Farming with horse power
Photos and Editorial By Kathleen Frey
A farmer needs iron-willed energy to turn over the earth and deposit the next batch of seeds for a new crop. Tractors dominate this starring role on farms large and small. At the same time, plenty of evidence points to these efficient machines as sources of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the air we breathe. Machines have and will probably continue to do a lion’s share of the work in agriculture. But an economically and ecologically attractive alternative exists for small-scale farmers with extra time and money: horse-drawn plows. In 1919, the number of farm horses in the United States peaked at 21 million, according to an article in the British science journal Nature. At the same time, 20 percent of the country’s arable land was needed to feed the hard-working creatures. The advent of electric motors resulted, of course, in the exodus of horses from the farms. The horses took with them a valuable (and inexpensive) source of fertilizer, as well the direct link between a farmer and her land. Dr. Carl Jordan, owner of Spring Valley EcoFarms, welcomed his freshly trained draught team, Marlon and Duke, back to the farm this month. The horses will be yet another experiment to discover how best to use the services of nature to sustain the environment—including the soil, water, and air. Marlon, 5, and Duke, 4, are both male horses with power-packed genes. Thor, a Belgian draft breed, sired both; their mother is Sally, a Georgia Quarter horse breed. In the coming summer months, the horse team will spend much of their time harnessed to a wagon made of maple wood by Mennonite builders in Ohio. The wagon—able to seat 10 people—will be available on special occasions for tours around the farm. Meanwhile, the horses’ handlers will continue a yearlong training process that will result in Marlon and Duke pulling a plow in a designated field on the property. The energetic beauties spend every moment of their lives outdoors. As Spring Valley EcoFarms continues to grow, the horses will be closer to a barn of their own.
