Wildcard Wednesday: Transition Network

On Monday we set out on what we thought would be a quick trip to pick up a 10 stall nesting box for our chickens. Little did we know that we were picking it up at a full fledged rare breed poultry breeding farm (there were birds and poop everywhere. M's Dad would have hated it!) We found the box on Kijiji, and as seems to often be the case, once we were there we found we had a lot of common interests with the farmer selling the boxes to us.
Over time, the conversation which began with lots of advice on how to raise poultry and recommendations about breeds etc., turned to discussion of bigger issues such as the inability to locally sustain small farms, difficulties around processing livestock on small numbers, the globalisation and industrialisation of farming,and where the future might take us as North Americans. In this discussion (frequently interrupted by turkeys trying to climb into our truck! They were really persistent!) we were introduced to the Transition Network, and in particular, Transition Meaford. We're still reading about them and learning what they're all about, so it's too soon to say what our involvement with them might or might not be.  It looks like they are trying to plan ahead for a time when our current lifestyle- heavily reliant on oil to get us where we need to go, and to get most of what we eat and drink to our tables, becomes unfeesible or unsustainable. The Transition Network seems to be trying to come up with solutions to these sorts of problems and to implement policies and structures that will ease that transition. That makes sense to us.
On the Transition Meaford business card we were given, they asked some great questions. Below are two that we'd love to hear your opinion on. Each person who responds will have their name entered into a contest for a great Hill Giant prize.

1.How can we educate children for a world different from ours?
2. How will we feed ourselves in the future?

These are important questions to ask no matter what your politics, religion or worldview. The only thing we know is inevitable, is change. Socieites and cultures are constantly changing, so why not spend some time considering how it might change.
 We look forward to your responses!

Wild Card Wednesday: The Earth is the Lord's

Double rainbow, 2010.

Every business needs a guiding principle- something upon which they base their practice, a summary of their overall ideology. Hill Giant Farm is no exception. Our motto is "the earth is the Lord's and everything in it," an excerpt from Psalm 24 in the Old Testament. This motto reminds us to have a proper attitude towards the land that we farm, the animals that we raise, the innumerable springs and other water sources throughout our acreage, and our approach to forestry management. If the earth, and everything in it; the land, animals, water and forests that make up Hill Giant Farm- belong to God, then we must be careful with how we treat these things. If a friend or family member lends us a fragile or valued item, we do not carelessly toss it about, neglect it, misuse or abuse it. Rather, we treat it with care and respect. Viewing the earth as God's encourages us to think about the environmental and sociological impact of the way in which we farm.
Here's some of what this means on a practical level.

1. We treat our animals humanely and do everything possible to ensure they are healthy, happy and well cared for. This includes giving them water from the same source as our house water, cutting and storing excellent hay, rotating pasture often enough, giving vitamin E to newborn lambs, and using vaccinations only when necessary. If, or when, the time comes for us to terminate an animal we ensure it is done quickly and humanely.

2. We use everything possible and waste as little as we can. Kitchen scraps become chicken fodder, sheep manure becomes composted mulch for the garden. Fruits and veggies past their prime become feed for the sheep. Jars from canning are washed, sterilized and used each year. In the meantime, the serve as glasses in our kitchen cupboards and storage containers in our pantry. Empty juice and pop bottles become lamb bottles. You get the idea.

3. We grow our vegetables with sustainability in mind. As far as possible we use seed varieties that are not hybrids and save the seeds for replanting the following year. The sheep provide us with excellent organic matter that enriches and gives back to the soil. We don't spray our apple trees (or any of our vegetables for that matter) and so far our yields have been tremendous, as long as you don't mind that your produce isn't "perfect".

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. We're glad we have the privilege of looking after and enjoying 100 beautiful acres in Grey County.