Zac Culbertson
Sustainable Agrictulture
✉︎ zculbertson@millerschool.org
☏ (434) 823-4805
B.A George Mason University
PDC George Mason University
Zac joins the Miller School of Albemarle this year as our Sustainable Agriculture instructor. Zac has a history of entrepreneurship stretching back to college. He has owned and operated two restaurants, a catering company, a small scale livestock farm and currently a sustainable Alaskan fishing operation and a farmers market operation. Zac’s path to farming began soon after the birth of his third child (two are currently Miller School students), when he began to take an interest in sourcing safe, local, sustainable food for his growing family. After extensive research into modern farming practices and its drawbacks he decided to just raise animals in the best possible way himself. He returned to his alma mater George Mason to study permaculture and received his Permaculture Design Certificate in 2013. In 2014 he bought Heartwood Farm in Louisa and raised chickens, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, and goats there until 2018 when he focused on growing his sustainable seafood business Cold Country Salmon.
Zac began hosting permaculture classes in 2017 at Heartwood Farm and found passing on his knowledge to others was the best possible way he could make a difference in his community. In 2019 Zac began teaching cooking and animal husbandry at his children's school, Seven Rivers Country Day School in his free time. He took a full time teaching position there in 2021 teaching his three passions: cooking, farming, and mountain biking. Zac will continue teaching at Seven Rivers and looks forward to bringing his passion for teaching sustainable agriculture to Miller School as well.
Outside the classroom Zac enjoys all forms of cycling, skiing, cooking, reading and spending time with his wife Rachel, their three children Eli, Charlie, and Camille.