Mother Natures downpour part of Farm Tours look at getting back to nature
By Dave Mast
of The Holmes County Journal
September 30, 2009
811
For the first time ever, the Ohio Tree Farm Tour came to Holmes County, paying a visit to the Bob and Karen Hunter farm, a sprawling 150-acre farm that offers a true glimpse of exactly how awe-inspiring nature can be when it is respected and taken care of properly.
While a deluge of rain interrupted the early afternoon portion of the event, it was still quite a sight, as hundreds of people toured the facility, not allowing Mother Natures watering system to ruin their fun.
What transpired was another feather in the cap of Holmes County, as visitors paid homage to the 2009 Tree Farm of the Year in Ohio and, hopefully, learned a great deal in the process.
There are a lot of people who spent a whole lot of time helping us prepare for this thing, said Bob Hunter. It took a lot of help to get things to where we wanted them to be, and we had some very knowledgeable teachers at our different stations. Our presenters had plenty of good stuff for kids and adults, and there was plenty to learn here today.
The educators came from far and near. Included in the lengthy list of things to do during the day were wildlife management by Dan McMillan, tree identification from Dave Woodring, West Holmes FFA, a stream study by Michelle Wood, of Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District, directional tree felling by Randy Clum, of Clum Consulting Forestry, tree trimming by the yodeling tree trimmer, Marvin Yoder, of Yoder Tree Service, and direct seeding by the Hochstetler family of Tiverton Timber, and a cast of countless others. In addition, patrons could take a long trek through the woods, following the Legacy Trail, a path that showcased many of the older trees on the farm, including a massive 300-year-old tree. Under the big tent, there were dozens of vendors set up, displaying their wares and helping to answer questions.
The people in the forest and tree industry are a very close-knit group, and we enjoy helping each other out whenever possible, said Wayne Hochstetler, of Tiverton Timber. I think weve had a really nice turnout, considering how much it rained last night and today.
While preparing for approximately 800, the rains may have kept some people away, but an estimated 650 people participated in the tour. That represented a monumental number, considering the circumstances, and had it been a beautiful day, that 800 figure might have been far too low.
While patrons could choose to walk the many paths, explore the 150-acre farm on their own, or take a guided tour on one of the wagons traversing the paths, as the rains turned the throughways into a muddy mess, nearly all of the visitors chose the far less slippery method of travel by wagon, whether it was to the pond study, the timber felling seminar or to the covered bridge and log cabin, both huge draws because of their natural beauty.
Lindsey Hunter, daughter of Bob and Karen, was busy conducting pond studies, helping visitors gain insight as to what exactly is living in the ponds dotting Holmes County.
Offering sage details and valuable insight, Hunter helped guests net pond life like snails, cat tail nymphs, small fish, tadpoles and water spiders. They would then empty their haul into a large tub, where they could use text books to try to classify their catch.
It gives people a little sense of the energy and the flow of life in a pond, said Lindsey Hunter. Our first session went great, but the rains moved in during our second one, and there werent as many people. Still, it was a lot of fun, and I think it was very educational.
She said that the family learned about their award a year in advance, and that they would be hosting the 2009 farm tour, thus allowing plenty of time for them to plan and prepare a game plan for the event.
We had a lot of volunteers help us when it got close to crunch time, but for the most part, we prepared a lot of the show well in advance, little by little, said Hunter. It was hard work, but it was a lot of quality family time together.
Bob Hunter said that out of the 650-plus people, they estimate that half were Amish and half English. Also visiting were Canadians Glen and Janet Gilmore, who have stayed at the farm for the past four Thanksgivings, and have fallen in love with the natural beauty surrounding the farm.
We left home about 4 a.m. to get here on time, said Glen Gilmore, who added he and his wife just wanted to volunteer their services any way they could to make sure things operated smoothly. We cant say enough about this place and about the Hunters. Its such a unique place. Everyone should come here to experience nature at its best.
Hunter has used his farm to enlighten his fifth-grade students at Killbuck Elementary. He said that he wished more youth would get out and explore nature, because it can be very stimulating, allowing all five senses to ignite, and very conducive to learning.
We didnt try to reinvent the wheel here. We just want to keep going all of the great traditions our ancestors took care of throughout the years, said Hunter. Hopefully, people came today and had a great time, and learned something valuable along the way. We love sharing our farm and all it has to offer with others. We feel very blessed and fortunate to have been chosen as the 2009 Ohio Tree Farm of the Year, and Im thrilled that, despite the rain, we had enough of a turnout to justify everyone being here, and all of the work that went into preparing it. Other than the rain, it was everything we had hoped for.
