The Ground Beneath Our Feet - theHumm March 2021
The Ground Beneath Our Feet - theHumm March 2021
By Chandler Swain
This month’s focus is on a small group in our community called the Farm Working Group, one of nine working groups within the Climate Network Lanark (CNL).
For a taste of what they are doing, let me introduce three members to talk about why they are participating to bring farms into the conversation about their important role in Climate Action.
Scott Hortop
Scott, you are the facilitator of the Farm Working Group for CNL. I know the group is still in its formative stage. Can you tell us why you are involved?
Scott Hortop: In 2012 my son came home from Germany with a master’s degree in Environmental Science and was on fire about environmental opportunities such as biochar. I was awakened by his energy. I was soon retiring and wondering what was next for me. A single TED talk about humus seized me by the throat (lookup TED, Humus, Graeme Sait). Eight years later it has retained or even gained relevance.
Listening to the Canadian narrative about climate disruption, we are given to think it must be all caused by our excessive use of fossil fuels. But surprise — 24% of the problem releases of carbon dioxide heating up our atmosphere have come from the way we use soil. No amount of electric vehicles, heat pumps or cancelled pipelines was going to get that carbon back to where it came from. Thus began my soils journey.
When I retired to Almonte, I engaged in finding agricultural pathways and community connections to make smarter use of the natural carbon cycle to address our climate emergency. I am determined to have something to say to my 13 grandchildren when they ask what I did about the climate crisis. In my seventy years, very few things have been so clear.
I’ve come upon an uncommon way to address the soil aspect of the climate emergency with a special kind of compost. Building on good-old-fashioned leaf mold, Dr. David C. Johnson (a professor at New Mexico State University) has developed a low-cost method for farmers or their friends to produce fungal dominant compost that can re-introduce fungal life into overworked soil. Fungi fill a complex, supportive role for most plants to reduce water consumption, improve yields and improve nutritional density of crops.
When we have mastered the method, our vision is to build a bridge between town and farm. Townspeople who bag their leaves in the fall could come together, roll up their sleeves, divert the leaves away from landfill and help process them into compost / inoculant for use on neighbouring farms.
What do you expect the farm working group may achieve?
I hope we can raise both town and farm communities’ awareness of actionable solutions to climate disruption that involve the farm; facilitate concrete support to farmers to deliver ecological services; and channel particular initiatives of group members.
We are also making real progress towards startup of an ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) community for Lanark County. ALUS is community-developed and farmer-delivered. Active in six provinces to date, the ALUS program helps farmers produce valuable ecological services on Canadian farmland. ALUS Canada channels the funding provided by individuals, governments, foundations and corporations where it can have the greatest real-world impact for the Canadian environment. Specifically, ALUS helps farmers and ranchers restore wetlands, reforest, plant windbreaks, install riparian buffers, manage sustainable drainage systems, create pollinator habitat, and establish other ecologically beneficial projects on their properties.
Hilary Moore
Hilary Moore is well known as a local grower from her involvement with the Almonte Farmers’ Market. Hilary has been farming organically for twenty years. She apprenticed on one of the first CSA farms in North America, in Amagansett, NY, after graduating with Honours in Environmental Studies at Carleton University in 1999. She worked on a mixed educational farm in Lincoln, MA, which was her first introduction to livestock and driving horses. For sixteen years Hilary ran her own CSA as a full-time vocation, eventually landing at Dunbrae Farms in Almonte in 2002, where she continued to run her CSA for seven years. Today, from her farm near Lanark Village, she raises organic pork (farrow to finish), laying hens, bees, vegetables, firewood to keep warm and hay for her animals.
“I am particularly interested in being involved in the Farm Working Group because I am interested in seeing the ALUS program come to Lanark County,” she notes. “I would like to see municipal financial support for this to happen. I also think that we need to engage in the conversation about holistic soil health, which in my mind is inherently interconnected with the overall ecological and economic health of our farming community. I would like to stress that “climate change and agriculture” isn’t solely about capturing carbon in our fields. It is about a healthy and resilient food system and about respecting the knowledge and variety of challenges that farmers face in Lanark County. So I am involved to bring that point of view and experience to the table.”
Hillary also works with the Ottawa Food Security Council, and the National Farmers Union.
