Rewilding and Topsy Farms

 

The forecast for this past Thursday was good so we decided to visit Amherst Island which is a twenty-minute ferry ride from Bath, Ontario, in Lake Ontario. We go over two or three times a year, just to enjoy the various roads which follow the shoreline and those which pass farms which have been around for a long time. We always work in a ramble, perhaps at the Sand Beach Wetlands Conservation Area or the Owl Woods. Amherst Island is a pilgrimage spot for birders, and while we don't go there specifically for this purpose, we keep our eyes open. We saw nearly 20 raptors of various kinds, including an eagle, as well as other birds and the deer which bounded across the road in front of us. 

We also made our way to Topsy Farms, an enterprise which has been around for decades, beginning as a hippie-ish collective. Slowly but surely the original participants departed, except for Sally and Ian, who are now benign matriarch and patriarch of this sheep farm, and more. The "and more" includes an intentional and public commitment to conservation,and living in harmony with surroundings, given new energy by the succeeding generations of this family who have decided to stay and make a difference. We really admire what they're doing, and always make a purchase or three, perhaps wool for Ruth's next knitting project, or lamb for a stew. On Thursday Sally was sitting out, basking in the sun like a turtle on a log, so we could enjoy a bit of a chin-wag. 

In addition to selling their excellent products Topsy Farms has invited those who appreciate their ethos to become participants in a number of ways, and recently we sponsored a metre of hedgerow which they plan to re-establish on a particular pasture. At just a metre I joke that I'm sponsoring a bush, but I know that others are getting on board, which is the idea behind this collaborative effort at rewilding. 

Why would we do this? One of my early pastoral charges was just south of Barrie, where some of the ambitious farmers, including a family in my congregation, were tearing out hedgerows between fields to allow their whopping big tractors and equipment to move about adjoined fields without impediment. At the time I admired their enterprise, at least initially. I came to realize that the reason their were virtual brown-outs on some windy days was because topsoil was blowing off those fields and scudding across the roads. And along the way I learned that removing these hedges was contributing to the decline in bird nesting areas, as well as homes for other critters.

In recent years we've altered the mix of our charitable giving to include a wild animal rehabilitation centre and a couple of turtle rescue projects. The majority of what we return to God through financial giving continues to be to our local congregation and food programs for humans. But we feel that we need to consider the bigger picture. While Topsy Farms is a business, we feel that care for Creation is a collective enterprise. Perhaps even a small contribution on our part can make a difference, both to their admirable goals  and to our perspective on responsibility. 

We just hope we live long enough to see the outcome, although we aren't hedging our bets!

https://www.topsyfarms.com/products/sponsor-a-meter-of-hedgerow