Farm

Innisfree’s Farm Workstation was established to connect the residents of Innisfree (volunteers and coworkers) to the 550 acres of property and the livestock that live here. We move the 60 cows and 20 sheep through our 180 acre grazing complex, while also doing weekly moves for our 400 free-range laying chickens. In addition to Innisfree beef and eggs, we raise turkeys and pigs each year to provide the village houses with even more local meat options. Our eggs are sold at a couple local markets and restaurants, where folks rave about how good a “real egg” can taste. 

Each day we balance the needs of the farm with the needs of the coworkers, coming up with creative ways to incorporate everyone into meaningful work across the property. The daily chores of collecting and washing eggs and feeding and watering all the animals provides the slow and steady breathing in and out of the farm. Then from setting up temporary fences for grazing moves, to permanent fence repair, from feeding out hay to cleaning up blow-down trees…each day is also a new adventure. 

As long as the day ends with all our two and four legged friends happy, we know we’ve done alright.

You can find Innisfree eggs at these shops:
Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA

Feast in Charlottesville, VA

Horse + Hen in Crozet, VA

Contact: farm@innisfreevillage.org

Farm Workstation Head - Tim Wool

Tim came to Innisfree from upstate New York in 2012. He lived at Meadow for 4 years, transitioning from full-time caregiver to farm intern and now to his role as the farm workstation head. Tim lives in Echo Cottage with his wife Emily. He cares for Innisfree’s 400+ chickens and a herd of sheep where the daily responsibilities range from collecting and washing eggs, shearing sheep, and maintaining a joyful and collaborative work environment for volunteers and residents who work at the farm.

Tim is an avid soccer player and enjoys outdoor activities of all kinds from tennis to skiing and canoeing.

Farm Manager - Nich Traverse

Nich spent his childhood in Vermont, occasionally working (though more often just playing) on his grandparents’ dairy farm. He studied Environmental Education at the University of Vermont, and would go back to work the family farm during the summer. After graduation, he took a position teaching at-risk youth farming skills at Healthy City Youth Farm in Burlington, Vermont. He then spent a year working alongside his father at Spring Lake Ranch, a community for people with mental health or substance abuse issues. After a brief stint as an organic berry farmer in Seattle, WA, he moved back to Vermont to be the Farm Caretaker at Merck Forest and Farmland Center, a non-profit organization focused on sustainable farming and forestry practices.

Nich moved to Innisfree with his wife Vanessa in 2010, “just for a year”, to volunteer and work on the farm with his parents Peter and Deb Traverse. That somehow stretched into years as they worked to upgrade infrastructure and build soil fertility across the farm. By 2016, he had taken over the management of the farm and still has no idea where all the time has gone.

Nich is committed to raising young farmers in addition to cattle and sheep, which takes the form of internships and occasional partnerships with schools to help expose kids to the world of farming.

Farm Assistant - Noah Clay

Noah came to Innisfree at the age of 5, with no real intention of working anywhere in the village. Throughout his childhood he managed to preoccupy himself on the farm, doing farm “work” as some would say. During his school years, he gradually shifted himself away from Innsfree and the farm, focusing on other things. After finishing up high school and questioning what to do next, he was offered to cover the farm one day per week on the weekends. This evolved into being on the farm full time, doing daily chores and helping Tim and Nich keep up with the demands of the farm.

A close up of a man smiling and holding a black and white lamb. He is wearing gloves and glasses and the background is blurred.
A man stands in a field and hammers in a post for fencing. There are mountains in the background and a blue sky.
A man in sunglasses and short brown hair holds a brown chicken up to the camera. He is wearing orange gloves and there is a bright blue sky behind him.
An older man wearing a baseball hat and wearing a blue shirt and grey shorts holds a hose over a fence to fill a black tub with water. It is sunny outside and he is surrounded by green grass.
A man crouches next to a black lamb and is holding a bottle of milk to the lamb's mouth. He is wearing a bright green sweatshirt and a ball cap and is smiling.
A row of sheep are lined up in a grassy field. There is a tree and a mountain in the distance and it's a sunny day.
Close up of a woman smiling and holding a piglet.
A woman with short brown hair stands next to rows of brown eggs and washes one over a metal bowl.
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