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Written by Doug Ayers, VMD
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Thursday, 25 August 2011 14:31 |
 The Lands at Hillside Farms is an 18th century, 412-acre, nonprofit dairy farm located in Shavertown, Pa. Our mission is to teach sustainable life choices. Simply put, being sustainable means to live without depleting or causing permanent damage to our support systems. Our support systems include land, water, air, vegetation, animals, and most importantly, community.
Please allow me to suggest that none of us are perfect in this regard. I like to say that every one of Earth’s inhabitants should consider posterity when making daily decisions, yet that is not always an easy (or even practical) thing to do.
In my perfect world, there would be a “sustainability guidebook” written that defines options each of us has in every category of life. These actions, which, if taken, would likely increase the probability that folks living 500 years from now might have the same resources and opportunities that you and I enjoy today.
Sadly, humanity is not functioning that way. The decline of the bond and functionality of the family; declining human health issues; the loss of habitat in nature and, thus the loss of many species; and, job insecurity in America, as well as economic and political insecurity within our own nation, are serious threats to our future.
The primary goal of The Lands is to teach, although I believe most people do not really understand what we are about– yet. But, they usually sense something good and wholesome goes on here. Many visit in order to purchase ice cream or milk. Others come to introduce their children or grandchildren to our farm animals. And, more are coming to partake in our educational seminars and workshops.
In addition to our September through June educational programs, we offer children’s camps in the summer, in which families entrust us to expose their kids to farm life and nature. Each year our camps grow in size and quality. Campers learn where eggs and milk come from. And, they each engage in “work” on the farm. Most of the children truly enjoy grooming our “co-faculty” animals, exploring our streams, cleaning stalls, and planting in our garden. Too many children today live in a world highly disconnected from nature. They do not know the sources of their food or that most things in their lives begin in some way from the soil. We are working to change that. Watching dozens of children excitedly using shovels and hoes while planting in our gardens gives me hope for America’s future.
We are growing our educational programs for adults, too. We hold events, tours, and seminars on topics ranging from fruit tree pruning/grafting to blacksmithing, woodworking, and soap making. In the future, we will offer whole curricula with a menu of topics. There is so much to teach. We need to address literally hundreds of valuable topics and we look forward to this challenge!
For instance, did you know the average food item we now consume is shipped 2,000 miles? Much of it comes from foreign nations, which have no labor or environmental rules. This concerns many of us, as all too often these products are contaminated with dangerous chemicals or infectious agents. Buying locally manufactured or grown products supports our economy, which helps us all. How many farmers do you know? I expect you know very few, and that, we believe, needs to change.
Our farm allows a natural opportunity to teach healthy eating habits. Our grass-based dairy herd produces milk products that are healthier than most. This is because our cows eat grass like nature and God intended. A Cornell University study proves that the fats produced by cows on this diet are better for us. Corn-fed livestock products contain fats that are responsible for many of our cholesterol and vascular health problems. So, feel less guilty when consuming our butter, ice cream, and milk.
Of course, none of this would be possible if we were not successful in recruiting hundreds of volunteers who stand by us and serve their community in supporting our effort. Our remarkable, dedicated team measures itself through progress, not hours logged. This is perhaps the most “sustainable” act going on at The Lands. For if we could get every citizen to give back to his or her community and to “love thy neighbor” and to “do unto others…,” we will have served those citizens of Earth who will be here 500 years from now very, very well.
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