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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
Last year (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!
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. This year they're sticking to the pastured poultry game by raising laying hens and broilers, as well as adding turkeys to the lineup. They will be experimenting with a few hogs with the aim of selling some pastured pork late in the season and ramping up into more pork production next year. They have 3 goats, Olive, Vivian and Steve who provide them with delicious milk, warm fuzzies (just try and be pouty around a friendly goat - impossible!) and endless entertainment. Vivian and Olive kidding in early 2017, so the herd will continue to grow.
They tend a modest orchard and are experimenting with cut flower production for this year's markets. Additionally, they've got about 1/10th of an acre committed to vegetable production for the Farmer's Markets, as well as this year's iteration of the CSA. They contract with their former employers to offer CSA shares exclusively to CustomInk employees, which streamlines their drop-off schedule and allows them to stay in touch with old friends. They're constantly experimenting with new and unique ways of adding elements into the farms cape 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. This year they're sticking to the pastured poultry game by raising laying hens and broilers, as well as adding turkeys to the lineup. They will be experimenting with a few hogs with the aim of selling some pastured pork late in the season and ramping up into more pork production next year. They have 3 goats, Olive, Vivian and Steve who provide them with delicious milk, warm fuzzies (just try and be pouty around a friendly goat - impossible!) and endless entertainment. Vivian and Olive kidding in early 2017, so the herd will continue to grow.
They tend a modest orchard and are experimenting with cut flower production for this year's markets. Additionally, they've got about 1/10th of an acre committed to vegetable production for the Farmer's Markets, as well as this year's iteration of the CSA. They contract with their former employers to offer CSA shares exclusively to CustomInk employees, which streamlines their drop-off schedule and allows them to stay in touch with old friends. They're constantly experimenting with new and unique ways of adding elements into the farms cape 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.
About Us
Logan and Emilie Tweardy, owners and operators of ShireFolk Farm, are a young(ish) 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. Logan and Emilie are avid foodies, and love living in this wine, beer, cider, and farm-to-fork paradise.
Logan Tweardy is a hard working young farmer, an aspiring school bus driver, 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 as soon as he could 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 earning his CDL with the Palmyra School District when he has a break between construction projects on the farm. He is a budding grill master, as well as a connoisseur of fine beer. 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, 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 is also an avid fermentista who aspires to start yet another business in fermentation in the near future. 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 songs in High Elvish.
ShireFolk Farm --- 10099 West River Rd. Palmyra, VA 22963 --- ShireFolkFarm@gmail.com
