Catawba Sustainability Center

07/29/2026

Grass-fed beef from the Catawba Sustainability Center is available now.

Our cattle are raised on diverse pastures right here in Catawba, VA, finished on grass, and processed locally. Here's what we've got:

Half Beef: $1,470 (approx. 140 lbs. | $10.50/lb.)
Whole Beef: $2,940 (approx. 280 lbs. | $10.50/lb.)

We also have beef boxes available for those not ready to commit to a half or whole. Order link in the comments.

06/29/2026

Warm season pastures update!

06/25/2026

On May 7th, we hosted Dr. Matt Poore with NC State Department of Animal Science and Joel Salatin with Polyface Farms for a full day on pasture-based livestock nutrition. Farmers, extension agents, faculty and students came together to talk forage quality, mineral supplementation, water infrastructure, and more.

Huge thanks to Roanoke Economic Development Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Tech Roanoke Center for their support with these programs.

And a big thanks to Aspire for their incredible video work.

06/18/2026

The forecast keeps us on our toes!

06/15/2026

The next generation of ag innovators came to the farm last week!

Rising 9th-12th graders visited the Catawba Sustainability Center as part of Agricode Camp, a program hosted by Virginia Tech Roanoke Center that blends agriculture engineering, sustainability, and tech.

Campers spent time on the farm learning about soil health, regenerative agriculture and the importance of pollinators. They got hands-on with drone technology, precision agriculture concepts, and real-world prototyping, with a demo from Biological Systems Engineering faculty member Abhilash Chandel showing how drones and data are used for everything from crop monitoring to water management.

They wrapped up the week by designing and presenting their own prototype solutions to real farming challenges! 🌎 🚜

06/15/2026

05/12/2026

100% Grass-Fed and Finished Beef is available! 🥩

When you order from the Catawba Sustainability Center you are supporting sustainable agriculture and local producers right here in Southwest Virginia.

We have halves, wholes, and smaller bundle options available.

Half: ~160 lb for $1,680
Whole: ~320 lb for $3,360

Click the link in the comments to visit our website to place an order or for more info. Questions? Send us a message, we are happy to help!

04/24/2026

People teaching & people learning! Great things happening at the CSC!

Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District and Read Mountain Middle School visited the CSC the last two days for their watershed field trip!

Big thanks to all who organized and helped with this wonderful program.

04/10/2026

✨REGISTER NOW!✨ We’re excited to team up with Reynolds Homestead and Virginia Tech Agricultural & Applied Economics for our April session in the 2026 Virtual Training Series!
Join us for a practical and insightful conversation on preparing your farm and land to outlive you, blending both legal guidance and real‑world farming experience.
Our speaker, Jennifer Friedel, Associate Professor of Practice with Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and Director of Virginia’s Land Use–Value Assessment Program (LUVA), will share tools and strategies to help landowners plan for long-term success.
📅 April 22
🕘 9:30–10:30 AM
💻 Virtual Training
💬 No cost & open to the public
If you’re a farmer, landowner, or planning for the next generation, this session is packed with valuable, actionable insight.
👉 Registration required — reserve your spot today!
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hGiVYK0Q-kCGPU8yweOjeniEDChftO9DmHBwA3YBTGJUNzhCTjBTWVg3RzZLSDVEN0swNUtVWlVKOS4u&fbclid=IwY2xjawRCNDFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFNOXBTZnVzYTR2bHdMTlNYc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqJ3gd_clL3UeVpVhw_lgO0kI0g5Kbrf3W3kw1pPnwDTN7mTSy-CtK4gYHDU_aem_gJkEjwKW7JEMZFbWalR55Q

04/10/2026

Warm season perennials update!