Will Bike For Food!

It was a hilly, headwindy (is that a word?), hot, 97 mile ride from Ghent to the Ortensi Farm in Richfield Springs, NY. I got an early start to the day and pushed through it with rain in the forecast in the afternoon. I made it almost the entire way without a drop of rain, but ran into a downpour for the last mile and a half. Literally the toughest day of riding in my life to date.

Bleary fatigue I was greeted by the spirited Bernadette (Berni) Ortensi. “YOU MADE IT!” I wasn’t sure if I was at the right address at first and a wave of relief crashed into me when I heard her welcome. In out of the rain I was immediately befriended and the bleariness turned to smiles and laughter.

The main crop at the Ortensi Farm is hay. Their hay reaches far and wide providing supplemental nutrition to animals all over the North East. 200 bales of hay fit in their trailer, I know because I helped pack it to the brim. They are building a cattle herd for meat, they have horses for riding and teaching, laying hens, meat birds, turkeys, and sheep. They grow vegetables, and are starting to plant grain on their fields.

Berni knows her way around a horse and she was happy to teach this cyclist how to ride, even after she got back from a long day of delivering hay. We went for a tour of the property and I got to see the extent to which the hay fields grew and where they gave way to woodland.

Woodlands are very important to have on your farm, or any land in general. It creates habitat for birds and other natural predators that will help with pests, it helps with erosion control and wind, and a good place to hunt for mushrooms. Not to mention a place for livestock to get out of the elements.

Many parts of the farm are in transition, including the fields. The barns are being rebuilt and fixed up, the cattle herd is growing, the fields are becoming more for grain and pasture, and the house is reaching the final stages from old farm house with awful layout to renovated farm house that is comfortable and welcoming. It is a great real life representation of the move back to sustainable and responsible farming, animal husbandry, and land stewardship.

Cheers to Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs! They helped to sponsor the trip to Canada.