38th Annual Northeast Organic

Farming Association

University of Massachusetts, Amherst Summer Conference

Harnessing Draft Animals for

Fieldwork

Friday, Aug. 10,  2:00-3:30 p.m.

Bob Crichton, teacher and president

of Maine and New Hampshire Draft

Horse Clubs, will be leading a workshop on learning the proper fitting of harness collars and pads for

field work.  He will cover types of harnesses and how to adjust them to the draft animal for use with field tools

and wagons.  He will focus on the most

common type of harnesses used in farming.

Ground Driving - Hitch a team of 1-6 Horses

Friday, Aug. 10, 4-5:30 p.m.

Bob Crichton, teacher and president

of Maine and New Hampshire Draft

Horse Clubs, will be leading a workshop on how to learn to use any number of equines to do the work at hand, such as row crop cultivation and

large field operations, such as plowing and preparing the ground for planting.

There will be information on twitching logs in the woods with a single or team.  There will be opportunities for hands-on experiences with driving horses.

Equine Care: Nutrition, Hoof Care, and Housing

Saturday, Aug. 11, 8-9:30 a.m.

Bob Crichton, teacher and president

of Maine and New Hampshire Draft

Horse Clubs, will be leading a workshop on learning how to feed equines used for work.  It will include

information on proper balancing of protein in the diet, hoof care considerations, and whether to shoe your animal or go barefoot.  There will

also be notes on providing housing for animals in New England and basic medical care.

Planning for Traction on Your Farm

Saturday, Aug. 11, 10-11:30 a.m.

Bob Crichton, teacher and president

of Maine and New Hampshire Draft

Horse Clubs, will be leading a workshop that addresses essential farm planning questions regarding the cost

effectiveness of draft vs. mechanical power.  It also addresses planning

choices about equine selection for farm work, and different uses for draft animals during each season of the

year.  This is a discussion-based workshop.

Plowing

Saturday, Aug. 11, 1-2:30 p.m.

Bob Crichton, teacher and president

of Maine and New Hampshire Draft

Horse Clubs, will be leading a workshop on the use of a hand plow on the farm.  The plow is an old tool to prepare the land for planting.  The three most common used today are the sulky two-way, the one-way single riding, and the walking plow.  Each will be discussed with questions and

answers.  The disc plow is a duel

tool to not only plow the land but also to hill new crops such as potatoes.