Zettel Family Farms is a pasture based organic livestock farm. All of our roughly 200 acres of workable land is devoted to grazing for the pigs, chickens and cattle, or the production of hay to feed cattle over winter. The grain that we need for pigs and chickens is purchased from other organic farms, as is the straw for bedding. So since 2020, none of our fields have been plowed. It is an experiment. In the past, like all our neighbours, we rotated between perennial plants (hayfields and pasture fields), and annual crops (corn and small grains). Sustaining perennial stands requires careful management of fertility, which we are confident we can accomplish with the help of animals. The tricky part is to get enough manure for hayfields that don’t see animals. If the alfalfa dies out, we may still have to plow and reseed.
Like all grazing enterprises everywhere, we are totally dependent on precipitation. Every year, we pray for rain and start to get edgy if the weather remains dry for more than a week or two. This year – so far – we have been blessed with sufficient moisture; a good, gentle, all day soaker in late June has everything looking like spring again as we celebrate another Canada Day.
What comes to mind on this special day recognizing “The true north strong and free”? For many Canadians, in the year 2025, there is a strong sense of uncertainty. Political rhetoric coming from the south has unleashed a surge of patriotism; a good thing, I think. We live in a world of global uncertainty, and as we look around, it should be apparent to even the most casual analyst that Canada is a good place to be. Relatively speaking, we have more opportunity, more stability, and more personal freedom than most other places. But coming to such a conclusion depends heavily on one’s perspective; is the glass half empty or half full? Things could always be better – that is true. I complain sometimes, about the government sticking its nose into every aspect of business and clogging the wheels of progress with ever increasing layers of bureaucracy. Or about the media – the warped and deceptive ideology of the mainstream “legacy” news outlets. But when it comes right down to it, the decision to look on the bright side or to focus on problems (most of which I can do nothing to fix) is my decision. I can choose to appreciate all the blessings of my life and be thankful, or to get bogged down in what’s wrong with the world. That second option, as we all know, can lead us into dark places, where we are unlikely to see the possibilities for positive change and growth that are always before us. An ‘attitude of gratitude’ is better.
On this Canada Day 2025 I say “Thank God for Canada and thank God that I am privileged to be here in this great country.”
