The Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming (CKC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting and sustaining urban farms in Montgomery County, MD.
Farm Markets
Open Every Thursday, 5-7pm at Koiner Farm
Opening at Loiederman Farm, spring 2025
The Farm Market at Koiner Farm is open every Thursday, April through October, from 5-7pm. Join our Farmstand newsletter if you would like weekly emails with info about in-season produce, cooking tips, musicians, food trucks and more.
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Please sign up for Market News here.
Internships
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4-6pm at Koiner Farm
Mondays & Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30pm at Loiederman Farm
We are excited to welcome a new class of interns to Koiner Farm for the fall 2024 season! Fall intern orientation and first workday is Tuesday, September 9th from 4-6pm at Koiner Farm. Bring your water bottle and dress for the weather.
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More about Internships here.
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Volunteer Crews
We are accepting applications for Spring 2025 at both
Koiner Farm & Loiederman Farm
The amazing Koiner Farm Volunteer Crews are back at it again this year - growing healthy food for their community and making Koiner Farm the special place that it is. Volunteer Crew shifts are Sunday evenings, Thursday mornings and Thursday evenings.
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Learn more about Volunteering here.
Care Farming
Thursdays, 10:30am-12:30pm at Koiner Farm
Coming Summer 2025 to Loiederman Farm
Care Farming at Koiner Farm is specifically for young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Care Farming sessions are offered every Thursday, April through October, from 10:30am-12:30pm.
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<< Learn more about Care Farming here >>
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Field Trips
Tuesdays, 10:30am-12:30pm at Koiner Farm
Coming Spring 2025 to Loiederman Farm
Fun-on-the-Farm Field Trips are back this fall for the sixth school year in a row! We welcome teachers and administrators to reach out and schedule a class visit to Koiner Farm on a Tuesday morning this fall.
<< Learn more about our field trips here >>
Harvest Dance
Friday, October 25th, 6pm-8pm at Koiner Farm
Our major fundraiser of the year is the Harvest Dance, in which community members come out to enjoy an evening of groovy tunes, fun dances, delicious farm-fresh food, and meaningful mingling with fellow community members who support urban farming. ​It's a night like no other!
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As a nonprofit urban land trust, we manage community-led urban farms in food insecure neighborhoods of Montgomery County, MD. The urban farms that we steward help people engage with their land, their food, and each other. Through our cooperative stewardship model, we are trying to return the power of fertile land, the benefits of healthy food, and the peacefulness of open greenspace to people who need it most.
Land Stewardship
In 2019, with the support of the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), CKC established a conservation easement to permanently protect Koiner Farm from development. In 2020, our Land Stewardship Committee created a Strategic Conservation Plan to guide CKC's land preservation work and help us determine where and how urban farms should be established here in Montgomery County, MD.
<< Click here for more info >>
Food Production
Our Farm Management team runs the day-to-day operations at Koiner Farm, inlcuding all food production, food distirbution and closing the loop with composting. A team of volunteers and interns work in partnership with skilled and experienced urban farmers to care for the soil and grow healthy food for their community. We are always looking to add great people to our team so be sure to contact us if interested.
<< Click here for more info >>
Ag Education
Our Farm Educators host on-farm field trips, workshops, picnics and more for our partner schools, troops, religious organizations and fellow nonprofits. Our farm visit help kids engage with their land and their food in meaningful ways. Our field trips are designed for K-8th graders and include seasonal, age-appropriate activities focused on composting, seed saving, pollinating, nutrition and more.
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<< Click here for more info >>
We are honored to serve our community:
Number of students served:
3,960
Total,
since 2018
Since 2018, we have been hosting on-farm field trips for students in K-8th, as well as internships for high school and college students. Students get to experience a small, closed-loop food system right in their neighborhood. CKC is an approved SSL organization for MCPS students. Learn more here.
Pounds of produce donated:
12,520
Total,
since 2020
Since 2020, we have tried to donate 50% of our sustainably grown produce to those in need. Shepherd's Table (located 0.5 miles away) is our primary food distribution partner, as well as the Montgomery County Housing Opportunity Commitssion (HOC). Learn more here.
Square feet of land protected:
34,848
Total,
since 2019
Since September 2019, we have served as the primary stewards of Koiner Farm. As the local steward, we are responsible for ensuring that the conservation easement, which is co-held by the Maryland Environmental Trust and CKC, is upheld and that the farm is truly providing a public benefit. Learn more here.
Special thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters:
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Who was Charlie Koiner?
Charles Koiner owned and operated Koiner Farm - an iconic one-acre urban farm in downtown Silver Spring - for nearly 40 years (until his passing at the age of 98 in January 2019). The Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming emerged out of a need to protect and sustain Koiner Farm.
In 2010, Mr. Koiner's way of life was documented in the film, Corner Plot. In 2018, Mr. Koiner was named "The First Urban Farmer," by Montgomery Magazine. Today, Mr. Koiner's legacy lives on through the work of the Conservancy named in his honor.
The Charles Koiner Conservancy co-holds a conservation easement that protects Koiner Farm in perpetuity and manage the farm's day-to-day operations with help from a team of dedicated volunteers and interns. Ultimately, the Charles Koiner Conservancy is working to establish a network of neighborhood farms that collectively support a more sustainable and resilient food system in Montgomery County, MD.
