There was a lot of activity at the Luther Vipond Arena on April 6 to 8th, but this time it wasn’t a hockey or lacrosse tournament. Instead, the arena hosted the 5th Annual Durham Farm Connections. The program was set-up to enhance knowledge, understanding and appreciation of agriculture in the Durham Region area, to provide opportunities to learn first-hand where food comes from, and to foster a broader understanding of the importance of agriculture today. Durham Farm Connections does this through two avenues: 1) a public open house and 2) a program geared to grade three students.
Approximately 650 people attended the Open House on the evening of Wednesday, April 8. This was a great opportunity to meet over 100 farmers from across Durham Region and their livestock, learn about the importance of the environment, learn about crops and farm machinery, and view agricultural murals made by the participating schools.
Approximately 1,200 students from across Durham Region, including students from Meadowcrest and Winchester, rotated through different farm-themed stations such as agricultural technology, land stewardship, production of dairy, eggs, pork and beef, horticulture, field crops and a sheep demonstration. There was a farmer at each station to talk to students and answer their questions. After completing all eight stations, the students watched a live demonstration of sheep shearing and wrapped-up the program by singing the program’s theme song.
This program provides an experience that aligns with the Ontario grade three curriculum requirements to learn about plants, soil systems and the differences between rural and urban communities. Students developed a better appreciation of the unique features and people in the community in which they live. Not only does agriculture usually define the community boundary between urban and rural, but in this region, we are situated in a location and climate range that allows for very diverse agricultural production. However, I was surprised to learn from the event organizer that, when asked, many of the students who participated in the program have never visited a farm before.
The Durham Farm Connections inaugural event which took place in 2006 received a Premier's Award in recognition of the success of the program. In speaking with Mary Ann Found, one of the key organizers for this year’s Durham Farm Connections programs, she said, "This event provides an important lesson for students about how their food is produced.” A former school teacher, Mary Ann has been active in the Durham Farm Connections Program and was a lead proponent behind the creation of the “Why Farming Matters” agricultural awareness trailer that operates in the Durham area.
International Earth Day on April 22nd provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our roles as consumers and to appreciate the contributions farmers make to our well being and to the richness of our community. In recent years, the number of farms in Durham Region, along with the rest of Ontario, is on the decline. Without local farms supplying our food purchasing systems, we will continue to find more and more foreign produce in the grocery stores and the loss of an important piece of our heritage.
