Engaging in the Rural Economy
There are a number of ways to appropriately economize your land, with opportunities for every property size. As you prepare for your entrepreneurial debut, there are a number of questions you have to ask yourself. Do you intend to do the labor yourself? Or are you interested in leasing the land to an established professional? Will you depend on your income, or will it be supporting revenue, or hobby? Is your preferred enterprise compatible with your neighbors, local community, and zoning? Your local Extension Office will have numerous resources to assist in getting you started, as well as the following specialized groups.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension – Fauquier Office
24 Pelham Street Warrenton, VA 20186
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Virginia Cooperative Extension – Loudoun Office
750 Miller Drive Southeast, Suite F3 Leesburg, VA 20175
Blue Ridge Cattlemen Association
Connect with over 100 area cattle producers by contacting founding member Gary Hornbaker:
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Fauquier Education Farm
The Fauquier Education Farm, a 501(c)3 organization, was created in 2010. Fauquier Education Farm (FEF) exists to promote agriculture education through best-method demonstrations, mentoring, and hands-on learning. All food grown on the farm is donated to local food banks.
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The Fauquier Education Farm is a learning resource for students, farmers, gardeners and anyone wanting to learn more about how our food is grown. They offer a broad range of activities to showcase how they are planting, maintaining and harvesting fresh wholesome vegetables while also being good stewards to the land.
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https://www.fauquiereducationfarm.org/
8428 Meetze Road Warrenton, VA 20186
Leasing Your Land?
Interested in leasing your property to an equestrian professional or exploring other opportunities to get connected with established local farmers, please reach out to the Piedmont Fox Hounds Conservation Fund, Orange County Hounds Conservation Foundation, or Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America (based in Middleburg). These organizations have deep roots in the area and a wealth of information to help guide you based on your vision and property.
Loudoun Beekeepers association
LBA is an active club dedicated to beekeeping. LBA’s focus is to introduce, educate, and foster sustainable beekeeping practices for its members committed to managing honey bees in the Loudoun County area.
Loudoun county Equine alliance
The mission of the Loudoun County Equine Alliance is to present a unified voice to actively advocate, educate and communicate the goals, initiatives and benefits of the horse industry, in order to advance the interests of all equine disciplines and the entire equestrian related industry.
Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers
The LVSPA is a nonprofit organization of sheep producers. LVSPA strives to promote understanding and cooperation in the Loudoun County and Virginia sheep and lamb industries for the common interests of producers and consumers. The association coordinates and arranges meetings, tours, and other activities in an effort to promote goodwill and communication in and for the sheep and wool industry.
Loudoun wineries and winegrowers association
The LWWA enables the success of the Loudoun County wine industry by promoting agriculture, social stewardship and by facilitating marketing, legislation, education, and communications between member wineries, winegrowers and their partners.
MARE CEnter
The mission of the MARE Centeris to provide the stakeholders of Virginia and the wider equestrian community with innovative research, translational technologies, and state-of-the-art education through research, teaching, and outreach efforts. The MARE Center has a number of projects, programs, and regular events to connect equine land managers and horse owners with the latest science-based information promoting equine and environmental wellbeing.
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https://www.arec.vaes.vt.edu/arec/middleburg.%20html.html
5527 Sullivans Mill Road Middleburg, Virginia
Maryland and Virginia milk producers cooperative association
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families in 11 states passionate about cultivating dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products. Their farmer-owned cooperative owns five dairy processing plants that process more than three billion pounds of milk annually. Their diverse portfolio of dairy products are then distributed to consumers in the United States and ingredients customers worldwide. Their cooperative is a leader in sustainability, partnering across the supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions to our member farms. They take pride in supporting the educational and nutritional needs of the communities in our milkshed through our MDVA Fund.
nutrient and wetland mitigation credits
There are instances where instituting best management practices and improving conservation values on your property can actually generate income. A nutrient bank is created when a landowner converts non-forested land to forest through tree planting to reduce nutrient loads to waterways. A mitigation bank is a wetland, stream, or other water resource that has been restored or preserved to provide compensation “for the purpose of providing compensation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources permitted under state or local wetland regulation.” Regulators require developers to purchase nutrient credits from sellers located within the same sub-watershed as the proposed development. The Department of Environmental Quality maintains a list of approved nutrient credit sellers, which is revised periodically as nutrient credit banks are created, nutrient credits within a bank are sold, and nutrient credit banks are removed for falling short of regulatory requirements. Contact information for DEQ’s Northern Regional Office is (703) 583-3800 or communications@deq.virginia.gov.
Virginia grain producers association
The Virginia Grain Producers Association (VGPA) represents Virginia’s corn and small grains producers. VGPA’s strategic plan focuses on Market Infrastructure, Media, Influence and Information Technology. Their association’s resources combined with staff and Board efforts include leadership meetings and travel, five annual events and producer programs implemented to support busy grain producers and Virginia’s corn and small grains industries.
GO local
Whether or not you begin an entrepreneurial journey on your own property, you can still support the northern Piedmont Region’s rural economy by supporting local producers. The Piedmont Environmental Council produces annual “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” guides which include a directory of local farms, retailers, restaurants, and food businesses to encourage consumers to get to know, and support, their local farmers. Your region’s Guide is available on their website: