The Citizen-Agriculture 98, 1998-03-18, Page 32Back to basics
Mike and Cynthia Beretta of RR4, Wingham, are staunch environmentalists who have found
for them the old ways work better than the modern. Using draft horses over tractors Mike
said makes sense to him because they are non-polluting, they reproduce, start in cold
weather and contribute to soil fertility to name just a few reasons.
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PAGE A-12. THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 1998.
Agriculture '98 •
• ,r•
Lifestyle change a matter of conscience for farming couple
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
For Mike and Cynthia Beretta,
farming is not just a way to make a
living — it's a matter of con-
science.
The Berettas have been farming
organically in Morris Twp. for five
years. A graduate of the University
of Guelph, Mike says the decision
to farm organically was made sim-
pler by the fact that the family
started out that way. "There was no
conversion process," says Mike.
From the time they came to their
60-acre farm at RR4, Wingham the
choice to not use synthetic fertilizer
pesticides on their crops, nor antibi-
otics on livestock was immediate.
But, while the couple were com-
fortable with the choice they had
made for their product, they had
struggled with another issue.
Mike's editorial in the fall 1997
newsletter from the Ecological
Farmers Association of Ontario
(EFAO) explained his feelings. "At
some point the so called 'organic
movement' will have to start taking
its eyes off the soil. We cannot con-
tinue promoting sustainability and
ecological farm practices if we
spew fumes into the air above our
'certified organic' soils and contin-
ue depending so heavily on fossil
fuels."
help rebuild, Mike speaks of a for-
tuitous friendship that began.
"By some miracle we landed onto
the Howick Mennonites. That win-
ter they took down two local barns
and willingly came to help. "
The next spring about 100 Men-
nonites drove onto the -Beretta
property and in the spirit of neigh-
bour helping neighbour constructed
a new barn in one day. Mike
describes, "A horse and buggy had
been tied to a post next to our trac-
tor. During the course of the day
the horse dropped its waste into a
pile behind it as it stood. That
evening I needed the tractor and
hopped on and attempted to slide
the quick-attach loader off. A
hydraulic hose got hooked and
burst, thus leaving a pile of the
tractor's waste in a large puddle."
"I do not need to go into detail as
to what slowly evolved on the grass
under these two deposits, but the
contrast had a lasting effect."
"The Mennonites are such a good
example that this type of farming
can work. So I had a new barn and
a new outlook. I sold the tractor
and bought three draft horses.
Henceforth, that's all we use."
While Mike is quick to note that
others may think his ideas are a bit
like plowing under your corn to
build a ball diamond, for him this
field of dreams makes sense.
"Horses are non-polluting. They
reproduce. They start in cold
weather. They cause less com-
paction and help grow their own
fuel. They contribute to soil fertili-
ty. There's a loyalty that doesn't
CONTINUED ON A-14
What the editorial also tells is
how this enlightenment and change
of lifestyle came out of tragedy. In
the fall of 1995 the Berettas barn
burned to the ground. They lost
everything. With little insurance to