It was fantastic to have such an engaged crowd at our recent Conservation Funding Workshop and Social at Powers Farm & Brewery in Midland!
Working Farms & Food
Farmland and forests produce the necessities of life and provide essential natural services. In PEC’s nine county area, over 180,000 acres of farmland and 140,000 acres of forests are protected through private, voluntary land conservation.
Videos: Agrivoltaics Project at PEC’s Community Farm
Explore our video updates detailing the exciting progress of the Piedmont Environmental Council’s agrivoltaics project, where solar energy and sustainable agriculture meet.
A legacy of conservation and community at risk in Fauquier County
From their storied pasts to the present day, the Fauquier County towns of Remington, Bealeton and the many unique crossroad communities in the surrounding region have been characterized by their rural charm. And for decades, The Piedmont Environmental Council has been committed to collaborating with these local communities on conservation, land use planning, historic preservation and public access to nature. But as pressure for massive data center complexes spreads beyond Northern Virginia into the Piedmont’s special rural communities, we worry the progress and investments we and many others have made toward conserving, enhancing and preserving these communities will be lost forever.
1990s | PEC opposed the Fauquier Forward plan that would have widened Virginia State Route 28 and replaced the agricultural economy through that area with suburbs. Instead, we advocated for an alternative vision of conservation and helped create the county’s Purchase of Development Rights program, which pays landowners to relinquish development rights on their properties, thus supporting farmers, preserving the environmental and economic benefits of agriculture and preventing costly sprawl. Since then, Fauquier’s PDR program has become a model for other places, creating an important tool for landowners who want to keep their land in farming.
2006 | PEC helped the county acquire Rappahannock Station Battlefield Park, preserving this critical battlefield for a future public park and recreation area near the town of Remington. PEC supported development of a master plan for the park and continues to advocate for walking trails and interpretive signage that will tell the important history of the town and this historic battlefield.
2017 | In support of Remington’s effort to strengthen tourism and enhance pedestrian safety, PEC received a PATH Foundation grant to develop a plan called Remington Walks. This plan to rejuvenate Main Street with walking trails, town signage, pedestrian-friendly connectivity and more was developed with input gathered during community meetings and walking audits with residents. Remington Walks was adopted into Remington’s comprehensive plan and has been a guide and supportive document for several subsequent projects, including a gazebo next to the town hall, completed trail connections to Margaret Pierce Elementary and an improved railroad crossing accessible for strollers and wheelchairs downtown.
2021 | PEC and numerous partners set about creating an Upper Rappahannock River Water Trail that provides much-needed public access at several points along this Virginia-designated scenic river. In August 2021, we helped cut the ribbon on the new Rector Tract public canoe and kayak launch a short walk from downtown Remington. Open dawn to dusk, this launch closes a 25-mile gap in public access to the river between Riverside Preserve and Kelly’s Ford in Culpeper County.
2021 | Waterloo Bridge over the Rappahannock River is the uppermost point of the historic Rappahannock Canal, an important historic resource and a unique community treasure. Built in 1878, it was closed in 2014 and slated for replacement by the Virginia Department of Transportation. Advocating for its restoration, rather than replacement, PEC invested in a consultant to put forward a restoration alternative, held numerous community meetings, pushed VDOT to consider other options, and, with the financial help of the Hitt family, was able to fully restore the oldest metal truss bridge still standing in Virginia today.
2021 | PEC established a native plant garden at C.M. Crockett Park in Midland. As a part of our efforts to promote native landscaping practices, we applied for a grant from Kortlandt Fund of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation to purchase the native plants for the project. We also designed the garden and worked with the Fauquier Parks and Recreation Department and community volunteers to install it.
The network of support to conserve, enhance, and preserve Remington and southern Fauquier extends well beyond PEC. The local churches, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, and John Waldeck established the Remington Community Garden. The town utilized a PATH Make It Happen Grant to build a new gazebo next to the town hall. And the Remington Community Partnership — run by the tireless Mary and Ray Root — has worked to document, preserve and promote the historic resources of the town. Countless people have led numerous other projects, but a comprehensive list could take up the entire publication!
Remington and its surrounding areas are at the intersection of two very different futures. The tremendous work we’ve all already done together paves a path that retains the region’s rural charm, agricultural heritage and economy, and promise of a vibrant place for visitation and recreation.
This progress is threatened by pressure from multiple data center proposals that could put more industrial development in the quaint town of Remington than all the commercial space in Fauquier County combined. Together these projects would open a floodgate of new transmission lines, substations, construction traffic, air pollution, noise, and massive concrete computer warehouses that will crowd out other forms of investment and business interest and induce even more industrial sprawl.
Before our county leaders make major decisions that will forever alter a critical piece of Fauquier’s rural identity and economy, it’s important to revisit and remember the investments and community accomplishments made in the face of past development pressures that would have transformed this region.
This article appeared in the 2025 fall edition of The Piedmont Environmental Council’s member newsletter, The Piedmont View. If you’d like to become a PEC member or renew your membership, please visit pecva.org/join.
Feeding the Piedmont
All of us here at PEC know that resilient food systems are crucial to building stronger, more sustainable communities. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to support and promote working farms and to bring fresh, locally grown food to people throughout our region.
PFAS-Contaminated Biosolids Proposed in Orange: Voices Needed by Aug. 4
America’s largest biosolids land-application company (Synagro) is seeking a permit to spread more PFAS-contaminated biosolids on farmland across Orange County, including fields adjacent to Pamunkey Creek, which already has elevated levels of PFAS contamination.
Growing Connections: How Buy Fresh Buy Local Guides Strengthen Our Community
When Mike Peterson walks the fields at Kinloch Farm each morning, he is doing more than checking on cattle. He is nurturing connections that stretch far beyond the rolling hills of The Plains — connections between families and their food, between communities and farmers, and between people and the land that sustains them.
Support Loudoun’s Agricultural Businesses! Weigh in on ABC Licensed Uses that Impact Farmers and Residents
June 18 meeting canceled – Loudoun County staff and Supervisors have been working hard since last November on the update to the Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan for Western Loudoun. On date TBD and July 16 at 5 p.m. in the main board room at the County Government Center, the Transportation and Land Use Committee will hold its fourth and fifth stakeholder work sessions for the Western Loudoun ordinance and comprehensive plan update. These two sessions will cover the regulations and standards surrounding the ABC licensed businesses of Western Loudoun, including wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries.
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]
Piedmont Environmental Council Launches 2025-2026 Buy Fresh Buy Local Guides
With spring in full bloom across the Virginia Piedmont, The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) is pleased to announce the release of the 2025-2026 Buy Fresh Buy Local guide, a bi-annual handbook that helps to connect residents throughout the region to fresh local food directly from farmers, farmers markets, and food businesses in their communities.
Finding Roots at Kinloch Farm
Mike learned that food brings people together, and for a while, he pursued that mission through the culinary world. Today, he tends to the intersection of conservation and agriculture at Kinloch, knowing that best practices in each of these areas result in the best nutrition. You can literally taste it!