A three-day-old chick held in your hands is a priceless experience.
At the recent Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) winter conference, Eleanore Provencal of the Connecticut Agricultural Education Foundation (CTAEF) helped humans meet the downy chicks. Gary Proctor, president of GKP Enterprises, GourmAvian Farms in Bolton, and his wife, Karen, raise poultry, “heritage chickens bred for the organic, free range and specialty markets.
“Do you know why she is shivering?,” Mrs. Proctor said gently to one of the girls holding a chick for the first time ever. She explained that cold hands meant a shivering little bird. (It warmed up quickly.)
The annual gathering brought together people from all walks of life, city farms, innovative market folks, a milk co-operative, a film maker capturing farmers and land use in stories, and more. New contacts were made, films shown, a colorful human-sized “Henrietta” chicken strolled about, and there were plenty of booths with interesting goods.
Provencal, Connecticut coordinator for agricultural education for CTAEF has an important mission - to connect schoolchildren with real life experiences. Books about farmer’s markets, goats, greenhouses, dairy farms, raising chickens, tips on healthy eating combined with field trips to farms and pathways to education and careers are part of her mission. (To learn about packets of materials available for teachers and community education, or other resources visit www.ctaef.org.)
The Natureworks booth featured witch hazel switches bursting with blooms - fragrant with a clean and memorable scent. Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, founder and owner, shared her joy of growing things and snipped a sprig for those who appreciated the cuttings. By the way, Natureworks is located in Northford, and offers workshops and classes on such things as unusual perennials, designing a pocket garden to attract bees or butterflies or both, and a great selection of gardening books.
Warren Burrows of Groton Family Farm has pasture-raised free-range chickens and eggs. The photo album of his farm in the city show some innovative uses of a mobile chicken shelter that he moves around so his hens can forage on fresh pasture.
Those interested in farmland preservation can mark Saturday, March 27 as a date to attend the “Plowing Ahead: Farmland Preservation in 2010 and Beyond” conference, at Kroon Hall, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Registration is $45 for the all-day event. Sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, this is part of the Working Lands Alliance, a project of American Farmland Trust. See www.workinglandsalliance.or for more information.
Note: More stories about entrepreneurs met at the conference, coming up.
