News/Events - March 2011

Farms at Work made its debut at this year’s East Central Farm Show in Lindsay with a 20 foot booth devoted to new farmers. A slide presentation highlighted 18 new farmers in the Region, as well as the Exploring Your New Farm Dream course offered in Peterborough this winter, Everdale’s Farmers Growing Farmers program and the CRAFT interns in the Kawarthas last summer.

Also featured were the farms of the three new farmers on Farms at Work’s “New Farmer Advisory group” – Jess Foote of Lunar Rhythm Gardens, Julie Fleming of Circle Organics and Henry Bakker of Field Sparrow Farm. They manned the booth, along with FAW staff and two students from the Fleming College Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Certificate Program.

There was a great deal of interest and support among the show attendees, who asked questions about the way new farmers are building their business plans, and how established farmers can help.  Funding assistance for the Farm Show booth was provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and FarmStart.