Raise your hand if you know that Loudoun County had more than 360 dairy farms operating as recently as the 1960s. Ancient history? I was a young boy then. Much earlier, well before the American Revolution nearly 250 years ago, colonists were coming here to start farms on land grants from Britain’s Lord Fairfax. Today, descendants of those families continue farming the same land on their “Century Farms.” I’d like you to meet some of them through a collection of portraits I’ve assembled.
Why should this matter to you? Because these are the people who produce the food we depend on. Seeing their faces and the land their families tended for generations reminds us that food starts with soil and the farmers who work it to provide the fruits, vegetables, crops, and meat we enjoy. Their continued land stewardship underscores the value of Loudoun’s farming heritage and reminds us that the beautiful landscapes they provide us are also providing us with sustenance.
Nationally, family farms have been disappearing at accelerating rates. The USDA Census of Agriculture reported a staggering 141,733 fewer farms in 2022 than in 2017, a loss of more than 20 million acres. The vast international farming operations are speculation- and profit-driven; providing healthy food is neither bottom line nor top concern. Local farms often lose money, balanced only by off-farm income, and it’s getting tougher for many of Loudoun’s farmers. Their 2024 corn crop, which suffered extraordinary losses due to drought, is one example…