Events at Morning Sound Farm

Alarm clock with big ears (and eyes!)

2012-01-28T15:24:00.004-06:00

Every morning, Pixel, who is our 16-year-old donkey, greets us with his amazing voice. If you have never heard a donkey speak, it sounds alternately like a lion roaring and a really squeaky door opening. He is usually happy to see us when we come outside, but lately, he pays attention to what is happening in the house, which he can see from his winter pasture. First thing in the morning, when our bedroom light goes on, Pixel lights up with a quiet bray that ends in a real crescendo half a minute later. Because it's always still dark outside at wake-up time, it must be obvious to him that something is finally about to happen in his calm world.

"What do you do in the winter?"

2012-01-28T14:58:00.003-06:00

Lots of people ask us what we do in the winter, maybe wondering if we have other jobs or just vacation in the off season. We welcome this question, because it makes us consider once again why we do what we do. We usually answer the casual questioner with "nine months of the year, we grow our own food and homeschool our kids."

What does that look like? Cutting firewood, tapping trees for maple syrup, butchering various wild and domestic animals, smoking bacon, keeping the rest of the animals alive and healthy in the cold, gardening and canning (in fall), trying to read for a couple of hours a day (if we're lucky) and continuing to finish out our half-renovated house, along with the regular school work. And pretty much doing everything together as a family.

If that sounds too idyllic, there's rec hockey, gym nights, library, exercise class, meetings, hockey night in Canada, church and family gatherings to keep us sort of normal.

So far, this winter has lived up to its potential- ask us again in spring if we got everything done that we wanted to!

What if it rains?

2011-06-30T22:38:00.002-05:00

I just heard that it may rain during the day tomorrow. Don't worry, the farm will still be open for Canada Day with lots of baby animals in the barns, pony rides under a large roof, goat milking and sheep shearing inside and indoor tables and benches for lunch time. We look forward to seeing you on Canada Day!

Thankfully Dry!

2011-05-14T21:34:00.002-05:00

We've had a lot of questions recently about the possibility of the farm being a little too wet, so I thought I would mention that we are high and dry, (or only dampish, which is normal for this time of year). So far, there is no indication that any flood water will reach us. Although the LaSalle River runs past our farm, we may not see a rise in water for a couple of weeks, and even then, our land is high enough to be out of flood range.

So we look forward to seeing all of our tour groups as expected in the next few weeks. See you then!

So much from so little

2010-06-24T21:47:00.003-05:00

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer

Hi what are doing today! I hope you have a grayt day today. I think the animls are doing Grayt. We will go there again on July ten and on July 24th see you back soon

From Nico

Dear Mr. Farmer

Did you have Fun when we were there? I learned that the Farm was just for cows befor. I had lots of fun.

Love, Johnny

Dear Mr. and Mrs. farmer

I liked the baby kittens. Did you have fun when I was there? I like to hold the baby rabbits. I liked the hayride. I liked it when I got to play the milking game. I like it when I got to give milk to the baby calf.

Love, Jordon

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer,

Haow are you. I like your Farm. Mr. and Mrs. Farmer you have a grat Farm and you have some net animals on your Farm and you are the Bast Farmers in The hole Wyd World.

Love, Grady

Is it our house? or is it a barn?

2010-02-08T19:49:00.000-06:00

Sometimes spring comes a leeetle early when the farmers are a combination of adventurous and inexperienced. It's been two weeks since our boys were doing the afternoon chores on a -25 degree day and grabbed two soaking wet newborn kid goats to be dried and warmed inside. This is not supposed to happen, but the only way to prevent midwinter births is to keep the daddy away from the mommies until December. So while we were having our family week at the cottage last August, guess what was happening back at the ranch! Now here we have Mr. and Mrs. Farmer playing midwife in the kitchen and in come the boys with another little goat. Triplets in January! Thankfully, the timing was perfect so that the kids did not get chilled before we found them; the mother accepted them, even though we needed to keep them inside most of the time to keep them from freezing; and all of them were vigorous in spite of being triplets. After about a week of round-the-clock feedings and trips back and forth to the barn, they have all successfully ended up outside full time with Bess, the good little mama.

The other premature sign of spring is entirely of our own doing. We bought an incubator in December and got impatient to try it out, knowing full well that any success in hatching would be followed by weeks of indoor chick rearing. This morning, we heard the first sound of life from the incubator after three weeks of carefully monitoring temperatures and humidity and turning the eggs twice a day and hoping for the best. All day today, each family member (even the one year old) has been making constant trips over to the incubator table to peek in and see what is going on in there. So far, there are five chicks tumbling around and fluffing up. Several more eggs have pipped (little holes pecked from the inside), so we are anticipating a few more in the morning. Quick, set up the chick table and the heat lamp in the basement. Find the feeding and watering dishes. We're farming indoors again!

