Floyd Eco Village Farm

Rivenwood Gardens began its farming journey in 2018 after the founders got married and moved to New Zealand, where they worked on organic farms. In 2019, they spent a year farming in Bend, Oregon on a large diversified organic farm. Despite the challenges of 2020, they moved to Virginia and started Rivenwood Gardens, farming for two years in Franklin County before relocating to Floyd EcoVillage in 2022. The founders have academic and professional backgrounds in ecology, with Corey holding a B.S. in Ecological Management and Restoration and Christine having a Masters of Science in Marine Ecology.

The farm adheres to regenerative farming principles, focusing on soil, plant, and animal health while capturing and sequestering carbon. They keep the soil covered with plants and organic matter mulches, practice crop diversity and rotation, utilize nitrogen-fixing cover crops, and incorporate animals into crop rotations. They avoid tilling the soil, using methods like broad-forking or a Yeoman Plow for minimal disturbance. The farm ensures plants, animals, and microbes have all necessary minerals and nutrients in organic, biologically available forms. They use no synthetic inputs, including pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, and avoid genetically modified plants or animals.

The farm offers CSA shares and participates in local farmers markets. They also host events such as tincture-making classes and are active on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. The farm's mission is to grow healthy, nutrient-dense food without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, using soil balancing, re-mineralization, cover crops, beneficial microbes, and composting to create a healthy ecosystem.