Animal Power Field Days

The first annual Animal Power Field Days will open at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds and close with an equipment auction Sunday afternoon.

Admission is $10 per day and $15 for a weekend pass. For more information, visit www.tunbridgefair.com.

Animal Power Stars in Tunbridge

By Sara Nelson

To some people, the image of a team of horses plowing a field belongs to a distant, Laura Ingalls Wilder part of history.

However, for more and more folks, animal-powered farming is the agriculture of the future. Concerns about the rising costs of fueling heavy machinery combined with a trend towards small, diversified operations, have meant that plowing or hauling with oxen, horses, or other strong animals has become a viable option for many people, according to Carl Russell.

Russell and his wife, Lisa McCrory, have found a way to make farming with animal power profitable. They own Earthwise Farm and Forest in Bethel and don't own a tractor, instead relying on horses and oxen to cultivate and log the land.

Russell said that over the years, a growing number of people have contacted him for guidance in their own animal-powered farms. In response, Russell hosted a couple of casual gatherings, but says it was becoming clear that the issues needed a more official forum.

"Eventually I realized that we needed more education, with experts who would be able to address specific details of things like the training of animals," Russell explained.

Now, after more than a year of planning, the time has come for the first annual Animal Power Field Days, to be held this weekend at the Tunbridge fairgrounds.

Russell said the event is designed to connect people interested in animal-powered enterprises to the mentors, products, and resources they need to be successful.

The two-day trade fair and conference will emphasize "conservation, stewardship, small farms, healthy forests, and the roles they play in vital rural communities." It will include a number of draft animal and equipment demonstrations, workshops, and panel discussions by experts hailing from near and far.

These include Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Roger Albee, who will give a welcoming address on Saturday, as well as the keynote speaker, Oregon farmer, artist, and horse-power authority Lynn Miller, who is also the founder and editor of the agrarian quarterly, the Small Farmer's Journal.

Through workshops and discussions, attendees of the field days will have opportunities to learn about topics such as grazing management, composting, CSA/market gardening, and working with draft animals on the farm and in the woods.

Animal-powered equipment from both commercial manufacturers and independent innovators will be available, and teams of horses, mules, and oxen will demonstrate the operation of "plows, cultivators, motorized and ground-driven forecarts, three-point hitch carts, and logging arches."

There will also be a farmer's market, children's activities, music, local food vendors, vendor exhibits, and an equipment auction.

Russell said the event came together with a lot of help from numerous people.

"We've been overwhelmed by the incredible support contributed by hundreds of individuals and organizations to make this happen," he said.