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer...

2009-06-18T20:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a sample out of a package of letters we received today from some of our visitors (these were all written on an umbrella shape, as will become abundantly clear):

Dear Mrs. and Mr. Farmer and helpers, I like your cute and cudley bunnys, your soft chicks and the pink pig. I liked feeding the baby calf. I liked the pony ride. The mother had a baby foal. I liked the trip. Oh and the umbrella paper is because it rained! Remember? Love a friend from grade one, Catrina

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Famer and your help, I Loved your black horse, I Loved your baby chicks, I Loved your qut puppies, I Loved your qut bunies. Love, Jacob We are riting on thees Raining papers because when we went there it was Raining.

Dear Mr. and Mrs Farmer and helpers, it was a fun feeld chrip. I liked your cudily bunnys. I liked melking your goat. I am wraeding on undrella paper because it was raneing when I came to your farm. I liked your black horse. I liked all of the animals. The bunny that I was holding ceped snifing me. I liked the bunnys the most. love Brooklyn

2009-04-30T07:53:00.002-05:00

In our last days of preparation, we see the farm from your eyes, the visitor. Is the ground firm and tidy, what is the view from here, and what questions will arise in a child's mind? This last is becoming a little easier to predict with experience, but children still have great capacity to surprise us.

Some questions are pretty easy. "When you eat the eggs, don't they have chicks in them?" "How does the mommy know which baby is hers?"

But some questions give you a little more pause: "Why do you have so many more roosters than hens?" (Um, this winter, there was this weasel, and he found the hens an easier target.) "How does the calf get out of the cow?" (Well...you see under her tail? She's made to open up and let it out.)

We do hope to answer every question posed this summer and that every child (and adult) goes home with a better understanding of our relationship with animals and our need for them.

Bubbling Sap and Baby Goats

2009-04-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt that it is spring when you see the water rise like this! First the river came up, then the sap rose in the trees, now it's coming down from the sky. We've been trying to enjoy every minute of the nicer weather for collecting sap and collecting firewood for next winter.

The mother goats now all have their kids for this year. That means cute little babies for all of us to enjoy and lots of good milk for us to drink. It seems each one of our female goats can supply more than enough milk for twins and for our family.

This week, we will boil off the sap we've collected and try to wait out the wet weather. You are welcome to join us this summer for a tour, just call to set up a suitable date.

Spring Plans

2009-03-11T14:24:00.003-05:00

We're starting to plan for the spring work and it always includes deciding which animals will be the highlights and how we'll organize them. Some will come from Maplewood Farm and lots will be born here in the next few months. A few little goats came unexpectedly early, but are doing well.

Our available dates for tours are slimming down, but there are quite a few still sprinkled throughout May and June, so call us to book your group in.

We've added Canada Day as a Family Day this year, and we would love to see you if you prefer to spend our national holiday in the country.

New Life in the Middle of Winter

2009-01-07T09:25:00.002-06:00

We're pleased to introduce the newest little farmer at Morning Sound Farm. His name is Takis Luke and he was born on December 29, 2008. He is already a big, chubby guy and is trying hard to catch up with his two big brothers.

As for more commonplace events, we are in the process of updating the website and it will be ready soon with the current information. We are taking bookings for May and June and have some dates booked up already. Call us soon to get the date you would like.

You'll likely hear a lot of happy noise and maybe some wailing in the background. Talk to you then!

Thanks for a great season!

2008-08-03T18:25:00.002-05:00

Our farm is now closed for the season and we are looking forward to a bit of holiday time in August. We do want to say thank you for all your interest this season. We enjoyed meeting so many people this summer and made a lot of new friends. It was a pleasure to see the desire of folks to inform themselves about animals, food and farming.

Because our season is over, we will not be visiting blogs or email as frequently, so if you need to talk to us, please call us at 736-3460. We are taking bookings for 2009, so feel free to contact us with your dates for a group booking. We generally take nursery and elementary schools in May and June and all other groups in July.

We will have Family Days again next July, but these dates haven't been finalized. We will post these as soon as they are settled.

Thanks again for a wonderful season and see you next year!

Thanks for a great Family Day!

