Wild Rose Orchard is a perennial fruit farm and nursery that unites the wild and cultivated, connects people to the wonder of nature, and nourishes its community with an abundance of healthy food.

2024, Trevor Piersol of Wild Rose Orchard secured a grant from PASA Sustainable Agriculture to implement three conservation practices—Alley Cropping, Native Tree/Shrub Establishment, and Hedgerows—on his 12-acre farm in Augusta County, VA. As part of the PASA Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing project, he signed the grant agreement on November 24, 2024, and by February 2025, had already invested significant personal funds in implementation. He was able to submit for rolling reimbursement and had received partial repayment.

However, on February 21, PASA informed him that due to USDA contract cancellations, they could no longer move forward with funding two-thirds of the planned conservation practices. This unexpected change left Trevor without the remaining reimbursement and requiring additional out-of-pocket expenses to complete the project. Rather than abandon these critical efforts, he sought a loan from Foodshed Capital to complete the project. A low-interest loan allowed him to purchase the 430 native hardwood seedlings and the cover the labor costs needed to get them planted.

This is Wild Rose Orchard's second round of financing from FoodCap. A 0% interest SOIL loan in 2019 allowed them to build the deer fence that will protect the nursery stock being planted with this second loan.