Janet Duncan
Janet Duncan is another well-known sustainable organic food producer, and owner of Dunbrae Farms in Almonte. A woman of few words but lots of action, she told me that she and her late husband Bruce began farming organically in the early 1980s when the health of their young family became a priority in their lives. They went on to become certified organic in the mid-90s and remained so until they retired in 2016.
Of her role on the CNL Farm Working group, Janet says: “I joined because I continue to care about regenerative agriculture and hope that our work will bring others along the continuum towards that goal.”
Join the Network
There is a place for anyone who wants to contribute to the Farm Working Group. Email Scott Hortop f.r.scott.hortop@gmail.com and help collect our leaves and put them to better use! We can also eat local, organic food and buy directly from growers at our Farmers’ Markets.
If you are interested in the work of Climate Network Lanark, please see previous CNL articles in past issues of theHumm. To become involved, email Gordon Harrison gordonkh@storm.ca .
Katherine Muir Miller — Falling in Love with Art - theHumm March 2021
By Sally Hansen
Art… and Soul
Landscape artist Katherine Muir Miller’s brilliant paintings tap into the same subject matter that inspired Canada’s beloved Group of Seven artists — the great northern Canadian landscape in all its seasonal glories. This is where she finds her inspiration — rooted in her mother’s deep love of trees and fostered by her own and her five children’s passion for the magnificent and wild Canadian outdoors.
Many Canadians can’t look at a painting of stark pines outlined ag......
Winterwords Café #3 Keep Calm and Write On - theHumm March 2021
On Tuesday, March 23, theHumm invites you to Zoom in from 7–9:30pm for a conversation with Robynne Eagan, writer Jacob Berkowitz and associate professor Sophie Tamas. This will be the third in our series of Winterwords Cafés, and is open to everyone!
Speaking on the topic of “writing in challenging times”, Jacob will share his creative experience during the pandemic of writing a play, a non-fiction book, and working at his day job as a science writer.
Sophie will talk about “the (mis)use......
More Fun, Less Stuff - theHumm March 2021
By Mike Nickerson lives near Lanark, Ontario, and is the author of Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as if we want to stay.
A meme to remember when the challenges of climate and inequality get you down: MORE FUN, LESS STUFF.
On a good day one can sense, through the fog of our world’s problems, a faint light. A glimmer of a place where humans live in balance with the Earth and with each other.
Viewed from the challenges of today, that place seems to be another dimension. And it is. The values by which people manage themselves are dimensions of worlds we might build, and this alternate dim......
Living on Earth as ifWe Want to Stay: A Discussion with Mike Nickerson - theHumm March 2021
As we emerge from the Covid lull, we have an opportunity to recreate our world.
On Tuesday, March 16 at 7pm, theHumm presents a Zoom discussion with Mike Nickerson, author of Living on Earth as if We Want to Stay.
The story about work, pay, investment, profit, living off other’s efforts, and perpetual economic Growth is running out of room on our finite planet — Mike will discuss changing the cultural narrative. What are the economic myths that keep us captivated in the money paradigm?......
The John Muir Trust MMLT Presents John Muir’s Legacy in the Land of his Birth - theHumm March 2021
By Bob Betcher is the president of the MMLT
Each year the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust, in association with its Annual General Meeting, has a guest speaker who entertains and informs us on nature or other issues associated with the preservation of wild land. On March 31 the talk will be a little unusual for the Land Trust, but a very special event for our members and the general public.
Our guest speaker will be Mike Daniels, Head of Policy and Land Management at the John Muir Trust based in Pitlochry, Scotland, not......
We All Belong — Mississippi Mills - theHumm March 2021
By The WABMM Team
Would you like to be part of a new video project in Mississippi Mills? We All Belong — Mississippi Mills (WABMM) is a fledgling group started in response to acts of intolerance in our community. It plans to offer projects through which people can feel supported to share their stories, knowledge, and perspectives, in order to increase understanding and acceptance in our community. We hope to share projects that illuminate and celebrate our existing and growing diversity in Mississippi Mills. We a......
Reimagining Maple An Interview with Shirley Fulton-Deugo - theHumm March 2021
The first Covid lockdown hit pretty much right in the middle of maple season in 2020. Here we are almost a full year later, and local sugar bushes are still dealing with pandemic pressures. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Shirley Fulton-Deugo — with help from her family and Fulton’s “Team Awesome” — has been pivoting like crazy to open their 400-acre property to the public and get maple products safely into the hands of all of us who are starved for a taste of Spring.
theHumm: We are so gl......
