Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Quick Dip in Lake Ontario


On the way back from Orchard Hill we detoured down to the lake, where Nitya and I had a quick dip.

Visit to Orchard Hill Farm



As part of our education we visit a farm each month. Today we visited Orchard Hill Farm, run by Ken and Martha Laing. There were 80+ other farm interns and farmers also visiting today - we're all part of the CRAFT Network (Collaborative Regional Farmer Training). Orchard Hill uses draught horses, which once mastered, are cheaper to maintain than tractors, and supply valuable manure for the fields.


This 2 horse plow I'm having a practice run on certainly isn't as powerful as most modern tractors, but it's a different feeling riding behind the two mares as it cuts through the earth (Ken was nearby in this photo, but I cropped him out so I'd look like an old hand with a moldboard plow).
Heather and Andrew reinact the famous painting by Grant Wood.