Darren Neill’s amazing pictures capture much of the beauty and fascination of Hastings County. His family has been connected to the remote hamlet of Shannick, north of Marmora for generation. Music is by Dale Clark of Orange Cap.

Harvest Hastings promotes sustainable agriculture and the creativity of farmers and producers in Hastings County. These photographs, taken in 2008 and 2009, illustrate the diversity of landscapes, farms and products found in Hastings County.

Each spring Jim Pedersen, coordinator with the Hastings Stewardship Council helps landowners plant trees on marginal farm land. This is part of the Ontario government’s Trees Ontario program to plant 50 million trees by 2020.

The Hastings Stewardship Council partners with the municipalities to give residents trees to plant on their property. Watch the local media and www.harvesthastings.ca coming events section for more details about time and place.

If you would like to plant larger areas of land in 2011 please contact Jim Pedersen, (613) 395-4388 or jim [dot] pedersen [at] ontario [dot] ca.

You can order tree seedlings to purchase from Quinte Conservation and Lower Trent Conservation.

Learn about the original Pheylonian Beeswax Candles made since 1971 at Marlbank, Ontario.

As part of Harvest Hastings’ education program 19 Grade 10 students from Moira Secondary School visited Spencmaple Dairy Farm in late October, 2009 to learn about how milk is produced. Spencmaple Holsteins is run by Doug and Bev Spencer and their son Steven and his wife Meaghan.

On Thursday, November 12, at the Hastings County Museum of Agricultural Heritage in Stirling, Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs presented Gayle Grills, President of Hastings Federation of Agriculture and Ron Emond, Warden of Hastings County with a cheque for $40,000.

This is a clip from the film “Farming With Nature” about permaculture farmer Sepp Holzer. He has created an edible landscape on 1500 m above sea level.

Beate Heissler has created Natural Themes, Native Plant Nursery at her home in Frankford.

For the last three years Hastings Stewardship Council has partnered with the municipalities Centre Hastings, Marmora and Lake, Stirling-Rawdon and Tweed to run the Community Trees Project.