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SUMMER
2015
TheNewFarm, Certified
OrganicFarm -Creemore
A littleoveradecadeago,GillianFliesand
BrentPrestonwere living inTorontowith their
two children, and likemany growing fami-
lies, felt a growing desire for wide-open
spaces. The couple purchased a piece of
property justwestof thevillageofCreemore,
anddecided tomove northwithout a clear
plan for the future. Having grown up on a
farm inVermont,Gillianwasexcited to start
a vegetable garden on the100-acre plot.
Soon the couplewas providing fresh veg-
gies to friendsand familybothon theEscarp-
mentandaround theGTA. They recognized
the demand for quality organic produce,
and decided to take a chance on full time
farming. The learning curvewas steep, and
they admit tomakingmore than a fewmis-
takes,but theyperseveredandsoon figured
out what worked and what didn’t. They
beganwith over 150 different varieties of
vegetables andwith time determinedwhat
grewwellwith their soiland theirmicroclimate. Theysettledongrowingva-
rieties of beets, cut salads, potatoes and cucumbers. Before long their
hobby farm turned intoa sustainableand responsible familybusiness.
TodayTheNewFarm isa fullycertifiedorganic family run farm,whichpro-
ducespremiumqualityorganicvegetables for restaurants, retail storesand
wholesale customers includingCurries FarmMarket, 100Mile Store in
Creemore, ThePottery, BMRCatering, TheTremont, andBruceWineBar.
Ifyouhaven’t tried theiramazing freshsaladdressing,NewFarmGold,do
yourself (andyour salad)a favour. It’s incredible.
GillianandBrent’s farmingpracticesareenvironmentallyandeconomically
sustainable. Remarkably theyexecutemost tasksbyhand, limitingmecha-
nization. Theyuseonlyunheatedgreenhouses, offset electricity consump-
tionwith solar energygeneratedon the farm, and cover up their crops to
provide soil fertility. They view their farmas a “closed system” and try to
limit or eliminate off-farm inputs such as fossil fuels, soil amendments and
energy.
In2009,TheNewFarm formedapartnershipwithTheStopCommunityFood
Centre inToronto’sDavenportwestneighborhood tomake theirorganicpro-
duceavailable to thosewhomight not otherwisebeable toafford it. Their
wildlypopular fundraiser “GrowFor TheStop”hasgainedmomentumwith
incredible support from the community. Past years’ musical guests include
GordDowneyof TheTragicallyHip, TheSadiesandSamRobertsBand.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Kennedy and Carl
Heinrichwill be in attendance at this year’s
GrowForTheStopon July18th.Addinga lit-
tle lore to theevent,GillianandBent arenot
disclosing thebandheadliner this year, and
sadly if youmissedout on tickets like I did,
you’re too late—they sold out months ago.
Themoney raisedwill beusedby local food
banks andSTOP. Todate they have raised
over$100,000 forTheStop,whichsupports
bothStaynerandCollingwood foodbanks.
thenewfarm.ca
TheBarn
Co-operativeNetwork
Meaford
LocatedonHighway26betweenThornbury
andMeaford, TheBarnCo-op isaco-opera-
tive community hub, basedaround healing
arts, whole local organic foods, education,
and arts & crafts. The Barn Co-op’s main
focus includes reintroducing the useof food
asmedicine,preservationof fooddiversity, supportof sustainability in food
productionanddistribution, and continued educationon the impact food
hasonhealth, cultureandenvironment.
Thevisionof themembersandshareholdersof TheBarnCo-op, is tocreate
aHealthhub. Theirmaingoal is tocreateacenter thatnourishes thegrowth
ofanactiveandengagedcommunity, focusedonamulti-facetedapproach
tohealing.
Multiplebusinesseswill residewithin the samebeautifully restored space:
TheMarket,Coffee&SmoothieBar,ArtGallery,HolisticPractitionerOffice,
YogaStudio, Local ArtisansWorkshops, Centre for Social Innovation: A
portionof their loft spacewill haveWIRED IN (WIFI free)desks thatwillbe
available for rent onaweeklyormonthlybasis.
TheBarnCo-operativewill includemultiplegardens foruse inTheMarket,
TheCafé, workshops andas aplaceof education. Inaddition theCo-op-
erative intends toexpand theoutdoor space to theadjacent lot toexpand
thegardensaswellasprovideanoutdoor space for socialeventsandsum-
mer camps for children.
Organizers have already accomplished somuch since the beginningof
their venturebut theirbiggest hurdle right now is to secureadditional funds
for the start-up costs. Time is of theessenceand they need your help. Visit
theirKickstarter campaignpage tocontribute.
LocalGrowersandbusinessesaresteppingupandchanging theway food isgrown
growing responsibly
making a healthier world
ESCARPMENT
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STORY|CARAWILLIAMS
