers, many of which are displayed on a travel map of the Northern Piedmont area. In addition, there are 19 value-added products that are part of a newly introduced section showcasing entrepreneurs adding value to locally grown products in the form of baked goods, sauces and more.
Northern Piedmont Highlights
This year’s Northern Piedmont guide also highlights two committed local farms and one community group: Kinloch Farm, a livestock farm in Fauquier County, focuses on the intersection of conservation and agriculture, using regenerative farming to incorporate grazing management practices through an adaptive lens that respects ecological cycles, improving the landscape and providing a flourishing habitat and food for wildlife, pollinators and the herd. The Chapman Farm, a cattle farm located in Bealeton, was one of the first farms in their neighborhood to implement water troughs and fencing in their fields that help keep waterways clean, and have been a center for conservation education in the region. And the Carver Food Enterprise Center is doing good work to assist small value-added food businesses and decrease food waste and insecurity across the Piedmont.
Northern Piedmont Sponsors
A special thank you goes to this year’s Northern Piedmont guide sponsors, including the PATH Foundation, Finest Butcher, Wegmans, Choose Culpeper Farms, Culpeper Harvest Days Farm Tour, Farm Credit, Purely Piedmont, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Fauquier Agricultural HomeGrown Program, and Mad Magic Kombucha, as well as local food industry sponsors including Kinloch Farm, F.T. Valley Orchard at Mont Medi, Sunnyside Farm & Conservancy, Rappahannock County Farm Tour, Buchanan Hall Community Market, Riders Backfield Farm Beef, Hidden Creek Farm, Red Truck Bakery, Field & Main, Four J’s Farm & Brewery, Ovoka Farm, Virginia Bison Company at Cibola Farms, DuCard Vineyard, Belmont Farm Distillery, 4P Foods, and VA Soil Health Coalition.
Loudoun County
The Loudoun County guide features more than 170 local food producers and distributors in—you guessed it—Loudoun County. Among its listings are 71 local farms and orchards, nine farmers markets, 40 specialty beverage producers, 26 restaurants and caterers that source locally, 29 retailers (farm stands and grocers), and five value-added producers who have helped launch a new section for the Loudoun chapter!
Loudoun County Highlights
This year’s Loudoun area guide also highlights three local farm businesses. Long Stone Farm carefully stewards over 300 acres of rolling farmland in Lovettsville. By rotational grazing and careful nutrient management, they produce high quality proteins including non-GMO pork, beef, chicken, and eggs. Fireside Farm cultivates a diverse array of high quality vegetables grown by regenerative methods with extra care of the soil and their downstream neighbors. They also offer their veggies and grain in the form of gourmet wood-fired pizza at events around Loudoun. Wheatland Spring Farm & Brewery makes beer with ingredients grown onsite that reflects the distinct agricultural region of Virginia’s Piedmont — a concept they call “land beer.”
Loudoun County Sponsors
A special thank you goes to this year’s Loudoun guide sponsors, including the PATH Foundation, Finest Butcher , Wegmans, Loudoun VA Cooperative Extension, Farm Credit, Visit Loudoun, Loudoun Farm Bureau, Loudoun Valley Homegrown Market Cooperative, Mom’s Apple Pie, Long Stone Farm, NOVEC, Great Country Farms, Willowsford Farm, Ayrshire Farm and VA Soil Health Coalition.
Charlottesville Area
The Charlottesville Area guide features 239 local food producers and distributors in Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson counties. Among its listings are 103 local farms and orchards, 15 farmers markets, 36 specialty beverage producers, 37 restaurants and caterers that source locally, 24 grocers, and 24 value-added products.
Charlottesville Area Highlights
This year’s Charlottesville Area guide also highlights two local growers and one local farm-to-table restaurant. Forrest Green Farm in Louisa County offers an array of farm-raised and locally-grown products. The farm employs a variety of conservation approaches, including regenerative farming, adaptive grazing practices and other holistic land management practices that contribute to healthy land, animals, and soil. Deep Roots Milling in Nelson County operates out of the historic Woodson mill (est. 1794), which uses a time-tested, environmentally sustainable process, using the power of water, to grind their locally-sourced grain, giving their products a unique and desirable texture and nutritional content that bakers love. FARMacy Cafe and Food Truck offers local Charlottesville residents its flavorful and healthful Mexican fusion cuisine that emphasizes nutrient-rich, organic, local ingredients sourced through collaborations with local organic farmers.
