The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a tour of the Redbud Organic Farm in Berkeley County WV the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28.

The tour will be free and anyone with an interest is welcome to attend. However, space will be limited to only 20 people so pre-registration is essential.

People can pre-register on the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org or contact Debbie Maiorano at 540-535-5145 or debbiemm58@aol.com.

Because parking is limited on site, those who wish to participate are encouraged to meet trip leader Debbie Maiorano, by 2:30 p.m. in the Food Lion Parking lot on Route 51 in Inwood. The tour group will caravan and carpool from there to the farm.

The farm tour will last from 3 to about 5 p.m. It will include moderate walking and a tractor ride.

It will proceed on schedule if there is light rain but it will be canceled in the event of heavy rain or thunderstorms.

Following the tour, regardless of the weather, the farm is presenting a three-hour workshop of its own on “Managing Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs in Organic Agriculture, Outbuildings and Homes.” The workshop will be held from 5-8 p.m. at the farm, and everyone participating in the Audubon tour will be welcome to attend. There will be no fee.

The Redbud Farm is a family business named after historic Redbud Hollow, an original log cabin on the premises.

Its goal is to produce high quality organic food while promoting sustainable agriculture, building, and energy applications through an internship program and on-farm research.

Its fresh produce and flowers are sold in restaurants, Washington D.C. area farmers markets, and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that services local consumers in the Eastern Panhandle.

Visitors will learn about the challenges and successes of growing organically and the latest organic farming techniques. They will also see first-hand the impact that stink bugs are having on local crops.

The farm’s energy-saving initiatives include greenhouses heated by solar hot water and the second largest photovoltaic solar electrical system in West Virginia. The system supplies about half the property’s current electrical needs.

For more information about the tour, contact Ms. Maiorano at 540-535-5145 or debbiemm58@aol.com

For more information about the farm go to its website at www.redbudfarm.com.