photo – Cole Anderson
Today on CBC Radio One’s Alberta at Noon with host Donna McElligott I talked about World Food Day’s 2014 theme of family farming – feeding the world and caring for the earth. You’ll find the podcast here. You’ll find my Aunt Muriel’s Farmhouse Carrot Cake recipe using lots of local farm ingredients here.
One of the things you’ll see trending on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram tomorrow is the hashtag #ToastAFarmer along with #WFD2014 and #IYFF. It’s all about showing appreciation for family farmers and especially – for here in Alberta – the next generation. I’m going to start toasting farmers today.
One of my favourite Alberta farmers is a man named John Mills. Read on to find out more about this amazing YOUNG farmer.
John Mills is in his early 30’s now but he came back to run his family’s farm, Eagle Creek in Bowden, when he was about 25. He is one of the most creative farmers I know. That explains how he’s able to make a living as a farmer in 2014. Here’s a few examples of what I mean by creative.
Eagle Creek Farm has a sunflower maze, U-pick flowers, U-pick vegetables, a summer CSA, a winter CSA and a seed potato business as well. What’s a CSA you say? A CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture service where people can buy subscriptions and receive part of a farmer’s crop. They share the benefits and the risk and provide money early in the year to help pay for seeds, labour and equipment. Mills grows organic vegetables on his farm in Bowden, Alberta. Eagle Creek is supplying 450 families in Calgary with organic vegetables. That’s powerful stuff. Here’s a recent article on Mills.
Farmer John comes to your hood to give you the goods.
Eagle Creek Farms is a beautiful family farm. The photos below show what Mills and his farm have to offer the world. Family farms really do feed the world and care for the earth. John Mills is a great reason to #ToastAFarmer.
