Nine ON Farms featured in Depth of Field: Films About Farming

National Farmers Union – Ontario Newsletter
The Rural Voice | April 2024

The National Farmers Union and the award-winning documentary filmmakers of March Forth Creative Inc. present Depth of Field, 40 short documentaries featuring farmers and farms from across Canada. These unscripted short films celebrate the stories of Canadian farmers, farm workers, producers and land stewards who are committed to sustainable practices.

Nine of the 40 featured farms are in Ontario, showcasing a diverse tapestry of Ontario farm types:

Black Sheep Farm
Black Sheep Farm is an agroecological farm, run by Brenda Hsueh and Skyler Radojkovic. They raise sheep on pasture, using intensive managed grazing, to maximize the soil building effects of ruminants, while producing meat and fibre from grass and sunlight. They want to see farming become the climate crisis solution it should be, building soils, sequestering carbon, being a moisture sponge, increasing biodiversity, all while feeding people without exploiting themselves or the people they work with.

Ga Gitigemi Gamik – We Will Plant Lodge
Ga Gitigemi Gamik (We Will Plant Lodge) is envisioned as an ecological center on a permanent Indigenous-stewarded site on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, where women and 2SLGBTTQQIA+ persons can work on the land together in a 12-week immersion program that will help them (re)learn ancestral agricultural methods lost to colonization.

Kenli Herefords &Apiary
Ken and Lisa Bassindale run a cow/calf operation, raising registered  Herefords using a mix of ecological and conventional practices. The Bassindales have also been raising honey bees for over 10 years and produce honey for sale. They’ve also recently taken up raising pastured chicken. They farm an additional 400 acres of cash crops, including hay, wheat, soybeans and corn. Their farm is chemical free and uses cover crops to nourish the soil.

Kitchen Table Seed House
Kitchen Table Seed House is owned and operated by Kathy Rothermel and Annie Richard. They grow certified-organic varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers for seed over three acres and two separate fields on Wolfe Island, Ontario.

Lucky Bug Farm
Lucky Bug Farm is a one-quarter-acre ecological market garden operating on rented land 25 minutes from Kitchener-Waterloo. Lucky Bug Farm relies on interplanting and minimal tillage to build soil health and in turn, a productive ecological market garden. They buy organic seeds as much as possible, use organic potting mix and do not use synthetic amendments, sprays or fertilizers.

Meeting Place Organic Farm
Meeting Place Organic Farm is a woman-owned and operated organic farm in Ontario now being farmed by the second generation of McQuails in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner. They aim for more than regenerative agriculture with their grass-fed and finished Ontario beef, pasture-raised pork, organic chicken and certified organic apple orchard. They believe in the importance of building strong local communities and being good stewards of the land and animals they tend.

Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork
Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork are the ultimate farm-to-table party animals. They whip up gourmet goodies straight from the land – grass-fed beef turned into divine sausage rolls, and organic potatoes transformed into lip-smacking pierogi. The farm is small but mighty, proving there’s no limit to deliciousness. They pamper Scottish Highland cattle, dairy goats, and free-range chickens. They’re also veggie virtuosos, growing organic, heritage crops. Sustainable and scrumptious!

Pfenning’s Organic Vegetables
Pfenning’s Organic Vegetables has been proudly growing certified organic vegetables since 1981. Located between New Hamburg and Baden, the farm now stretches over about 700 acres. Although best known for their delicious carrots, they also grow over 40 other varieties of vegetables: leafy greens, brassicas, squash and root veggies that grow best in their region. Respect and care is at the heart of everything they do.

Rooted Oak Organic Farm
Rooted Oak Organic Farm is a family-run farm in the community of North Augusta, Ontario. Owned and operated by Nikki and Stuart Oke, they use the principles of agroecology to produce a variety of vegetables that are sold through community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers markets in the Ottawa, Kingston and Augusta regions.

Public film screenings are being organized by NFU members and allied folks in local communities to spark meaningful conversations about the future of farming. Don’t miss the opportunity to come together in person with like-minded folks and comrades. Find an event near you at nfu.ca/events.

To watch the films online, visit www.nfu.ca.

Click here to view the PDF version.

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