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Lunasi Land Trust has been a vibrant community hub since its founding by “back-to-the-landers” in 1971. Its early residents (our parents, among others) were young idealistic hippies that spent their time developing relationships with the land, gardening, woodworking, hosting parties, playing music, eating pie, and working in the community. They lived in tipis, school buses, the old farmhouse, or built their own house. Many of their kids were born at home, and some even home-schooled. This first generation of “transplants”, magnetized this far-flung, picturesque refuge in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania as a node for diverse cultural expression, innovation, and evolution.
Today, we - the second generation of Lunatians - are taking a fresh look at the unique potential of these 50 acres which we have known and loved since birth. Slowly and steadily, with the support of our local community, we are leading a cultural renaissance on the land, opening the next chapter of the Land Trust’s history. While continuing to carry forth the vision of its founders, we are moving forward in new directions, including the development of a regenerative farm based on perennial tree crops and forest-farmed products. Two of the main products we will be offering are chestnuts, which will be ground into chestnut flour, and apples, which we will turn into hard cider. Since 2016, we have planted nearly 1,000 trees. This year, we need your support in caring for these trees and to plant another 225 this April/May, 2019!
See a full list of species and varieties we have and will be planting here >> (right click into new window)
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN:
Everything that we have accomplished thus far would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our community. The main obstacle in our realizing these tree-planting and maintenance goals this year is a lack of funds for key supplies, as well as labor for making sure the trees are planted before they leaf out. We are inviting our local and broader community to support us physically & financially in these efforts.
We are seeking donations to help pay for:
~soil amendments
~mulch
~deer fencing
~diesel fuel for the tractor
~hiring a helper to ensure that we can reach our planting goals, and
~contracting someone to mow the grass twice this growing season.
See a detailed budget here>>
COME HELP!
On April 20th and 27th and on May 4th, we'll be welcoming willing hands to join us in planting parties. Together, we will be planting 75 apple trees (~20 heirloom cider varieties) 125 chestnut seedlings of Peach/Qing parentage, and 25 korean pine trees which produce tasty oily pine nuts. As we know from experience, we must properly protect these vulnerable young trees from the hungry hordes of deer which live in our valley. We will be investing in steel fencing and installing them on all trees we plant, as well as on some of the trees from previous years for which we lacked funding to protect.
PERKS: WHAT WILL YOU GET?
We want to thank anyone who is able to support us at this critical moment in our development as a farm. Our community is at the heart of why we do what we do. We promise to continue to be good neighbors and to share our harvest, seeds & scions, and experience with you all. We look forward to co-creating a better, greener future together in the years to come. As a way of saying thanks to our supporters, we can offer the following rewards:
ALL PEOPLE WHO DONATE WILL GET:
1) An invitation to tour the farm and try these 50+ new apple varieties as soon as they are producing in Fall 2020 , 2021, or 2022.
2) Access to scion wood and an invitation to a grafting party in which you can learn to graft your own trees in Spring 2020 or 2021.
3) Seasonal updates on the progress of our orchards and agroforestry systems.
ADDITIONAL PERKS:
Donations of $25: Send a message to a tree or the land, we will read it aloud when it is planted.
$40: Send a Message to the Tree/Land and receive 1 lb of our chestnuts when they begin producing in 2-4 years time.
$100: All of the above + a premium bottle of our 2017 cider harvest, including varieties such as ginger, elderberry, red currant, elderflower, and a cyser (a cross between a hard cider and a mead).
$150: All of the above + a Monster Mug with original artwork by Daniel Wildhorse Hollister
$200: All of the above plus a free tree from our nursery. We can ship to you!
$300: All of the above + sampler box of new apples varieties and a pound of chestnuts, when they start producing in the next few years.
$400: All of the above + An invitation to a Chestnut crepe brunch with apple cider and live music.
$500+: All of the above + An invitation to come pick 2 bushels of apples per year for 5 years once they start producing
We know that some of these perks will take us several years to fulfill. Your investment in the future of our farm means we are also invested in fulfilling our promise to you.