Tackling Menstrual Inequality —One Tampon at a Time - theHumm March 2021
By Jessie Carson
On July 1, 2015, the federal government removed the “luxury” tax (GST) from all menstrual products. This was a monumental shift in beginning to combat period poverty in Canada. Many provinces followed suit and exempted menstrual products from provincial sales tax as well. Prior to this, householders already saved GST on items like cocktail cherries, wedding cakes and products required for incontinence. What was monumental was not the 27 cents saved on a $5.49 box of 16 tampons; it was the recognition that menstrual products are not a luxury but an essential item for all menstruators in Ca......
Step Out of the River - theHumm March 2021
By Vickie Walsh
Is it me, or does the pandemic bring the term “March madness” to a whole new level?! Even with some solid positive coping strategies, I still feel it.
This feeling reminds me of the Paulo Coelho quote: “You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.” Let’s step out of the river.
In 1999, I was 21 years old, relatively new in the military, and on my first deployment to East Timor. Two years prior to that I had a tank accident that left me wearing dentures for a few yea......
The Ground Beneath Our Feet - theHumm March 2021
By Chandler Swain
This month’s focus is on a small group in our community called the Farm Working Group, one of nine working groups within the Climate Network Lanark (CNL).
For a taste of what they are doing, let me introduce three members to talk about why they are participating to bring farms into the conversation about their important role in Climate Action.
Scott Hortop
Scott, you are the facilitator of the Farm Working Group for CNL. I know the group is still in its f......
Who Ya Gonna Call? - theHumm March 2021
By David Hinks
As someone who is intensely interested in local gardening, particularly vegetable gardening, I frequently peruse local gardening Facebook groups. Some of my favourites are Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton, Almonte and Carleton Place Gardeners, Edible Ottawa Gardens, and Eat Local, Buy Local in Lanark County. I often find that there are some really good responses from the Ottawa Master Gardeners.
What strikes me about posts this time of year is the number of questions and comments about starti......
Jim Hake: Ladies Night - theHumm March 2021
Sivarulrasa Gallery is delighted to launch a program of simultaneous exhibitions this year! A solo exhibition of paintings by Almonte-based artist Mary Pfaff entitled Mary Pfaff: Companions is currently running in Gallery I, where it will continue until March 26. For the inaugural show in Gallery II, they are pleased to present Jim Hake: Ladies Night, an immersive solo installation of sculpture by Toronto-based artist Jim Hake. This show will run from March 10 to April 16.
......
Happiness is a Good Book Meet Ann Shea, Almonte’s Newest Bookseller - theHumm March 2021
By John Pigeau
In the strangest of times, Ann Shea’s happy story just seemed to fall into place, neatly if unexpectedly — rather like chapters in a good book.
Once upon a time, she found herself shoe shopping with her sisters in Almonte.
“I grew up in Aylmer, and my three sisters still live in Ottawa and the Valley,” Ann explains. “They are frequent visitors to Almonte, particularly drawn to the shoe selection at Crush Marketplace. In August, I was in the area and they invited me along for t......
Online Drama Studio with Carolee Mason - theHumm March 2021
Calling all thespians and dramatic artists! Are you feeling deprived of the opportunity to pursue your passion during this pandemic? Are you looking for ways to connect with like-minded souls and engage in the creative exploration that is part of working together to put on plays? Do you miss the performance, the social interaction, the intellectual and creative "buzz" that comes from the rehearsal process itself?
If so, the Studio Theatre Perth has a solution for you! They ......
Mindfulness Mini-Course - theHumm March 2021
These days, over 80% of Ontario’s health services are being delivered remotely. When asked by the United Way of Leeds and Grenville how Country Roads Community Health Centre could help more people in their homes, a video program seemed a logical idea. “We have had tremendous success with our Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program,” says CRCHC Executive Director Marty Crapper. “Traditionally, this has been an in-person, ten-week program. We asked our instructor, Sandy Prentice, and John Pringle of Westport Video, to come up with ideas on how we could take the core elements and present ......
Poetry Reading and Discussion - theHumm March 2021
On Friday, March 26 at 7pm, the Carleton Place Library will present Park Ex Girl: Life with Gasometer — a poetry reading and discussion via Facebook with Claudia Coutu Radmore.
