By Cheryl Jahn

Northern Lights Estate Winery going green.

May 26, 2023 | 3:20 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The site of Prince George’s first-ever Sunflower Festival is going green. The Foreman Farms property, which is owned and operated by Northern Lights Estate Winery, has made the decision to power the property using renewable resources in the form of solar panels.

The farm, which was open to the public last summer through August and part of September to host the Sunflower Festival, boasts 40 acres of total farmland, much of which is dedicated to fruit farming.

“Sustainability is an important piece of our business,” explained Northern Lights Owner Doug Bell, “Whenever we can, we’re looking to use renewable resources, prevent damage to the land when we farm, and utilize the byproducts from farming and winemaking.”

Foreman Farms is not Northern Lights’ only environmentally conscious venture. The farmland surrounding the winery itself is tended using organic fertilizers, a majority of organic-approved pesticides, and drip-tape irrigation.

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The effort for sustainability doesn’t stop there, Northern Lights has been a carbon-neutral company since 2018 and each year they work with Dr. Sinead Earley from UNBC to analyze and offset their carbon emissions. With the upcoming sunflower season, it’s fair to say the solar panels will be put to the test.

“It’s a tall order to power a farm with solar power, but we feel any hiccups along the way will be worth it,” said Doug Bell.

Last year, Sunflower Festival welcomed nearly 5,000 guests to the property. The addition of solar panels this year will power the on-property Bloom Café to provide guests with ice cream and chilled drinks and snacks