MORE DETAILS: THE CONTEXT FOR OUR WORK
Bradford County, in 2010, had a population of just under 63,000, with the largest town, Sayre, having just 5,500 residents. Traditionally a farming region, the majority of its population lives scattered in the county’s rural rolling hills, known as the Endless Mountains. Troy, PA, our nearest town, once had its own seat on the NY stock exchange as a renowned producer of exceptional quality butter. Today, the sad reality is that family owned and operated dairy farms are disappearing with more farms going under every year. When our parents as young adults first moved to Lunasi, there were 5 family farms in operation in our valley. Now there is one farmer who hays over 1,000 acres. His farm is grass-fed and certified organic, he is doing great work, yet he says he barely turns a profit and there is no one in line to take over his farm when he retires in a few years. This is a story seen across America as the federal government pushes farms to scale up or get out (link) and the family farms close up shop, displaced by the corporate goliaths.
In 2007, the fracking industry steamrolled through our community, claiming to bring prosperity and fill the void left by decades of struggling agriculture. However, through its boom and bust cycles, unfulfilled promises, and repeated environmental catastrophes, the gas industry demonstrated that our environment and rural ways of life were seen as expendable, polarizing our communities. They offered us little in return for their exploitation and continue to usher us ever faster down the path of climate calamity. Today, few economic opportunities exist for young people who want to stay close to home and, as in other parts of rural America, the countryside is increasingly abandoned for urban centers.
Scientists say that we have less than 10 years to take meaningful action in regards to climate change. The World Resource Institute claims that the agricultural sector is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, after the energy sector. Smallholder farmers produce 70% of the world’s food on 19% of the world’s arable land. Industrial agriculture, on the other hand, produces 30% of the world’s food on 81% of the world’s arable land. Of all the resources used for agriculture, small scale farmers use 20%, while industrial agriculture consumes 80%. I don’t know about you, but we know who we trust to produce our food in that equation. Our current moment in history is an opportunity to grow alternative systems of land-use and economy that keep the land in the hands of these small farmers and mitigate, not exacerbate climate change.
The regenerative agriculture movement has been answering this call, seeking farming solutions which sequester carbon out of the atmosphere, build soils, restore ecosystems and biodiversity, retain water in the landscape, offer resilience in the face of climate change, and support the vitality of farming and ranching communities (For a more complete definition of regenerative agriculture, click here.) Our goal is to serve as an example of a regenerative agriculture farm in our region and to be a resource for those who are interested in pursuing agroforestry on their own land in the future. In the past 3 years, we have planted nearly 1,000 trees on the Lunasi Land Trust, including 300 chestnuts, 60 apples, hundreds of native trees, and a smattering of other edible fruits, berries, and nuts. We plant using a keyline design, propagate plants in our nursery, are growing shiitake mushrooms in our forest, and brew an abundance of hard cider in the fall.
This past year, we were granted a high tunnel (a sort of greenhouse) through the USDA’s EQUIP program. Into the future, we plan to continue diversifying our production systems, build a commercial kitchen and cider-brewing facility at which we can host events, courses, and workshops, and begin offering perennial plants for sale. We hope the plants we sell will be used to regenerate the abandoned rural hillsides of our region with the same hope that we have for the future of our own land.
The work we have accomplished thus far would not have been possible without the collaboration of a number of key supporters; the Bradford County Conservation District from whom we received funding and were donated trees; family members who gave us interest-free loans; neighbors who gave us discounted rates on earth-moving work; and those who have offered us donations. Following the South American tradition of “mingas”, communal work parties for a common good, we have also hosted fruit tree grafting & planting gatherings (which if you haven’t attended yet, you ought to come out because it is literally some of the most fun hard work you will ever do). We are building ties to the larger global regenerative agriculture movement, as well as the rapidly growing craft cider and chestnut industries in the North Eastern US. We hold the unique position as being one of the few, if not only, diverse agroforestry farms in our county, and the only chestnut farm in Mill Creek Watershed.
