I have just spent three days living and working at Sunnivue Farm, and I can definitely confirm that farm work is every bit is as hard as it looks, and that the rewards are very special. Both in the barn and in the garden there is a steady round of essential tasks; neither the cows nor the vegetables can wait long for the care they require, no matter how tired or sore or busy with other things their caregivers may happen to be. (The same, of course, is true in the fields of hay and grains and other crops, but they are beyond my experience.)
There is also an apparently inexhaustible amount to learn at the Farm. On Saturdays, when the farm store is crowded with people choosing amongst the vegies, it is pleasant at times to wander off quietly to the path between the market garden and the river, or to commune with the cows and search for the cats in the barn.
This past Saturday, my few days of work were crowned by the chance to guide several families to those special places and to share with them some of my new knowledge. Especially popular on the tour were the white and black and red baby chicks warming themselves under a light in a shed within ear shot of the cackling hens and lordly rooster. Children of a certain age were also very impressed by the forceful productiveness of the cows who had just eaten; I hope that they were equally impressed to hear that I had recently been on patrol as a member of the patty police, scraping the cow pats thus produced into the gutter for removal to the compost heap.
I hope that everyone will have a chance this autumn to pay a Saturday visit to Sunnivue where the Farm Store is open from 10:00 until 4:00. . . . And don’t forget to have a little walk around the farm before leaving.
For lots more information about Sunnivue and ROSE, the land trust that holds the farm, and offers it support and protection as an organic family farm, please consult the web-site, www.sunnivuefarm.com. And if you would like to receive occasional messages from Sunnivue, with news about upcoming events, what’s available at the store, and chances to lend a hand on work days, please join our emailing list by contacting me at 519-433-2074 or at sunnivue-farm@gmx.net.