Acorn Community Farm

Acorn is a farm-based, anarchist, egalitarian intentional community^[1] located in rural Louisa County, Virginia, United States. It is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. Acorn was established in 1993 as a spin-off of the Twin Oaks Community.^[2][3]

Acorn 2013

Acorn 2005

Four acres under cultivation

In the early 1990s, Twin Oaks reached its full capacity, leading to increased demand from prospective members. To address this Twin Oaks members founded Acorn on a 75-acre farm located approximately seven miles from Twin Oaks.^[4]

Community

Group meetings at Acorn are held weekly with decisions made by consensus. The community emphasizes environmental awareness and seeks to minimize its ecological footprint. While certain structures exist, such as membership guidelines, policies are intentionally kept to a minimum, reflecting a philosophy of calm anarchy. The community culture emphasizes personal responsibility over formal supervision, addressing issues on a case-by-case basis to accommodate the diverse needs of individuals.^{[citation needed]}

The community sustains itself primarily through its business, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.^[3] Income from the business is held in common and used to support Acorn's members and related initiatives, such as a fund dedicated to fostering new cooperative egalitarian communities.

The community operates a flexible, self-directed labor system that reflects its non-hierarchical philosophy, emphasizing personal independence and responsibility. Tasks related to the seed business are carried out by members and guests who adapt to the needs of the business based on their abilities and interests. Without bosses, managers, or supervisors, work is guided by collaborative input, with priorities set by those most familiar with the specific requirements of each task. Responsibility is assumed collectively, and work proceeds with minimal supervision.

Acorn's population and organizational stability have fluctuated significantly throughout its history.^[5]

Membership

The Acorn community carefully selects its members through a process known as Clearness. Prospective members begin by visiting the community for three weeks, during which they meet individually with each current member for in-depth conversations to “clear” with them. Following this period, all members convene to decide, through consensus, whether to accept the individual as a provisional member.

Provisional membership lasts for one year and serves as a trial period. At the end of the year, full members decide, again by consensus, whether to accept the individual into full membership. During the provisional period, a person may remain at Acorn only with the ongoing consent of the community. If consent is withdrawn at any point, the individual is required to leave. Once accepted as a full member, consensus is also required for the community to ask that person to leave.

Community service

Members of Acorn participate in various community service activities, including Plant a Row, which grows food for local food pantries serving disadvantaged individuals, and Food Not Bombs. The community supports members who engage in activism, particularly efforts against GMOs, such as participation in the March Against Monsanto.

Labor

Acorn has a minimum work quota of 42 hours per week, which all adult members are required to meet. This is the established minimum, though many members work beyond this amount.

All types of work are considered equally creditable, including traditional tasks such as office work, maintenance, and farming, as well as activities like child care, cooking, cleaning, and preparing for communal events. Members who meet the minimum quota receive four weeks of vacation annually, with the option to earn additional vacation time by working beyond the required hours.

^[6]Tasks are determined based on the needs and goals of the community through group and individual discussions. Members take responsibility for identifying and completing relevant work in a timely manner.

Monsanto lawsuit

Acorn, along with 82 other farmers and seed businesses, participated in a preemptive lawsuit against Monsanto to protect themselves from lawsuits related to genetically modified organism patent infringement. The case, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association v. Monsanto, was a class-action suit litigated by the Public Patent Foundation. The lawsuit was filed in response to Monsanto's legal actions against farmers whose fields had been contaminated with the company’s GMO seeds.^[2]

Buildings

Living at Acorn is communal, with members live in shared housing, with each person having a private bedroom within one of the four living structures.

In 2013, construction began on a new building intended to provide additional space for the seed farm. The building incorporates several environmentally friendly features, including low-impact building materials, significant southern exposure, passive ventilation for cooling, timber-frame construction, and desiccant air conditioning to maintain appropriate temperatures for seed storage. The building was estimated for completion in Fall 2014.^[4]

• 
  Heart Wood: A 13 bedroom custom built community house.
• 
  The Farm House: A 5 bedroom traditional clapboard house built in 1908.

Acorn includes several outbuildings, such as a wood shop, an auto shop, barns, greenhouses, seed processing facilities, and long-term seed storage freezers.