2008-07-20T20:43:00.003-05:00

Thank you to everyone who visited us on Family Day yesterday. Everyone we spoke to had a great time and anyone with any other kinds of comments is welcome to contact us- we'd love to hear about your day at the farm.
We have a two tour weeks left and a couple of places for a group or so left before the end of July. Our feedback from daycare groups has also been very positive, so we know that your group would enjoy a visit here.
One of our summertime projects is going to be starting to train our yearling ponies, which will be very exciting for us. Lightening and Blizzard both show great potential as quiet ponies for kids. We'll keep you posted on their progress.

Summertime on the Farm

2008-06-30T14:05:00.003-05:00

School's out and the summer has really begun! We've had several new arrivals at the farm and are still expecting a few more. A lovely batch of kittens is just opening their eyes and moving out of the nest, we had another new calf a few days ago and a new set of chicks and ducklings will arrive in a day or two. These, along with some of the regulars, are charming all the visitors to the farm!

We are looking forward to the upcoming Family Day on Saturday, July 5. We know many of you can't wait to come out and enjoy the whole farm at your own pace. Look for the planned schedule on the Family Days page of our website. As an added bonus, Mr. Farmer plans to demonstrate sheep shearing along with the goat milking. So you will see everything we have to offer.

As usual, there is no booking required for the Family Days, just come for the day or just the morning or afternoon, as you prefer. We look forward to seeing you!

Tours have begun for 2008

2008-05-19T10:55:00.002-05:00

We've opened for the year and our first week was an excellent start. All of the groups were pleased with their day at the farm and the weather was reasonable, too. Our friends, the Kim's, were successful in their first week on the job as additional tour guides and the animals also did their part.

One reminder to the groups coming in the next few weeks: there has been a detour set up on Hwy #3 before the bridge at Sanford. This detour is NOT the way to our farm, please ignore the detour and continue on Hwy #3 across the bridge until you see our yellow sign with the blue arrow pointing left. This road will say "road closed" at the beginning of it, but our farm is on that road before the closed bridge.

Last week, we had several new babies arrive again: chicks, ducklings, and another goat kid. The puppies are just at their cutest and cuddliest stage and the new calves are simply beautiful. Your visit will truly be memorable for everyone. See you soon!

Countdown to Opening

2008-05-03T22:26:00.003-05:00

It's been great to see the farm coming into shape, with all the winter dust swept out of the corners and straw raked off the lawn. The "tour farm" is appearing and we're excited to start our season.

Our puppies are about as wide as they are long and have opened their eyes to catch their first glimpse of the world around them. We have ducklings in the incubator that many of you will see on your visit this spring. More babies are arriving all the time.

We've had a few openings come up in May/June, so give us a last minute call if you can arrange transportation. Now is also the time to have good selection in July, so don't delay your field trip plans for summer.

The Babies have Begun!

2008-04-15T20:02:00.002-05:00

This weekend was an exciting one on the farm! Our first kids, calf and puppies arrived.
First, a little pair of pure white twin goats on Saturday, then our dog Tessa had seven puppies on Sunday night. And today we had our first calf during the supper hour.

We have also been boiling off our maple sap over the last two days. We gathered about twice as much sap as last year and it is taking a long time to turn into syrup! Tonight we had pancakes for supper to try it out for the first time.

As tour season approaches, we are still able to take a few more bookings in May and at the very end of June. Day cares are beginning to book for July. Call us soon to get the date you want.

Early Spring News

2008-04-01T19:22:00.014-05:00

With a thaw finally on the way, we have sap flowing from the maples and signs that the farm babies are near to birth. We are also planning some new furniture for the rain shelters, as well as a rinse system for handwashing. These things were nicely suggested by some of the teachers last season.

The month of June is nearly booked solid, except the 26th and the 27th. May has days available from the 12th to the 23rd, as well as the 28th. We would love to take your group for a tour on one of these days.

We're planning to invite everyone for Family Days in July this year. Plan to visit the farm on July 5 and July 19 with your family.

Confirmations of tours already booked will be going out to teachers next week.

Fireside Family Talks

2008-01-08T18:41:00.000-06:00

Now is the time for a farm family to sit by the fire and read, when possible. But there is lots of discussion and planning regarding spring. Which animals will go where? How will the groups flow from area to area this year? What were the most common comments and how will we adapt the farm experience? What fun to plan when it's too cold to do much about it!!

Now is also the time for you to book your tour date. We have some dates full already, and we have heard from some teachers that they have to get busses booked early. So call us any day and nail down your date.

