From Farm to Table

Patrick Atwell, Sean Barrett, and Rick Putnam stand in front of their Airlie Berkshire Farm Ram work truck. Photo by Jeff Watts.

About 50 miles west of main campus, three faithful farmers care for a precious piece of American University that few ever get to see.

Nestled in the tranquil rolling hills of rural northern Virginia, Rick Putnam, Patrick Atwell, and Sean Barrett cultivate the 95-acre, farm-to-fork operation of Airlie Berkshire Farm. Though largely unseen, their work benefits thousands across AU.

Seven days a week, the trio keeps watch over 11 free-range Berkshire pigs-including Clyde, a 6-year-old, 900-pound bore-and 55 Black Angus cattle that graze 62 acres of lush green grass. With help from a pair of John Deere tractors, they also plant, prune, and pluck a 20-acre plot that yields 20,000 pounds of produce annually, including cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, potatoes, peppers, watermelon, strawberries, and more.

"It's a lot that goes into it," Atwell said. "That's the biggest hurdle-trying to get people to understand what goes into it and how our farm [operates]. I wish we could bring everybody out and show them, just so they could see."

For Putnam, the work is personal. A native of Warrenton, Virginia, Putnam's roots are planted deep in the Fauquier County soil. Putnam started working at Airlie in 1978, and his house sits half a mile from the fields he tills year after year.

"It's the only thing I've ever known," Putnam said. "It's the only place I've ever worked, and it's been wonderful. I feel like such a part of this property."

Airlie Berkshire Farm was created in 2017-shortly after AU was gifted the property as part of the Change Can't Wait campaign. That decision, which repurposed hay fields, was an homage to Airlie's agricultural heritage.

"AU has been wonderful," Putnam said. "They seem 100% committed to the property here, and to the farm. They want it to be successful. They came in and amplified everything."

Today, the farm is an important part of all of Airlie and AU, something a small group of AU professors got a better appreciation for during a tour of the farm as part of their ADVANCE AU faculty retreat in September.

"Everything we ate there was so fresh," said SOE senior professorial lecturer Charity Jones. "That was cool, but we also learned how the food goes to other places and not only meets the needs of AU faculty, staff, and students, but also the community."

Airlie Berkshire Farm supplies fresh ingredients to campus dining facilities and Harry's, the hotel and conference center's restaurant. Crops are sold locally in Warrenton, and every Wednesday at the AU Farmers Market on the quad.

Each week, fruits and vegetables are also packed and delivered to DC subscribers as part of a community-supported agriculture program. And a portion is donated to food banks like the Market, AU's student pantry.

"The meat and the produce, it's really unmatched," Barrett said. "We put in love and dedication, and it makes a world of difference."

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