Working Farms & Local Food

Farmland and forests produce the essentials of life, from the food on our tables to clean water and air. In PEC’s nine-county area, approximately 200,000 acres of farmland and 198,000 acres of forests are protected through private, voluntary land conservation.

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Matchmaker, Matchmaker

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 …
Productive Pastures at Bean Hollow Grassfed

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 …
Fenced in at Roundabout Meadows

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 …
Grazing Along

Grazing Along

A large herd of fluffy, yet still intimidating, sheep run full speed through a gate as they’re rotated to an alternate pasture at Over Jordan Farm in Flint Hill, Va. “I don’t use herding dogs …
Buy Fresh Buy Local Holiday Guides

Buy Fresh Buy Local Holiday Guides

Our 2015 Buy Fresh Buy Local Holiday Guides are ready to download. The guide features businesses that produce locally grown Christmas trees & decorations and holiday foods (produce, meat, dairy, eggs and specialty foods) in …
| | Working Farms & Food
Bellair Farm CSA

Bellair Farm CSA

For farm manager Jamie Barrett of Bellair Farm CSA, being a resource for the larger community is part of the farm vision …
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum

The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum’s motto, “We Preserve The Past—We Educate The Future” says it all. Located within the Claude Moore Regional Park in Eastern Loudoun County, the Museum is governed by a public/private partnership …
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Leasing from Likeminded Landowners

In his search for the right piece of farmland, Ben Stowe spent a considerable amount of time “walking the grid.” …
| | Leasing Stories
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The Model for So Many Others

Eric Plaksin and Rachel Bynum are standing near a row of peak summer tomatoes in a field that, after 15 years of farming, feels very much like their own, when the landowner pulls up in …
| | Leasing Stories

The Piedmont Environmental Council is a partner of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. We support the 4 core principles of soil health management: Keep Soil Covered; Minimize Soil Disturbance; Maximize Living Roots; and, Energize with Diversity. Join the movement today at 4thesoil.org.