May and June are for nursery and pre-schools and all ages of elementary classes. July is open to daycare groups and other organized groups. Watch for updates to our website to include information on our Family Days in July, as well.

Planning Ahead for Spring

2007-09-18T21:58:00.000-05:00

Even with no tours, the farm is still abuzz with activity this fall, as the garden harvest comes in and as we try to tackle some landscaping that is easier now than in spring! The corn is almost done and the pumpkins are starting to orange up. Along the river, the trees are turning bronze and gold. The cows have presumably all started their new babies to be born in spring. We are putting together our spring program, and, if you are, too, feel free to contact us with any questions. If you have a certain date or day of the week you are interested in booking a tour on, it's not too early.

2007 Wrapped Up

2007-08-03T06:57:00.000-05:00

It's pretty quiet around here, now that the children and the buses have stopped arriving for the year. We're busy putting things away and assessing the past season, as well as making plans for next year. What are we going to set up differently? What tour parts were the best and which ones should we update? Which projects on the yard are we going to tackle first? We look forward to the next few months, when we'll have time to answer these questions. We enjoyed all your feedback over the season, but would relish more. And if you have a preferred date in mind for 2008, contact us anytime. Thank-you for your business this past season. We enjoyed it very much and we are excited about the future.

Thanks for Coming to Family Day!

2007-07-22T22:20:00.000-05:00

The last two Saturdays were super! Family Day was enjoyed by all, according to the comments we received. We had a steady stream of people for most of the day and would have been glad to see even more. We now look forward to our last two weeks of scheduled tours for daycares, who tell us they really appreciate the quiet, relaxed atmosphere and the freedom the children have to interact with the animals. If you missed coming to the farm this year, keep an eye on our website for next year's Family Days or call us to book a tour for your organization in 2008.

FAQs about Family Day

2007-07-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

Family Days are July 14 and July 21, Saturdays, and on these days everyone is welcome to experience the farm. To find out what is happening when, see the last posting for a schedule. But here are some of the questions you've been asking about Family Day:

Do I need to pre-book? No, on these days, families are welcome to come when they want to and for however long they want to, no registration required.

Can I bring a birthday party? Yes, you are welcome to bring any number of children, as this is the only time we can do birthday parties. If you call ahead, we will reserve a picnic space for your party.

Do I need to bring a picnic lunch? Yes, there will be no food for sale at the farm. There is a grocery store in the nearby town that has over the counter lunches.

Is there enough parking? Yes, there is ample parking for everyone.

Can I use a stroller? Yes, almost every area of the farm works with a stroller, and there is some walking distance between some of the sights.

Do you provide a guided tour? No, we will provide a map for every visitor with the activity locations marked, and at every station, there will be a helper to answer any questions in that area. Families will be free to spend as much time as they want in each area.

Will you charge for pony rides? No, the pony rides will be included with every admission.

Family Days are Coming!

2007-06-27T21:44:00.000-05:00

School's just about out and the summer is heating up, so we're getting excited about Family Days! These will be on Saturday, July 14 and Saturday, July 21. We have set up a schedule of some events, so that you can plan your day. All the stations of the farm will be open all day for you to come and go: the small barn with lots of baby animals, the chicken barn with chickens to feed and more animals to pet, and the scale and cattle chute to explore. There will be free pony rides at the beginning of every hour and hayrides at: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 and 4:00. You can also try your hand at goat milking at 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30. Feel free to bring a picnic lunch and stay all day, or choose the best time for your family. The farm opens at 10:00 and closes at 5:00. The cost is $5 per person, one year of age and older, or $20 per family.

Farm Feedback and Favorites

2007-05-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

Now we have three weeks under our belt! We've had lots of feedback, including the following:

"I was pleased to see how easily you accomodated our large group." pre-school teacher

"We hardly noticed the other groups that were here." elementary teacher

"I liked being able to hold all the animals." student

"We will most definitely be back next year!" pre-school teacher

"I can't think of anything to suggest that you change." elementary teacher

One of the favorite spots is the hayloft. Right now, we have a mother cat, Scooter, with her three-week- old kittens that just opened their eyes today. The puppy, Jillian, sleeps when she can in an old, plush, Winnie-the-Pooh chair. There are also seven rabbits scrambling around in the straw. All these in a cozy top floor of the barn, where the children are free to hold what they want.

We are officially full to the brim, so call us to book for next year. We're excited about this summer and especially our Family Days, where we can meet some of you again. Soon I'll post a schedule of each day's events, so you can plan when to come and enjoy.

You love the farm!