Charlottesville Area Sponsors
A special thank you goes to this year’s Charlottesville Area guide sponsors, including PATH Foundation, Finest Butcher, Wegmans, New Country Organics, Farm Credit, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Brickyard Bulls, Peter Wiley Real Estate, Albemarle Economic Development, Market Central’s Market at Ix, Integral Yoga Natural Foods, Carter Mountain Orchard, Feast, Chiswell Farm & Winery, Hummingbird Hill Native Plant Nursery, and VA Soil Health Coalition.
A big ‘thank you’ goes out to all of the farms and businesses who participated to make this guide a comprehensive resource for the community!
If you know a farm or business that didn’t make it into the guide, but would like to be listed, they can register on Virginia Market Maker and select the affiliation Buy Fresh Buy Local for the chapter they reside in to sign up!
One last note for our Clarke County members: Clarke County falls within the Shenandoah Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter, and that guide isbrought to you by the Virginia Cooperative Extension; find out more about the Shenandoah Valley chapter and other Buy Fresh Buy Local chapters at buylocalvirginia.org.
Sincerely,
Lea Justice
Buy Fresh Buy Local Assistant
540-347-2334 ext. 7027
[email protected]
Conserving a Crown Jewel in Culpeper County
Western View Plantation in Culpeper County gets its name from the panoramic vista of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park seen from its pastures and fields. This 700-acre working farm exemplifies the kind of agricultural operation that sustains a thriving rural economy.
Thanks to the efforts of many — including a farming family dedicated to conserving farmland for the continuation of our local food systems — PEC used $1.6 million of state and federal funding to purchase an Agricultural Land Easement that now permanently protects the excellent soils and streams that run through Western View.
Exploring New Public Parks in the Piedmont
Conserved public spaces have measurable impacts on our lives: research shows that spending time outdoors improves both physical and mental health, and can even improve students’ grades, lower blood pressure and drive economic growth. If you enjoy outdoor adventures like I do, lace up your boots and come with me as we explore a couple of these new parks that opened in 2024, as well as one potential future park.
On the Ground Updates – March 2025
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock
Take Action in Culpeper: Not Out of the Woods Yet
This text was taken from an email alert sent out on March 27, 2025. Sign up for email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
First, I’d like to give a big thank you to everyone who wrote to the Culpeper Town Council or spoke at one of the council meetings about the Culpeper Technology Campus proffer amendment. I’ll go into greater detail below, but to quickly recap: it’s not everything we wanted, but because of your persistence, it is much better than it would have been if no one had spoken at all.
We’re not out of the woods yet, though: the speculative DARLO substation conditional use permit application comes to the county Board of Supervisors April 1, and until Culpeper changes the zoning regulations for data centers, we could see more of these by-right projects popping up.
County Planning Commission Unanimously Recommends Denial of Substation for DARLO Data Center, Board Hearing Scheduled for April 1
On March 12, the Culpeper County Planning Commission unanimously recommended the denial of a 300 MW substation for the DARLO Project, a speculative data center campus outside the Culpeper Tech Zone. DARLO will come before the Board of Supervisors Tues., April 1 at 7 p.m., at 302 North Main Street.
Members of the Board of Supervisors have consistently said they do not want data centers outside the Culpeper Tech Zone, a tax incentive area near McDevitt Drive. The board has even reduced the size of the Tech Zone to consolidate the impacts of data centers and their associated transmission lines into one area. This move was also intended to help Culpeper maintain a balanced portfolio of industries and not become overreliant on data centers — which we support, given how fickle data center tax revenue can be.
Because the DARLO project is far away from the other data center projects, it will require a separate new transmission line that will impact Culpeper’s farms and businesses. We are also concerned that a data center at this location could interfere with important public resources like Eastern View High School, the planned elementary school at Greens Corner, and even the new community pool under construction at the Culpeper Field House. And, in addition to noise and air pollution from diesel generators, the construction traffic for this speculative campus will likely impact Braggs Corner Road, which has already been the site of numerous accidents.
