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Mission StatementShireFolk Farm is a merry place of integrated & abundant, pasture, forest and animal systems. We use Permaculture practices to build enduring food and financial security for ourselves and our community on this diverse and resilient farmstead.
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ShireFolk So Far
2016 was the first fully-operational year at ShireFolk. In Fall 2015, they ran a small-scale fall CSA for some coworkers while still working townie jobs at CustomInk in Charlottesville, VA. Since that Autumn they're on the farm full-time, ready to feed the masses! 2016 saw ShireFolk at the Manakin Market outside of Richmond, as well as the Goochland Weekday Market in Goochland, VA. 2017 brought them to the St. Stephen's Farmers Market in Richmond, and has helped extend their reach into the city. They are now at the St. Stephen's market year-round. In 2018, they began to sell at Cross Bros Grocery in Ashland, VA and also began selling on Fridays over the lunch hour at the On the Square Market RVA near Capitol Square.
The Tweardys purchased the farm in April of 2015 and have been working to add elements slowly and learn about the patterns of their landscape. They are proponents of the pastured poultry model - raising laying hens, broiler chickens and turkeys on rotating pastures. They sometimes raise other animals (hogs, sheep, cattle and goats) and began selling ShireFolk's own pasture-raised lamb in the early Fall of 2018. This enterprise has grown over time, and they are leaning into lamb production, increasing their flock size, and learning a lot about breeding and management.
ShireFolk received a high tunnel grant from the NRCS, and in Spring 2018 installed a high tunnel which is currently resting from production, as well as the rest of their Ceritified Naturally Grown produce operation. 2022 has been a year of simplification at ShireFolk, and they are moving away from produce, perhaps permanently.
They're constantly experimenting with new and unique ways of adding elements into the farms lineup while remaining productive and sustainable. They look forward to experimenting with different agriculture practices and species as they move forward with their "big picture" plans for the farm.
The Tweardys purchased the farm in April of 2015 and have been working to add elements slowly and learn about the patterns of their landscape. They are proponents of the pastured poultry model - raising laying hens, broiler chickens and turkeys on rotating pastures. They sometimes raise other animals (hogs, sheep, cattle and goats) and began selling ShireFolk's own pasture-raised lamb in the early Fall of 2018. This enterprise has grown over time, and they are leaning into lamb production, increasing their flock size, and learning a lot about breeding and management.
ShireFolk received a high tunnel grant from the NRCS, and in Spring 2018 installed a high tunnel which is currently resting from production, as well as the rest of their Ceritified Naturally Grown produce operation. 2022 has been a year of simplification at ShireFolk, and they are moving away from produce, perhaps permanently.
They're constantly experimenting with new and unique ways of adding elements into the farms lineup while remaining productive and sustainable. They look forward to experimenting with different agriculture practices and species as they move forward with their "big picture" plans for the farm.
Meet the Tweardys
Logan and Emilie Tweardy, owners and operators of ShireFolk Farm, are a husband and wife team, working to grow sustainable, nutrient-dense, produce and proteins in Central Virginia. The two met in 2008 in Colorado where they lived and worked together as Raft Guides from 2006 - 2011, collectively. After getting married in 2013 they decided to set out into the world and find out if farming was for right them. They spent 6 months in Costa Rica on a Permaculture teaching farm, followed by 5 months working on farms and a fermentary along the east coast of the US. They found themselves in Charlottesville more or less by accident, but it has since become clear that fate steered them to Virginia. They had been searching for a place to call home, and once they landed here things started clicking into place.
They purchased the property they've dubbed "ShireFolk Farm" in April of 2015 and have been working since then to turn it into a lively, biodiverse Shire of their own. In July of 2017, Emmett Peregrin Tweardy joined the family, followed by Oscar Meriadoc in September 2020 and they are now learning together about what it means to be a farming family.
Recently, Logan and Emilie have started working off of the farm at the Rodale Institute and Appalachian Sustainable Development, respectively. They've shrunk farm operations a bit to fit this new lifestyle, but are still offering pastured proteins to friends and family for on-farm sales only. Emilie began producing plants and now had a licensed nursery on the farm, where she's growing bioregionally-adapted, useful plants for sale during the dormant months.
They purchased the property they've dubbed "ShireFolk Farm" in April of 2015 and have been working since then to turn it into a lively, biodiverse Shire of their own. In July of 2017, Emmett Peregrin Tweardy joined the family, followed by Oscar Meriadoc in September 2020 and they are now learning together about what it means to be a farming family.
Recently, Logan and Emilie have started working off of the farm at the Rodale Institute and Appalachian Sustainable Development, respectively. They've shrunk farm operations a bit to fit this new lifestyle, but are still offering pastured proteins to friends and family for on-farm sales only. Emilie began producing plants and now had a licensed nursery on the farm, where she's growing bioregionally-adapted, useful plants for sale during the dormant months.
Logan Tweardy is a hard working young farmer, an aspiring shepherd, and an all-around jolly guy. He grew up in Lexington, KY where he played football and basketball, explored the area's lakes and streams, and then set out for Colorado in search of adventure. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Kentucky, as well as a BS in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University. He is currently employed with the Rodale Institute, where he works as a logistical master and Technical Advisor to farmers. He's a hard-working guy who went as far as earning his CDL with the Palmyra School District and spending a year and a half driving the schoolbus. He is a budding grill master, as well as a connoisseur of fine spirits. An outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting in the backwoods at ShireFolk, as well as fishing on the ponds. He has quite the Entish streak, and appreciates quiet walks in the wilderness.
Emilie Gooch Tweardy is a greenhorn farmer, Permaculture teacher, mother to 2 boys and entrepreneur. She is co-owner of both ShireFolk Farm and the Shenandoah Permaculture Institute. She grew up in Bemidji, MN where she developed her love of nature in the great Northwoods along the Mississippi River. She migrated westward after a failed first year in college, then went to massage school and became a raft guide. After these absolutely essential deviations, she later returned to collegiate life and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University in 2011. Since then she's been exploring the world of sustainable agriculture with her husband Logan, learning all that she can about Permaculture, and enjoying every moment. She works as an Agroforester for Appalachian Sustainable Development, offering Technical Assistance and education opportunities with this busy nonprofit. She is also an avid fermentista and spends a lot of time working with woody perennial propagation in her newly-registered plant nursery. She is brimming over with gratitude for her lifestyle of learning, loving, and living the good life. She loves it here at ShireFolk, where she aspires to grow leathery hobbit soles on the bottoms of her feet and learn more drinking and dinner songs.
ShireFolk Farm --- 10099 West River Rd. Palmyra, VA 22963 --- [email protected]