Harvest Hastings is all about celebrating the wonderful area where we live. It all began in 2008 with the promotion of local food and products while connecting people with the producers. Hastings County is our lead partner and has supported us from the beginning. The Province of Ontario helped us set up the original website together with grants from the Hastings Federation of Agriculture, the City of Belleville, the City of Quinte West’s Agricultural Advisory Committee and Community Futures for North and Central Hastings and Algonquin. In 2014 we partnered with the Bancroft and Area Forest Industry Association and Bancroft Area Stewardship Council to develop the Local Wood Initiative. This expanded our mandate to also promote sustainable living through the careful use of natural resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy.
Members of Harvest Hastings are both producers and people who live here and support the Vision and Mission
Vision: A vibrant community, sustainable agriculture and forestry based on ecological principles, healthy ecosystems, and long–term food security for the people of Hastings County.
Mission: Harvest Hastings promotes sustainable agriculture and forestry, our creative rural communities, and local food, wood, and other products produced from the land in Hastings County (from North Hastings and Bancroft to the City of Belleville and the City of Quinte West), through celebration, education, marketing, networking initiatives, and programs that build understanding and support from consumers.
The Harvest Hastings board meets on the third Thursday of every month. Please check before hand by emailing [email protected]
Members of Harvest Hastings can vote at the annual general meeting, stand for election to the board, and are invited to take part in events. The current membership fee is $35. Please contact the co-ordinator if you would like to have a profile on the website or for more information about Harvest Hastings and its partners.
Jennifer Davis, Chair goat and poultry farmer, educator, Stirling Rawdon
Oliver and Renate Haan – pork, beef, rabbit, poultry and vegetable producer, Tyendinaga
Jenny Cook, farmer, Frankford
David Ferguson, carpenter, Bancroft
Andrea May, PAC Global
Shannon Gerrard, farmer, Stirling
Wendy Mortimer, Coe Hill Grocery Store, Coe Hill
Tanya and Cameron Lavender, maple products, L’Amable
Frank Forestell – Hastings Stewardship Council, retired soil and crop expert, Belleville
Andrew Redden – County of Hastings, Economic and Tourism Development Manager (Advisor)