Tour de Farms

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Once a year the first year BD students put on their backpacks and go traveling the south west on a tour de farm. For some going to visit farms is a relatively new experience and even for the more experienced there is something new to see. Every farm is completely different and every farmer has his or hers own opinions and methods (which are of course the Right way! for their farm, that is...). The idea of the farm as an individual really comes into light on this tour. The tour is also a time when the course students get to learn a bit more about each other and share a special experience.

Last Friday we returned from our farm tour. We spent a week in South Devon exploring a wide range of farms and gardens. The places we visited ranged from smallholdings which provide their local community with fresh vegetables or meat to large farms of thousand acres or more producing meat, vegetables, fruit selling their produce nation wide. The farmers and growers we met expressed a wide range of opinions from traditional practices to revolutionary and controversional.

For myself I can say, it was fascanating to see the different approaches to farming. All the farmers were dedicated to their work and produced wonderful products. It just shows how much of farming is in the attitude and following what one believes is right. Conviction seemed to be a key word amongst the students. One can learn farming from a text book but the farm as an organism doesn't know how to read... Each farm is unique in soil, topography, climate, native plants and animals. This symphony of natural conditions is orchastrated by the farmer who, in turn, interpets it in their own individual way. In that harmony one can find the farm as an individual. It relates to all farming systems whether they are chemical, organic or Biodynamic. However in BD this work becomes concious. This awareness then penetrates all the corners of the farms all the individual notes (yes I am getting carried away with this metaphor) and where it is manifested? In the feast we eat.

I would like to thank all the Farms and Gardens who opened their gates and welcomed us in this trour. It was truly an inspiring experience. Thanks to:

• Pammy and Richie Riggs from Providence farm
• Lisa and Steve from Moon Farm
• Riverford
• Frankie Van der stok from Hapstead Camphill
• Martin Crawford from The agroforestry research trust
• Tom Petherick
• David Wilson form the Duchy Home Farm
• Sam from Stroud Community Agriculture
  
• Denise and Ian Bell from Heritage Prime
• Special thanks to Andre from the South devon Steiner school for hosting us.
• And one last one to Brett the driver from the Big Lemon who had to deal with the treachery terrain of narrow farm tracks. He brought us home safely!

 I look forward to the next years tour, there are so many more farms to see and more farmers to meet.