2007-05-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the comments from our first week:

"Your farm is the best experience we've had on a farm trip, and we've been to a lot of farms!" (parent)

"We are certainly going to come back next year, we really appreciated the hands-on freedom that the children were allowed." (teacher)

"Can we live with you?" (parent and kids)

Great sentiments and we're pleased with the response, to say the least! Also let us know how we can do better.

We've decided on some days in July where anyone can visit- see the sidebar "Family day at M.S.F." for details.

Puddles on Opening Day

2007-05-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

It was not quite rain, snow, sleet and hail, but just about! Our first tour was a real baptism by rain. It seems that all concerned were pleased with the day's activities, but all of us got a little wet. All the activities went ahead, except the hayride, which would have been extremely soggy. We're so thrilled to have gotten a start on the tour season, after all this time of preparation.

If anyone has any questions about preparing your group for your tour day, give us a call. We could give you some topic suggestions. Our July dates are filling up, with only the Mondays left. There may be room for a small group here and there. Looking forward to seeing you!

Countdown to Opening Day

2007-05-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

Things continue to hurtle at a startling pace toward opening day, only one day away! New babies are popping out all over the place, visiting animals have arrived, and the final touch-ups are still in full swing tonight. We are very excited about the upcoming season and we look forward to your visit. Please let us know if there is a special way we can connect with your class on their tour day.

Calamity has Triplets!

2007-05-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

This weekend, we had an opportunity to observe Calamity, our large, white nanny goat, give birth. On Saturday morning we noticed that she was ready and quietly gathered to watch. She had always had single kids in the past, and due to her size, we expected twins this time. We were so delighted and shocked to see the third kid appear! One large, white male, one small, black-and-white female and one small, white female. They all have short ears like their la Mancha father. Today, they are all nursing well, spending the day outside and running and jumping together.

We're thrilled to be all booked up for May and June and sorry at the same time, so we've started a cancellation list. We are considering opening on Saturdays in July, so call us if you are interested. We have had a cancellation on May 18, with no one able to take it so far, so let us know if this is the day for you!

Arrival of Babies has Begun

2007-04-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Jewel, one of the beloved riding ponies, had her foal yesterday! It is earlier than we expected, but seems to be doing well, as it is already running around. Many other births are just around the corner, like the nanny goat who is about as wide as she is long! We'll keep you posted.

Updates

2007-04-23T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick tying-up of loose ends on previous articles:

Sugaring off- We ended up with about 3 litres of syrup at 2:00 in the morning. The syrup is darker than last year and stronger tasting, but we're not sure what all the causes are.

Moving the chickens- Our hens adapted very well to their new environment, although whether their drop-off in egg production was due to the move or the cold or both, we'll never know. They quit laying almost completely for a couple of weeks, but since then have rebounded nicely to about 18 eggs a day, with at least one hen sitting on a nest of 14 eggs.

We're feeling the rush of spring work now that the snow is gone. Every day has little excitements, the smaller, the better! Let us know what your group will be the most interested to learn about, we'd love to hear from you.

Sugaring Off

2007-04-17T21:53:00.000-05:00

The more there is to write about, the less time there is to write. Today was, (and still is, maybe for a couple more hours!) sugaring off day. We had been freezing the sap from 15 Manitoba maple trees for a couple of weeks now, and the freezer and the snowbanks were beyond capacity. So today we had a wood fire burning in the fire pit, starting at 9:00 in the morning, and we've shrunk 38 gallons of sap down to just a few. By the end of tonight, we'll have the finished product, probably in half-a-dozen jelly jars. I'll let you know what the end result was.

Many other exciting things are happening, but you'll have to hear about them another day. I should mention that in July, we are doing a little less intense tour, suited to kids on summer vacation, and we are accepting a little smaller groups. We also will not be taking bookings for August this year, so plan ahead to book in July. Please contact us with any questions at all.

Where would we be without stairs?

2007-04-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

We've got a staircase to the hayloft! After much planning and almost a week of work, the stairs ascend beautifully beside the barn door, ready for so much foot traffic in a few weeks. From the top landing, looking out over the river, we saw a large otter scamper across the ice and plunge into the water. That sighting was a family first!

Our excitement is building as we see the calendar filling up and the ground thawing and drying.
Our direction signs are in production, our driveway sign is ready to be picked up tomorrow and we're thinking about fence painting. Large areas of grass are almost dry enough to rake. The long daylight hours help us change our schedule to match the increased demands on our time.

