Loudoun County is one of the most affluent counties in the nation and simultaneously home to some 14,000 people without reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. It is consistently one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, and yet over 200,000 acres is planned to remain rural with over 58,000 acres of permanently conserved open space. Nestled among the three roundabouts of Routes 15 and 50 and Howser’s Branch Road, lies PEC’s Community Farm. Located at the literal intersection of suburban and rural Loudoun County, it is perfectly positioned both to shine a light on the value of conservation and to make practical, tangible progress to address food insecurity in the community.
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.
Flavor of the Piedmont Event
Come taste the flavor of the Piedmont! The Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission and Piedmont Environmental Council are co-hosting a food expo to showcase the region’s locally-grown food and beverages.
This two-part event will take place on Sunday, September 8 at the Lord Fairfax Community College campus in Warrenton. From fresh produce, succulent meats and dairy to award-winning wine, beer, and cider, Virginia’s Piedmont has a bounty of products to tempt commercial buyers, foodies and every-day eaters alike.
Let There Be Fruits and Veggies
The Piedmont Environmental Council’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows was founded with two ideas in mind: to connect residents to Loudoun’s vital agricultural economy and to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables for its food-insecure families.
Piedmont Beef Survey
PEC is working with Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), a regional non-profit that encourages large institutions like hospitals and universities to purchase locally-raised beef. The purpose of our study is to better understand beef production in the Piedmont and producers’ interest in connecting with a consistent wholesale market.
Award-Winning Farmer Protects Farmland for Future Generations
This past summer, in an effort to preserve the prime farmland and help ensure continued operations, the Nixons chose to permanently protect 382 acres of their land through a conservation easement with the Piedmont Environmental Council, Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Growing Connections: The Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows
Food brings people together. But healthy food is sometimes hard to come by. Despite Loudoun County’s reputation as a wealthy community, a surprising number of children in the county — one in 10 — live in households with limited access to healthy food. The consequences can be stark for these children, as their development, ability to learn and overall health is directly related to the quality of their diet.
Virginia Farm Winery Study
Heads up! The VA Dept. of Agriculture is using this survey to gather feedback about the impacts of farm wineries and winery events on neighbors and communities near wineries (e.g. noise & traffic). The deadline to take the survey is August 18, 2017.
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
If you can connect and have a good relationship, farmer to landowner, this can be an amazing, beautiful and productive thing. It really can work,” says Katharine Wilson, manager of the new Berrey Hill Farm in Madison County.
When speaking with Katharine and Holly, it’s immediately apparent the right people have come together to form a partnership. They both seem equally as passionate about protecting the health and ecology of the land and building community through healthy food.
Productive Pastures at Bean Hollow Grassfed
At Bean Hollow Grassfed, Mike Sands wanted to use his training to revive Over Jordan Farm’s worn-out pastures and develop a financially stable farm model. Read about our approach to this project, or listen to Mike Sands directly.
Fenced in at Roundabout Meadows
Polluted water is not only bad for us and the environment, but it’s bad for livestock as well,” says Celia Vuocolo, habitat and stewardship specialist at PEC.
A significant stewardship project is wrapping up this fall at Roundabout Meadows, the 141- acre property near Gilbert’s Corner that was gifted to PEC in 2013. The project is focused on implementing agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will keep livestock away from the property’s streams and provide a clean source of water for cattle. As part of the effort, over 2 miles of fencing and almost a mile of pipeline plumbing for a watering system have been installed.
“Our long-term plan for Roundabout Meadows is to retain its agricultural use, and we want to do so in a manner that is in harmony with being good stewards of the land and water resources, while farming continues on the property,” says Michael Kane, director of conservation at PEC.