Blue Ridge Country March/April 2020 - 41

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Courtney Umbarger's favorite quote is from Pope John
Paul, II: "The earth will not continue to offer its harvest,
except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love
the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by
future generations."
Seth and Courtney's three children are the sixth
generation of Umbargers to live on this farm.
"We have to do the right thing by the land so that
our children will have a place to live and farm," Seth
says.
-BI

Seth and
Courtney
Umbarger, here
on their Laurel
Springs Farm
with some of
their livestock,
also work to
inspire area
students to have
an interest in
agriculture.

farm-to-school movements are to keeping the rural portions of the Blue Ridge
Region rural, the Umbargers also stand
out as stewards of the land. So much so
that in 2018, the Virginia Association of
Soil and Water Conservation Districts
named them as one of the 10 Virginia
Grand Basin Clean Water Farm Award
winners.
On their home farm of 375 acres, the
couple has positively impacted the environment through their participation
in the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This program
provides financial and technical assistance to landowners so they can improve soil, water, and air quality among
other things.
For example, the Umbargers have accomplished the following:
* Established a liquid waste storage
facility to adequately store their cattle's
manure before it is spread on the land to

enrich the soil.
* Implemented 42.7 acres of contour
strip cropping and 78 acres of cover crop,
crop rotation, and no-till, strip-till. All
these activities serve to reduce erosion of
land and prevent sedimentation in the
Holston River drainage.
* Excluded livestock from 3.5 acres
of streambank and 2.5 acres of forested
land. They also planted trees and shrubs.
* Placed 274.8 acres into a nutrientmanagement plan and replanted 2.2
acres of eroded hillside. The Umbargers
are also applying lime to the land to restore its pH.
* Fenced cattle out of 42.1 acres of
riparian areas and woods, which has
curbed erosion and improved woodland
habitat.
* Installed 14,000 feet of cross-fencing and 18 water troughs, thus excluding cattle from all surface waters on the
property.

* Created nearly 4,000 feet of animal
trails and walkways.
In other words, if you fish, paddle,
birdwatch, wildlife watch or hike in the
Holston River Drainage downstream
from the Umbarger's farm, then what
this family has accomplished enhances
and protects what you experience.
The Umbarger family also features
all-natural, pasture-raised beef. And
Courtney has opened Laurel Springs
Farm store in Marion to make her beef,
pork, farm-fresh eggs and other items
more accessible to the public. Additionally, the family hosts the annual Marion
Farm to Table Dinner that fully benefits
the Marion Farmers Market. And they
even have an activity designed to benefit young folks.
"We created an educational program
that children under 12 can participate
in once a month during market season,"
Courtney says. "The kids can earn a $5
token from funds raised, and they can
purchase fresh produce, proteins and
canned goods."
The goal here, of course, is to encourage healthy choices for these young
people's families-the old adage that the
children can lead. Indeed, the Umbargers
are leading a purpose-filled life in these
mountains.
"I love knowing that not only are we
raising well-cared for animals, but we
are feeding and educating our community about the importance of farming
and conservation," Courtney says.
Laurelspringsbeef.com

MARCH/APRIL 2020

http://www.Laurelspringsbeef.com

Blue Ridge Country March/April 2020

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