One teacher has made a request to include some information and demonstration on our maple sap collection during her kindergarten class' tour, as this nestles in nicely with their study of trees through the seasons and their uses. We will gladly comply, and would love to hear any other input on how we can tailor your tour to where your class is at.

We had a new date open up today- May 31 is now available due to cancellation. We also still have May 14 and 16, as well as May 30; June 27-29 and many days in July. Please contact us with any inquiries.

Let's call it spring!

2007-04-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

Now the river has risen, the sap is running and the rubber boots are out! It must be spring. Sure, this week we're having a little secondary winter, but it's a small glitch in the real agenda- SPRING! We're thrilled to see the farm thaw out and to be able to prepare for our first tour in about six weeks.

There is a special preparation going on for the beginning of new life. Mr. Farmer delivered a batch of duck and chicken eggs to a nearby incubator. These eggs will be timed to hatch on the same day and will be the fuzzy balls of down that are so special for the children visiting in the first few weeks.

We still have a few days available in May: 14, 16, 18, 30
as well as June 27, 28, and 29.
We are also taking bookings for the first two weeks in July.

With any questions or to make a booking, contact us.

Help us help you!

2007-03-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

How can we assist you teachers in preparing your students for a day at the farm? We would like to make information available to make the time at the farm more meaningful and memorable. Let us know what you want to teach your students. We'll already be putting current farm information into our blog, but would welcome any suggestions that would be of specific interest to your students. Any feedback would be followed up on closely. Contact us and help us make your farm trip even more educational.

Interest in the Farm

2007-03-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

It's been very rewarding speaking to so many teachers over the past two months. Everyone looks forward to the children's wonder and excitement at the farm. We can't wait for tours to get started in May. But each day has its assigned tasks as we roll along toward spring. There are always things that need to wait until the ground thaws. Scheduling the groups does not wait, however. And this week is no exception. Our available dates are as follows:

May 14, 15, 16 18
May 22
May 30
June 27, 28, 29

Of course, July is when the farm is best for day care groups and day camps. Please contact us if you have any inquiries at all.

Moving the Chickens

2007-03-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

Well, the sap didn't run, so we have something to learn in that regard. Maybe today.

This morning, we're giving our laying hens a new home. They spent the winter coming of age in the small barn, coming out to eat snow and going in to warm up and make a mess. So, in the name of using resources wisely, we are going to send them over to the big cattle shelter to clean up the grain that the cattle waste ( and any that goes straight through undigested). Right now, the great round-up is on, and the preferred method of transfer is grain sacks. There was some concern that the disturbance would set their ability to lay eggs back a few weeks. They had started to lay about a dozen eggs a day as the weather warmed, so we'll see if the dire predictions come about.

As previously mentioned, we're booking for May and our month of June is full up to the 26th. We have had a cancellation on June 5th, so we could take a group that day. For a full description of a day at the farm, see the posting from March 8th. To make a booking, contact us.

Hoping for Sap

2007-03-10T06:46:00.000-06:00

This Wednesday, we tapped 15 maple trees along our riverbank. We hung ice cream pails on the hooks, and the wind promptly blew half of them away on Thursday. Live and learn! But we are hoping to see some sap running today.

As ever, we are expecting to have our first farm tours in the middle of May, and would love to book your group. June only has room for bookings on the 27th, 28th and 29th. It seems that the rest of June is maxed out.

Please see "events at Morning Sound Farm" posting for details about our tour. Contact us with any questions you may have.

Events at Morning Sound Farm!

2007-03-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

Right now, we're excited about the upcoming season! We'll be having our first tours the week of May 14th. The month of June is almost full, except for the last three days. Our plans are full steam ahead for a new washroom block and a new tour segment about cows, including a "day-in-the-life-of" where kids will get to do some cow type things.

As always, our tour will consist of these three parts:

-the small barn: This is where you learn about horses and their equipment, you get to pick up chicks, bunnies, kittens and puppies, as well as play in the hayloft, and, of course, you get a pony ride!

-Mr. Farmer's tour: Mr. Farmer is first going to teach you all sorts of wild and wacky things about chickens and eggs, then he will shear a sheep while you watch, where you will also get to take home a little piece of wool. Then you will see him milk a goat and get to try that for yourself. And you'll never guess how far he can make a goat spray her milk!

-the hayride: On the hayride, you will see the outlying parts of the farm, the pastures and herds, and learn a little about how they are managed.

Give us a call soon to book your tour. We can take any size of group, up to about 150 people. If your group is operational in summer, we recommend booking in July for more availability. See our website for full contact information morningsoundfarm.com