Marrying Agriculture & Conservation

Hazard Mill Farms, located in Bentonville in Warren County, VA is situated on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Bordering the George Washington National Forest, the 432-acre farm is owned by Robert Hupman and members of his family and has been home to generations of Hupmans since 1838. Last year, family members contacted VCC about a putting conservation easement on the property.

Since the 1940s, a campground on the river has been part of the farm operation. The Irma Guy Campground provides additional revenue which helps ensure the property will continue to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining for years to come. Not only will the farm provide a means of income and support to the family but offers an opportunity for them to share the surrounding beauty of the mountain views and flowing river waters with visitors from far and wide. Robert Hupman, who also raises turkeys on the farm, hopes that his daughter will carry on the tradition of continued business on the property. With the new conservation easement in place, she will learn that preservation is also compatible with making a living from the land on which she was raised.

Hazard Mill Farms is adjacent to a large cluster of easements held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation in collaboration with the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley.

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