We hope that you will join us in our search for a new regenerative solution that mitigates climate change, supports biodiversity and soil health, and keeps the farmers on the land. This wouldn’t be possible without you all, and we thank you for your support!
Cheers! Here's to the future!
Today, we - the second generation of Lunatians - are taking a fresh look at the unique potential of these 50 acres which we have known and loved since birth. Slowly and steadily, with the support of our local community, we are leading a cultural renaissance on the land, opening the next chapter of the Land Trust’s history. While continuing to carry forth the vision of its founders, we are moving forward in new directions, including the development of a regenerative farm based on perennial tree crops and forest-farmed products. Two of the main products we will be offering are chestnuts, which will be ground into chestnut flour, and apples, which we will turn into hard cider. Since 2016, we have planted nearly 1,000 trees. This year, we need your support in caring for these trees and to plant another 225 this April/May, 2019!
See a full list of species and varieties we have and will be planting here >> (right click into new window)
HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN:
Everything that we have accomplished thus far would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our community. The main obstacle in our realizing these tree-planting and maintenance goals this year is a lack of funds for key supplies, as well as labor for making sure the trees are planted before they leaf out. We are inviting our local and broader community to support us physically & financially in these efforts.
We are seeking donations to help pay for:
~soil amendments
~mulch
~deer fencing
~diesel fuel for the tractor
~hiring a helper to ensure that we can reach our planting goals, and
~contracting someone to mow the grass twice this growing season.
See a detailed budget here>>
COME HELP!
On April 20th and 27th and on May 4th, we'll be welcoming willing hands to join us in planting parties. Together, we will be planting 75 apple trees (~20 heirloom cider varieties) 125 chestnut seedlings of Peach/Qing parentage, and 25 korean pine trees which produce tasty oily pine nuts. As we know from experience, we must properly protect these vulnerable young trees from the hungry hordes of deer which live in our valley. We will be investing in steel fencing and installing them on all trees we plant, as well as on some of the trees from previous years for which we lacked funding to protect.
PERKS: WHAT WILL YOU GET?
We want to thank anyone who is able to support us at this critical moment in our development as a farm. Our community is at the heart of why we do what we do. We promise to continue to be good neighbors and to share our harvest, seeds & scions, and experience with you all. We look forward to co-creating a better, greener future together in the years to come. As a way of saying thanks to our supporters, we can offer the following rewards:
ALL PEOPLE WHO DONATE WILL GET:
1) An invitation to tour the farm and try these 50+ new apple varieties as soon as they are producing in Fall 2020 , 2021, or 2022.
2) Access to scion wood and an invitation to a grafting party in which you can learn to graft your own trees in Spring 2020 or 2021.
3) Seasonal updates on the progress of our orchards and agroforestry systems.
ADDITIONAL PERKS:
Donations of $25: Send a message to a tree or the land, we will read it aloud when it is planted.
$40: Send a Message to the Tree/Land and receive 1 lb of our chestnuts when they begin producing in 2-4 years time.
$100: All of the above + a premium bottle of our 2017 cider harvest, including varieties such as ginger, elderberry, red currant, elderflower, and a cyser (a cross between a hard cider and a mead).
$150: All of the above + a Monster Mug with original artwork by Daniel Wildhorse Hollister
$200: All of the above plus a free tree from our nursery. We can ship to you!
$300: All of the above + sampler box of new apples varieties and a pound of chestnuts, when they start producing in the next few years.
$400: All of the above + An invitation to a Chestnut crepe brunch with apple cider and live music.
$500+: All of the above + An invitation to come pick 2 bushels of apples per year for 5 years once they start producing
We know that some of these perks will take us several years to fulfill. Your investment in the future of our farm means we are also invested in fulfilling our promise to you.
