Read Online 100 Million Years of Food by Stephen Le - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Le
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will, but this time done with more thought given to ecological and ethical consequences. At least, thatâs the hope, but the actual practice of moving wild animals from forests and oceans into confined quarters is fraught with challenges.
From an aerial photograph, you might think that the forests ringing Bearbrook Farm, on the outskirts of Ottawa, are maintained for timber or an adequate watershed, or perhaps for aesthetic reasons. It isnât until you drive down the long lane that bisects the farm and park your car at the end of the road that you finally spot the elk, skittish among the trees. Walter Henn, a tall, thick-boned fellow, manages Bearbrook Farm along with his wife Inge. While wind howls beyond the farmhouse doors, Walter tells me that as a consequence of the hardiness of the elk, bison, and deer that he rears, he doesnât have to medicate the animals with antibiotics; his animals never get sick.
âWe concentrate on raising all of our animals as natural and humanely as possible. We donât use any chemicals on our farm. We do not use any chemicals for fertilizing. We only use manure for fertilizer. We do not use any chemicals for weed control. We clip all of the weeds. Most important of all, we let all of our animals run outside in their natural environment with the sun and wind and rain and everything.â This philosophy extends to a desire for people to see his farm up close. Walter continues, âWe invite all of our customers to come and visit our farm and see for themselves how the animals are being kept and being fed and enjoying the natural outdoor environment. Most farmers would not want to invite visitors because they raise their animals in closed environments like cages and locked-up barns as opposed to the natural way. Theyâre also concerned about possibly spreading a disease if they have half a million chickens in a couple of chicken coops. We donât mind visitors at all.â
I ask Walter if there are any special challenges in raising his animals.
âBuffalo and elk can be very temperamental, very challenging. You have to be careful not to enter the field without being on a tractor or staying on the outside of the fence because itâs possible they could attack you. Itâs not normal for them to do it, but when theyâre under stress, when maybe they have a baby, they may charge you to protect a baby.â
Because he has forsworn the use of artificial fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides, the maintenance requirements are lower, but the meat yields are also lower than could otherwise be gotten from an industrial operation, which relegates Bearbrook to the status of a hobby farm; thatâs ideal for Walter and his wife, an elderly couple in retirement. Walterâs main impetus for farming elk and bison is that he wants to eat meat that is free of chemicals and naturally raised. At seventy-five years of age, heâs not looking to scale up operations aggressively.
Bearbrookâs grounds are visited by children and seniors who come to gawk at the elk, otherworldly bison, turkeys, chickens, and white-tailed deer (peacock are raised for ornamental purposes). Bearbrook Farm is employer, food production zone, recreation area, and ecosystem anchor, all rolled into one. Walter and his wife give people a chance to eat meat that closely resembles the local wildlife.
Walter came to Canada from Germany after he refused to be drafted into the army. He lost his father and three uncles to World War II, and he didnât want to learn how to kill people. Walter and his father-in-law were pioneers in establishing dairy herds in eastern Ontario, he says. He and his wife tried their hand at the supermarket, hotel, and restaurant equipment business, traveling the world to set up his equipment, and at one point opened a bed-and-breakfast. Viewed in the light of these many ventures, Bearbrook Farm is just another extraordinary chapter in the coupleâs
From an aerial photograph, you might think that the forests ringing Bearbrook Farm, on the outskirts of Ottawa, are maintained for timber or an adequate watershed, or perhaps for aesthetic reasons. It isnât until you drive down the long lane that bisects the farm and park your car at the end of the road that you finally spot the elk, skittish among the trees. Walter Henn, a tall, thick-boned fellow, manages Bearbrook Farm along with his wife Inge. While wind howls beyond the farmhouse doors, Walter tells me that as a consequence of the hardiness of the elk, bison, and deer that he rears, he doesnât have to medicate the animals with antibiotics; his animals never get sick.
âWe concentrate on raising all of our animals as natural and humanely as possible. We donât use any chemicals on our farm. We do not use any chemicals for fertilizing. We only use manure for fertilizer. We do not use any chemicals for weed control. We clip all of the weeds. Most important of all, we let all of our animals run outside in their natural environment with the sun and wind and rain and everything.â This philosophy extends to a desire for people to see his farm up close. Walter continues, âWe invite all of our customers to come and visit our farm and see for themselves how the animals are being kept and being fed and enjoying the natural outdoor environment. Most farmers would not want to invite visitors because they raise their animals in closed environments like cages and locked-up barns as opposed to the natural way. Theyâre also concerned about possibly spreading a disease if they have half a million chickens in a couple of chicken coops. We donât mind visitors at all.â
I ask Walter if there are any special challenges in raising his animals.
âBuffalo and elk can be very temperamental, very challenging. You have to be careful not to enter the field without being on a tractor or staying on the outside of the fence because itâs possible they could attack you. Itâs not normal for them to do it, but when theyâre under stress, when maybe they have a baby, they may charge you to protect a baby.â
Because he has forsworn the use of artificial fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides, the maintenance requirements are lower, but the meat yields are also lower than could otherwise be gotten from an industrial operation, which relegates Bearbrook to the status of a hobby farm; thatâs ideal for Walter and his wife, an elderly couple in retirement. Walterâs main impetus for farming elk and bison is that he wants to eat meat that is free of chemicals and naturally raised. At seventy-five years of age, heâs not looking to scale up operations aggressively.
Bearbrookâs grounds are visited by children and seniors who come to gawk at the elk, otherworldly bison, turkeys, chickens, and white-tailed deer (peacock are raised for ornamental purposes). Bearbrook Farm is employer, food production zone, recreation area, and ecosystem anchor, all rolled into one. Walter and his wife give people a chance to eat meat that closely resembles the local wildlife.
Walter came to Canada from Germany after he refused to be drafted into the army. He lost his father and three uncles to World War II, and he didnât want to learn how to kill people. Walter and his father-in-law were pioneers in establishing dairy herds in eastern Ontario, he says. He and his wife tried their hand at the supermarket, hotel, and restaurant equipment business, traveling the world to set up his equipment, and at one point opened a bed-and-breakfast. Viewed in the light of these many ventures, Bearbrook Farm is just another extraordinary chapter in the coupleâs
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