GATHERING THE FARM COMMUNITY IN HOPE

A Christian Faith-based Resource for the Farming and Rural Community"

Farming isn’t a life for the "feint of heart"! The "right" weather, low market prices, safety concerns, animal health, land, water and environment issues, stewardship of resources, as well as all the other issues all people routinely face, contribute to shape farm life. If you have been reading the newspapers in recent years, you will know some of the issues with which farm families must deal. Perhaps more than any other, farm work and farm lives are shaped by circumstances far beyond the lives of the men, women and children whose vocation it is to feed the world!

That’s right! Farmers feed the world! Can you smell a loaf of freshly-baked bread? Hear the sound of sizzling steak on the grill? Taste the crisp snap of fresh salad greens? Food isn’t produced in the storage areas of grocery stores or in laboratories. The meat, dairy, grain, vegetable and fruit products we so enjoy eating are the result of the efforts of those dedicated people who plant and harvest the crops and who raise the animals.

Farmers are by nature independent, resourceful, self-starting people. And not surprisingly, they believe that they hold some insights into the opportunities and problems they face daily.

That’s where we come in. Gathering the Farm Community in Hope began in 2003 as local farmers began talking to each other about the situations they face at work and in life each day. Out of these small discussions, a planning committee of mostly local farmers was formed. Over the last three years we have organized a number of larger events for the farm community. And we plan to organize more of them.

We haven’t found any quick, easy or magical answers to the obstacles that farmers face. But we have found a whole community of people who share the same work and life circumstances! We’ve found friends and neighbors who understand the joys and rewards of farming and country life as well as the risks. We explored some of our strengths and weaknesses. We’re working at identifying some resources for this noble profession that feeds the world.

We’re looking for people to partner with us! We welcome your input, your ideas, and your creative thinking. If you’re a farmer, join with us on this journey! Take this opportunity to share your experiences and learnings. We are also looking for other organizations who have an investment in the health of the farming community. Let’s work together!

You can reach us at: Gathering the Farm Community in Hope, %Cassel Mennonite Church, #696556, 17th Line (at Cassel Road) R. R. 1, Tavistock, ON N0B 2R0; Phone: (519) 462-2251; Fax: (519) 462-1921; Email: casselmc@execulink.com