Farm Tour Stop #1: Evergreen Acres is only organic farm in PWC, also grows Christmas trees

Evergreen Acres Farm in Nokesville has sold choose-and-cut Christmas trees for 26 years but in 2010, owner Jim Gehlsen branched out into produce, and Evergreen Acres has been certified-organic for five years.

Gehlsen explained the farm had to meet “a lot of protocols. No chemicals or synthetic products are allowed. The soil is alive in a natural way, with lots of microorganisms to feed the plants.”

He said there are about 50 certifying agencies in the U.S., which are in turn audited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Gehlsen said Evergreen Acres gained that status after a company’s offer to buy his tomatoes if he became certified-organic. He has since grown a wide variety of vegetables but also has beehives, a critical component in pollination.

“There aren’t many organic growers around and Evergreen Acres is the nearest actively-organic one to the beltway,” said Gehlsen.

Evergreen Acres sells to Whole Foods and a customer base participating in his grow-op, a different take on the CSA-based (consumer supported agriculture) and co-op models. Customers can pick up produce twice weekly; he said some come from as far away as Fredericksburg and Fairfax for his organic vegetables and fruits.

Gehlsen is thrilled that he recently hired a full-time farm manager, Jessica Cushman, who has a Master’s degree in Agriculture from Virginia Tech.

“She’s a good fit. I don’t have to micromanage. I can do tractor work and have more time for paperwork. It gives me an opportunity to grow the farm. She’s been great with our Facebook page and blogging to add a bit more flavor to the content. That’s a good thing.”

Cushman said she worked in a food bank, educating children about nutrition, and helped get the community engaged in local agriculture. She became interested in the importance of local and organic food.

One of her favorite jobs at Evergreen Acres is promoting the farm on Facebook. For example, she thought it was a silly idea but she wanted to post a bin filled with corn and have people guess how many ears were in it (755) without going over for a free dozen.

“We got over 80 guesses. That was exciting. The winner was a man from Fredericksburg.”

Cushman also enjoys talking to other farmers, learning trends such as the ugly food movement, and promoting local agriculture.

For the farm tour, Evergreen Acres will have hayrides to the fields and Christmas trees, an observation beehive and produce and honey for sale. Gehlsen will be available to answer any questions visitors may have about his farm.

Evergreen Acres Farm is located at 12801 Hazelwood Dr. in Nokesville