As the seasons change and temperatures rise, farmers around the region welcome new additions, seemingly by the day.
With so many baby animals, The Boyle Family Farm in Moncton, N.B., hosted a Baby Animal Festival to let the public meet all the new ducklings, lambs and piglets with the rest of the barnyard gang.
“It’s just a great opportunity for families to come out,” says Boyle Farm owner Mitchell Boyle. “They have some fun, bring the kids and have experiences they don’t get in town.”
Boyle said sometimes it seems like it’s the parents are having more fun than the kids when they meet the animals.
It’s a similar scene with baby farm animals at Belding Hill Farms in Hampton, N.B.
The farm kicked off its opening weekend Saturday and will remain open every weekend until Halloween to allow the public to learn about farm life.
Jill and Luke Coleman are ninth and fifth generation farmers. The couple has been educating people about life on a farm by sharing videos and updates through their social media platforms and they don’t shy aware from difficult subjects.
When some of this year’s lambs and piglets didn’t survive, the couple shared the news with their followers. They said they believe people appreciate a real look at what happens on a farm.
“We think that’s important in the world today to be honest and transparent,” says Luke Coleman. “We don’t go out of our way to show anything that’s untoward, but we do a lot of that stuff and that does make a lot of people follow what we’re doing. Then when we do get an open day there’s a lot of people that are just itching to come see us.”
Education is a big focus on the Boyle Farm. One barn is dedicated entirely to teaching, something Boyle thinks is important when food prices rise.
“Understanding how difficult it is to raise food and where it comes from is very, very relevant,” says Boyle. “Being able to expose people and children to stuff like this, I think it gives a little taste of what it is and maybe puts the agricultural bug in some kids.”
Boyle says it helps people understand when they see the hard work that goes into raising the food they eat through all four seasons.
“I know when they leave here and they go home, they’re talking about it for the rest of the day, and it’s all happiness.”
The Boyle Family Farm is open to the public periodically throughout the year for events. Belding Hill Farms is open each weekend, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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