Imagining the Future

So we wonder, amid the disruption and heartbreak, what future is being born in this moment?

June 25, 2020 | | Farming

Remember back in early March when life was still pretty normal? Our cider-tasting room opened up and we welcomed and served our customers. I even recall shaking hands with some of the new ones. But of course now it’s become a tired cliché – none of us can recall a time when things changed more drastically than they have since then.

And yet, as the fabric of business-as-usual unravelled, spring carried on. The maples ran sap, the leeks and fiddleheads poked through the forest floor, the peepers squealed their delight, the pastures tinted green, and here at our farm, nine new piglets joined the fold.

So we wonder, amid the disruption and heartbreak, what future is being born in this moment? Many people are turning inward and rediscovering the generational arts of cooking, baking, sewing, gardening and so on. And while necessity may be driving this renaissance, there’s joy to be found in these activities.

We farmers have an important role to play in supporting our community through this time. We are the stewards of the land and the keepers of timeless knowledge and techniques that coax life from it. We are a community of practice that connects people to land, to animals, to plants, to food. But mostly importantly, we are animators who dare to imagine a more beautiful agriculture. The world needs us badly right now – our expertise, the food we grow, the sense of wonder with which we embrace the world.

Our farm’s tagline, “Reconnect to simple wonders,” has never felt more relevant, and it challenges us to create opportunities for our community to experience that reconnection. It’s difficult to do in times of social distancing, but not impossible. From sharing farm life on social media to encouraging customers to spend time in the forest when they pick up their orders, we will always look for ways to celebrate the simple wonders of the farm.

And like so many local farmers, we are deeply grateful for the ways in which our community and our customers have supported us through all this. We are motivated by your encouragement, and sustained by your purchases. For all of this, our most heartfelt thanks.

We look forward to continuing this conversation. Let’s imagine the hopeful future that is being born in this moment. Imagine it, then plant the seeds to make it so.

About the Author More by Brent Klassen

Brent Klassen lives with his family at Heartwood Farm & Cidery in Ospringe, where they make artisanal craft ciders and maple syrup, and raise grass-fed cows and pigs. heartwoodfarm.ca

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