Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman have been named winners of the Craig County Clean Water Farm Award for 2018 by Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District.
The Sinking Creek couple operate Singing Spring Farm, a small farm focused on sustainability. They grow market vegetables and raise heritage sheep. They have participated in numerous conservation programs with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), including the installation of a high tunnel which allows them to extend the growing season.
Taylor and Spellman also installed a small grazing system for their expanding sheep herd, using both temporary and permanent paddocks. In the spring they will plant a streamside buffer to help protect the creek from sediment and nutrient runoff. Water that flows through their farm goes to the New River and the Mississippi River before ultimately reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
As director of Virginia Tech’s Catawba Sustainability Center, Taylor is no stranger to conservation. Taylor and Spellman moved to Craig County from West Virginia, where they had been vegetable farming on a rental farm. By owning their own land, they have been able to add a livestock component to their operation.
Technical and financial assistance for these projects were provided by NRCS. Mountain Castles SWCD and NRCS work with landowners to help reduce nonpoint source pollution in Craig County through technical assistance, cost-share, and incentive programs. For more information, visit www.mountaincastles.org or call (540) 400-0707.