About Us

Historic farmland and conservation landscape at Kinloch Farm Virginia

Philosophy and Mission

Encompassing over 3000 acres of protected and historic farmland in Virginia’s Piedmont, Kinloch Farm operates at the intersection of agriculture and conservation. We believe these two activities are intertwined, which is why we pursue regenerative and adaptive management principles designed to support ecological processes and outcomes across our farm.

Through our management in our grasslands, savannas, riparian areas, and wetlands, we promote native species diversity, wildlife and pollinator habitat, refuge and nesting ground for migratory grassland birds, health and vitality of our waterways, as well as carbon sequestration. We quantify this work through our research partnerships with local, regional, and national organizations.

We pursue adaptive grazing practices with our cattle that are bred to consume Virginia forages and produce an outstanding animal. The grazing herd regenerates our land by improving soil microbiology, increasing water retention, storing carbon, and promoting a diversity of forages in our system. We operate in a system of patience, observation and adaptation.

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History

In 1960, Stephen and Audrey Currier purchased Kinloch Farm with the intention of building a family legacy for generations to come. Virginia was familiar to Audrey’s side of the family with Audrey herself attending the Foxcroft School in the 1940s. Founded in 1823 by the Turner family, with subsequent ownerships by the Chrysler and Dancer families, Kinloch Farm grew under the Currier’s ownership to encompass four adjoining properties. Civic-minded and driven to help improve the economic and racial disparity prevalent in Virginia in the 1960s, Stephen and Audrey were dedicated to social and environmental causes in Virginia, which included their co-purchase of the Bull Run Mountains to create a “green-belt” east of Washington for citizens to enjoy as a protected natural area and a public treasure for years to come. Their primary work was national in scope and they played a foundational role in helping to quietly lead and financially sustain the civil rights movement.

Farming under the Curriers consisted of a traditional Piedmont cow to calf operation, making hay, and growing corn. Following their death in 1967, the second generation took control. Andrea, Lavinia, and Michael Currier pivoted toward practices that were organic, novel and holistic in scope. In the late 1970’s the family planted and promoted the first four acres of vinifera grapes in the Piedmont. Under the stewardship of Andrea Currier, in 1984 Kinloch was certified as an organic farm by the Virginia Association of Biological Farmers, and, in that same year, the Leathercoat Restaurant opened as an early form of farm-to-table dining. Kinloch held and managed the National Devon Association records. By supporting and helping rebuild a new livestock exchange, creating a farmer’s market, Archwood Green Barns, and owning and operating an abattoir, Kinloch played an important role in bolstering the development of the agricultural infrastructure of the county.

In the past four decades, Kinloch Farm has grown to reflect the family’s shared values in protected open space, land and wildlife conservation, and regenerative farming. Kinloch’s team of agriculture, conservation, and business professionals form a partnership with the Curriers in order to realize the family’s goal to farm in partnership with nature.

Today, with the interest and convictions of the third generation, Kinloch looks to its future in regenerative agriculture, environmental protection, and community development. As long-term owners of land, we believe that Kinloch has a special role to play in sustaining our region’s food networks, in protecting nature, and helping to steward our lands for generations to come.