Culpeper County needs to change its zoning for data centers, which are still considered a by-right use in all industrial zones. This means data centers do not need planning commission or board approval to develop or redevelop on an existing industrially zoned site. Even though Culpeper requires a conditional use permit for substations like DARLO, this provides limited means of control, and we are concerned that the data center industry can and will find ways around this check. Earlier this month, Loudoun County, widely regarded as the data center capital of the world, removed data centers as a by-right use, and the Town of Culpeper plans to follow suit in its ordinance overhaul (see more below).
If the Board of Supervisors wants to retain control of where data centers are built in Culpeper, they need to act NOW.
Board of Supervisors Public Hearing
Tuesday, April 1 @ 7 p.m.
302 N. Main Street, Culpeper
We encourage you to come to the hearing and ask that the Board of Supervisors deny the proposed DARLO data center substation and remove data centers as a by-right use in Culpeper County. If you cannot attend in person, email your comments to the Board using the link below.
Town of Culpeper Votes to Approve New Data Center Noise Standards
The Town of Culpeper voted 6:2 to adopt the proposed changes to the Culpeper Technology Campus proffers March 11. Although PEC opposed the amendment because it will allow for a noticeably higher level of noise in nearby residential areas, the applicant did make some significant improvements. Specifically, they withdrew language that would have exempted generator maintenance and generator operations during power shortages (as opposed to emergencies or outages) from compliance with any noise standards.
This is a significant win because the diesel backup generators are often the loudest piece of equipment on a data center campus. A 2.1-million-square-foot data campus like the Culpeper Technology Campus will likely have over 100 generators the size of train cars or tractor-trailers at full build-out, all of which must be run regularly for maintenance purposes. We are also glad the Town Council hired a sound engineer to educate them about data center noise and hope this information will help them create better protections for Culpeper residents in the future.
Thank you so much to everyone who wrote in or spoke at the meetings! Letting the Town Council and the data center companies know that you were paying attention to this issue has made a difference.
Town of Culpeper Ordinance Overhaul
The Town of Culpeper is currently working on a comprehensive overhaul of the existing zoning and subdivision ordinances in chapters 22 and 27 of the Town Code. The overhaul will transition the town from strictly Traditional Zoning to a hybrid code that includes Form Based Zoning, which concentrates more on how buildings look and less on what occurs within them. Zoning and subdivision regulations are key tools that guide land use and development in the town. The regulations control where various land uses may exist, how sites are laid out and designed, and other factors that help establish the town’s overall character.
Over the past months, the town planning staff has been receiving local feedback on the proposed changes and will hold a series of public hearings and open houses to receive citizen feedback.
Open houses will be held at the Economic Development Center at 803 South Main Street from 1-4 p.m. April 3, 9, 14, and 22, May 2, 8, 12, 22, and 27, and June 2 and 9. The next Planning Commission Public Hearing will be held April 15 at the Economic Development Center at 803 South Main Street starting at 6 p.m.
The Town Council Public Hearings will take place May 13 and June 10 at 302 North Main Street, starting at 7 p.m.
You can submit your feedback on the proposed changes to Andrew Hopewell at [email protected], or come to the meetings and tell your local decision-makers in person!
Thank you,
Sarah Parmelee
Land Use Field Representative
Culpeper County
[email protected]
(540) 347-2334 ext. 7045
Culpeper: Town poised to allow more data center noise; County considers a substation for yet another data center
Next week, both will have the opportunity to choose: does Culpeper want to better protect residents from the impacts of data centers?
Culpeper Co.: December 2024 Updates
This year, we made a concerted effort to better inform the Culpeper community about local events. We have some good news to shhare with you about decisions that were only achieved through strong community engagement.
2024 Highlights: By the Numbers
PEC’s dedicated staff work relentlessly to advance land conservation, sound land use planning, the protection of natural resources and better climate and energy policy.
On The Ground Updates – December 2024
A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.