Different farms for different people
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EmailJoshua Garver, ’14; Amanda Swope, ‘15
Today we went across the street and toured an organic farm, or as they call it “Dynamic Organic,” which apparently is different than just regular organic. It was very different from what we were used to. They use the position of the moon and the sun to determine when to plant and harvest the crops instead of looking at the ground and the weather to determine the proper time like we are used to. The cows at the organic farm were not selected on milk production at all. This was surprising, seeing as how the function of them is to produce milk. The breed was an old durable Dutch breed that is not used in most modern farms here in Holland or back in the United States. They choose that though because they didn’t care about milk, they just wanted longevity. The pigs there were also housed outside, which was surprising since most modern systems are inside or at least on cement. They really were as messy as a pig as they were covered in mud from head to hoof. It is an interesting way to farm, but that type is not for us.
With it reaching about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, we all decided it would be a good idea to walk through the woods to a lake to cool off. That may have been the best decision of the day. When we first got there, there were dogs running around fetching sticks from the water. We walked down to test the water and it felt good but a little chilly so we just sat on the bank. It was weird that instead of having a sandy beach like most places back home it was just like a river bank. While playing in the sand with our feet we found out that the layer of nice sand was very thin. Underneath it was a smelly black clay layer. At first it felt weird but then we got used to it and even had a mud ball fight similar to a snowball fight. We felt like we were little kids again on summer vacation. We even smeared it all over our faces and played with some old tennis balls like we were playing football. While walking back to the farm it really hit us that we were walking through a forest that did not even occur just 50 some years ago because Dronton was at one point was completely under water. The land we were standing on and driving around on used to be the ocean floor. At first it was hard to wrap our heads around but then it reminds us of America, its history is short but it has many stories to tell.