MORE DETAILS: THE CONTEXT FOR OUR WORK
Bradford County, in 2010, had a population of just under 63,000, with the largest town, Sayre, having just 5,500 residents. Traditionally a farming region, the majority of its population lives scattered in the county’s rural rolling hills, known as the Endless Mountains. Troy, PA, our nearest town, once had its own seat on the NY stock exchange as a renowned producer of exceptional quality butter. Today, the sad reality is that family owned and operated dairy farms are disappearing with more farms going under every year. When our parents as young adults first moved to Lunasi, there were 5 family farms in operation in our valley. Now there is one farmer who hays over 1,000 acres. His farm is grass-fed and certified organic, he is doing great work, yet he says he barely turns a profit and there is no one in line to take over his farm when he retires in a few years. This is a story seen across America as the federal government pushes farms to scale up or get out (link) and the family farms close up shop, displaced by the corporate goliaths.
In 2007, the fracking industry steamrolled through our community, claiming to bring prosperity and fill the void left by decades of struggling agriculture. However, through its boom and bust cycles, unfulfilled promises, and repeated environmental catastrophes, the gas industry demonstrated that our environment and rural ways of life were seen as expendable, polarizing our communities. They offered us little in return for their exploitation and continue to usher us ever faster down the path of climate calamity. Today, few economic opportunities exist for young people who want to stay close to home and, as in other parts of rural America, the countryside is increasingly abandoned for urban centers.
Scientists say that we have less than 10 years to take meaningful action in regards to climate change. The World Resource Institute claims that the agricultural sector is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, after the energy sector. Smallholder farmers produce 70% of the world’s food on 19% of the world’s arable land. Industrial agriculture, on the other hand, produces 30% of the world’s food on 81% of the world’s arable land. Of all the resources used for agriculture, small scale farmers use 20%, while industrial agriculture consumes 80%. I don’t know about you, but we know who we trust to produce our food in that equation. Our current moment in history is an opportunity to grow alternative systems of land-use and economy that keep the land in the hands of these small farmers and mitigate, not exacerbate climate change.
The regenerative agriculture movement has been answering this call, seeking farming solutions which sequester carbon out of the atmosphere, build soils, restore ecosystems and biodiversity, retain water in the landscape, offer resilience in the face of climate change, and support the vitality of farming and ranching communities (For a more complete definition of regenerative agriculture, click here.) Our goal is to serve as an example of a regenerative agriculture farm in our region and to be a resource for those who are interested in pursuing agroforestry on their own land in the future. In the past 3 years, we have planted nearly 1,000 trees on the Lunasi Land Trust, including 300 chestnuts, 60 apples, hundreds of native trees, and a smattering of other edible fruits, berries, and nuts. We plant using a keyline design, propagate plants in our nursery, are growing shiitake mushrooms in our forest, and brew an abundance of hard cider in the fall.
This past year, we were granted a high tunnel (a sort of greenhouse) through the USDA’s EQUIP program. Into the future, we plan to continue diversifying our production systems, build a commercial kitchen and cider-brewing facility at which we can host events, courses, and workshops, and begin offering perennial plants for sale. We hope the plants we sell will be used to regenerate the abandoned rural hillsides of our region with the same hope that we have for the future of our own land.
The work we have accomplished thus far would not have been possible without the collaboration of a number of key supporters; the Bradford County Conservation District from whom we received funding and were donated trees; family members who gave us interest-free loans; neighbors who gave us discounted rates on earth-moving work; and those who have offered us donations. Following the South American tradition of “mingas”, communal work parties for a common good, we have also hosted fruit tree grafting & planting gatherings (which if you haven’t attended yet, you ought to come out because it is literally some of the most fun hard work you will ever do). We are building ties to the larger global regenerative agriculture movement, as well as the rapidly growing craft cider and chestnut industries in the North Eastern US. We hold the unique position as being one of the few, if not only, diverse agroforestry farms in our county, and the only chestnut farm in Mill Creek Watershed.
We hope that you will join us in our search for a new regenerative solution that mitigates climate change, supports biodiversity and soil health, and keeps the farmers on the land. This wouldn’t be possible without you all, and we thank you for your support!
Cheers! Here's to the future!