Hello, Friends!
It has been a while since we last updated you as to progress at the farm. After a long winter, and a very wet spring (so far), we are getting a head start at the farm in preparation for a second year research study with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, and general maintanence like cutting the grass, putting the finishing touches on our new steel building, and contemplating installing a well (finally). We are hoping to complete a gravel road from the county road to our new building and plant a few ornamental trees (like cherry blossom, crab apple, etc.) to create a more beautiful entrance to the farm.
Both the walnut and apple orchards survived the winter, with only minimal loss. Each fall we affix a protective tree wrap to all of our walnut trees and this has played a major part in the overall good survival rates and minimized damage from rodents. We were saddened by the loss of funding for Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Trees program. This subsidy from the Government of Ontario contributed significantly to assisting us plant our walnut orchard in 2016. The loss of this program will be felt.
Here are a few recent photos from the farm for May 2019:
Seven Fields Farm & Orchard 