Virginia Grown, Virginia Ground
Grapewood Farm is located in the historic Northern Neck, outside the town of Montross, along the waters of the Potomac river. Established in 2000, the current 500 acre property includes 130 acres farm land, new barn and mill, mixed wood lots, fruit orchards, wildlife set asides, wildflower meadows, streams, ponds and river land.
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Operated by the Sachs family (Fred, Cathy, Peter and David) Grapewood Farm is committed to the good stewardship of the land and its soils. We specialize in producing superior organic small grains and stone ground flour for our community.
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We believe in the importance of building a healthy, diverse, accessible local food system and we are proud to offer our "Virginia Grown, Virginia Ground” specialty products. It starts with the cultivation of healthy, living soil where we practice certified organic, regenerative techniques to nurture and rebuild the life at the ground level. Then as the grains mature, are harvested, cleaned and packaged we are able to oversee and ensure that the quality is the very best at every step of the way. Finally as millers we are able to craft this unique artisanal flour in small batches every week, preserving its freshness and working with our customers to deliver the finest product tailored to their needs. Together as a family this is our labor of love.
Beyond Organic, Virginia's Finest
Each year our understanding of the soil food web improves as we test new practices and achieve new levels of insight through results. While we consider ourselves students of the traditional methods, we also pass modern inspection review by our partner organizations.
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In 2007 we began transitioning our first fields that were certified USDA organic (by PCO) in 2010. We then partnered with the Rodale Institute to develop regenerative 3 year organic crop rotation. In 2021, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services included Grapewood Farm into their list of "Virginia's Finest".
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The relationships with bakers, millers, producers and artisans of the Common Grain Alliance has allowed Grapewood Farm to join a diverse local food network, Our reputation is built on the trust of those relationships and we are proud to hold ourselves to the highest standards
Faithful Stewards
As part of longer term commitment as stewards of this land we participate in various federal and state agricultural conservancy programs (CRP and EQIP). In addition to our crop land, our certified tree farm wood lots of loblolly pines and mixed hardwoods are sustainably managed for future generations.
We support native wildlife in the form of feed lots for white tail deer, wild turkey and quail population management, and habitat set-asides. As avid bird lovers we have installed wetland wood duck boxes, osprey nests and protected nesting sites for bald eagles.
To offset carbon and move towards greener energy independence, our central processing facility (The Mill) captures rain water in 3000 gal cistern for non potable usage, and is topped with 13kW solar array.
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We value our relationships with Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Virginia Identity Preserved Grains, Common Grain Alliance, Virginia Forestry Association, USDA Farm Service Agency, Nutrien AG Solutions, Coastal Agrobusiness, Organic Farmers Association of America, among many others.