Here is Claudia’s twentieth-century life in Montreal’s Park Extension, characteristic of how suburbs grow. Looming over her on Beaumont Street is a seventeen-storey gasometer that casts a spell over her early life. Her poems include depictions of how gas-powered electric lighting snaked ......
MERA Spring Speaker Series - theHumm March 2021
Brighten up your early spring by Zooming in for an exciting series of talks presented by MERA. Taking place on Thursday evenings from 7–8:30pm, the topics include art in the community, hiking, writing, and Lanark wild places. Organizers have tried to plan something for everyone!
The series of four talks starts on March 11 and runs until April 1. Admission is by donation to MERA by sending an e-transfer to meraschoolhouse@gmail.com .......
Self-Compassion - theHumm March 2021
By Glenda Jones
I saw this on a sign last week: “Be kind, Practice self-compassion”.
Well now, that sounds like a regimen I can adopt pretty easily, ridding myself of guilt and angst all in one step. Someone is giving us permission to indulge in inner pleasures. Don’t go crazy languishing on the couch with chocolates and pulp novels, or become a hermit watching old movies and eating popcorn. You still have to keep up some modicum of decent appearance and health. However, a teensy bit of self-indulgence w......
Fueled by Plants - theHumm March 2021
By Jaaron Hamilton
During a time when it’s difficult to go out, many people are looking inward to find inspiration and motivation to eat and create good food. Fueled by Plants author Stéfany Oliver has used the pandemic to harness her passion and put together her first recipe book, with the goal of bringing health and happiness to her community.
Fueled by Plants is a collection of Oliver’s own vegan and gluten-free recipes, featuring local foods from throughout the Ottawa Valley and Ottawa area. ......
An Ode to the Maple Tree - theHumm March 2021
By Ray Fortune, Fortune Farms Maple Sugar Bush
Have you hugged a maple tree today? I know not everyone can do this, but it’s the thought that counts. And here’s why…
We are so fortunate at Fortune Farms fortunefarms.ca to have two majestic sugar bushes, both of which have been tapped for well over one hundred years. The picture shows one of our largest trees, which we have named the Fortune Giant. We have others larger but not as close to a trail. Sadly, we lost several of our large......
A Small Town During Pandemic: an Interview with Ryan Gordon - theHumm March 2021
The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum mvtm.ca and Ryan Gordon Photography ryangordonphotography.com have partnered to create a timely exhibit of photographs entitled “Faces & Fabric of a Small Town During Pandemic”. Curator Michael Rikley-Lancaster and artist Ryan Gordon write: “As the community grapples with a pandemic that is radically reshaping every aspect of public and......
CFUW “Staycation” Raffle - theHumm March 2021
CFUW Perth and District is raffling off a “Staycation” gift basket worth over $1,000, with contents generously donated by local businesses. The prize includes a two-night stay at Clyde Hall B&......
No Maple Weekend;Lots of Maple Syrup! - theHumm March 2021
The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association (OMSPA) is disappointed to announce that Maple Weekend has been cancelled for 2021. The event, which takes place the first weekend of April each yea......
Maple Run Tour Cancelled for 2021 - theHumm March 2021
The organizers of the Pakenham Maple Run Tour are very sorry to announce the tour is reluctantly cancelled for this year. We are so disappointed that we will not be welcoming enthusiastic visitor......
Aug 31 - Sep 2 Sundance Artisan Show
Sep 7 - 8 Fibrefest
Sep 7 - 8 Natives & Clay
Sep 8 Music at Mera: Nathan Sloniowski
Sep 11 Community Open House
Sep 12 Opening Celebration of the new Art Hub
Sep 13 Jason Kent
Sep 14 Art in the Yard
Sep 14 Perth Night Market
Sep 17 Henry Norwood
- Wendo Van Essen — Nothing Felt Better
- Be a Wild Child — Roar Against Climate Change!
- MUSICwestport Festival A Fun, Free Event in Beautiful Downtown Westport!
- Misi Zibi Mamidosewin (The Gathering Place)
- 40 ArtistsAlong a Riverbank Outdoor Show on Labour Day Weekend
- Paint the Summer Returns to Westport
- Stone Fence’s Miss Pringle’s Mini-Skirt
- Blueberry Teaat Union Hall
- Come to the North Lanark Highland Games!
- Almonte Potters Guild Open House