by Margery Frisch
MANITOULIN—On Saturday, September 16, the Indian Agricultural Program of Ontario (IAPO) hosted a farm tour on Manitoulin Island. The event was free and open to all First Nations members and it was well attended.
People came from the north and south, some arriving on the Chi-Cheemaun to learn about types of farms and methods of farming. The day was full, beginning with breakfast in Wiikwemkoong at 8:30 am. From there, many travelled on the bus that was provided while those from afar came in their own vehicles.
Louis Naokwegijig hosted the first stop where tour members learned of grain fields, along with some forage sampling. Broiler birds and the Wiikwemkoong community beef herd were the subject of their next stop. Evert Jansen and his wife Barbara hosted at their goat farm in Honora Bay where they raise Boar goats for meat. This writer caught up with the group there.
Ms. Jansen instructed everyone in attendance to take ‘biosecurity’ precautions with a foot bath, dipping shoes into a disinfectant bath, and the use of hand sanitizer before the goats were let out of their pen and into the fenced in field. “The electric fence is off,” Mr. Jansen said, “so don’t worry about that,” as everyone headed to the fence to get a good look at the goats.
Camden Lawrence, business advisor from IAPO was on hand to answer questions. “We’ve been running these farm tours for quite a while now. Of course, with COVID they stopped and we’re just trying to get back into doing them again,” said Mr. Lawrence.
The IAPO was established in 1984 as a not-for-profit corporation to aid First Nations communities with financial support and training in the agricultural field. While agriculture is IAPO’s core focus, in the last decade they have expanded their lending services to other industries.
Following lunch in M’Chigeeng, the tour continued at Glen Corbiere’s farm. The last stop was at the new butcher shop in Wiikwemkoong as the bison farm had to cancel their part in the tour. It was a full day, touching on many aspects of small farm operations. Those who took part appreciated the opportunity. “We come from the Saugeen region,” one woman said, “there’s so much land in our community that is not being used and we want to learn what types of things we can do with it. This is so helpful,” she said.
