Attila Agoston and Shawna DeWitt met while working seasonal jobs at a research center in the South Pole. They started farming because, after running fuel stations in the frigid cold for several months, the summer work on an island off the coast of Washington State sounded warmer and entailed access to better food.
Our Work
Safeguarding the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. Learn more about our work by browsing the subject areas below and find out how to get involved!
A Communal Approach
In the five years since Jason “JP” Pall and Sally Walker began growing produce on a hilly, windswept plot not far from Virginia Tech, they’ve watched several of the parcels surrounding them change hands. A few have been transformed from pastures — the undulating terrain here is good for little more than grazing cattle — into new homes.
Earning a Herd, Opening a Store
Working as a chef, Mike Peterson used to drive by the green, cattle-flecked acres of Mount Vernon Farm near Sperryville on his way to the Inn at Little Washington. And when he signed up for a six-month internship at the farm — to learn more about the sustainable farming methods behind the beef — he never thought he’d end up staying.
Lessons learned at Whisper Hill Farm
Holly Hammond grew up on a you-pick vegetable farm in Arizona that her parents ran. She had no intention of following in their footsteps as farmers, hobby or otherwise, and neither did her husband, James Hammond, when they married in 2002.
Email Alert: Loudoun Residents Weigh In, Wildwood Farm Rezoning Next
Some good news and another call to action!
Last Wednesday, on a 6-3 vote, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors voted to deny the McIntosh rezoning request to increase density in the Transition Area next to Willowsford. Voting against the rezoning were Janet Clarke, Matt Letourneau, Ralph Buona, Geary Higgins, Shawn Williams and Scott York.
A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who took the time to write. Several of the Board members mentioned the letters from citizens as having an impact.
Now on to the next proposal….
Email Alert: Loudoun Board of Supervisors Vote Could Set Precedent for Sprawl
In Loudoun, there’s an important stretch of land between the heavily suburban development in the east, and the rural area to the west. And this less dense section of the county, known as the ‘Transition Area’, is under a new kind of attack.
Black Bear Primer
A nationwide decline in hunting, combined with hunting restrictions in heavily populated areas has helped to increase black bear populations.
A Tale of Two Alums
Since 2009, PEC has offered the Exploring the Small Farm Dream course to aspiring farmers—helping them take a long hard look at their dreams and to answer the question, “Is starting a farm business a good fit for me?” As the title of the course suggests, every participant comes to the course with their own unique dream—an idea that they want to explore. It is these dreams that form the starting point of the course, which evaluates student’s goals, skills, interests, physical and financial resources, and the merits of their ideas in order to settle on a course of action.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded PEC a $200,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund this past October. With this grant, PEC will collaborate with Loudoun County, the Town of Lovettsville, Loudoun County Master Gardeners and Loudoun homeowners associations to implement projects that involve planting native trees and shrubs, improving stormwater facilities and reducing polluted runoff in Loudoun County communities.
PEC Awarded Madison Family Cup for Conservation Efforts
In early November, the National Society of the Madison Family Descendants honored PEC with the Madison Family Cup for its noteworthy conservation efforts at Montpelier and the surrounding Orange County environs.