Farming with a Developmentally Disabled Crew - The Awkward Stumbling's of a Neophyte - Part II
Chicken Little the Sky is Falling
As some may know, and some may not, my background in farming also includes the study and practice of biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic agriculture is just one of the many branches of anthroprosophical work inspired by Rudolf Steiner. My interest in biodynamics led me to the work of Karl Konig an Austrian Pediatrician and anthroposophist that founded the Camphill Community. These communities provide curative education and “life sharing” to people around the world.
So what does all that have to do with Colchester Neighborhood Farm? Foremost, we are a farm (though not practicing biodynamic agriculture at the moment), and we have a staff that includes adults with developmental disabilities. In addition, though I do not come to my work here at CNF with a background in developmental disabilities or special education; I do approach with a personal philosophy akin to, and confidence in the work of Karl Konig and Camphill.
It was Karl König’s view that every human being possessed a healthy inner personality that was independent of their physical characteristics, including characteristics marking developmental or mental disability, and the role of the school (or in our case the farm) was to recognize, nurture and educate this essential self. A belief that, “a perfectly formed spirit and destiny belong to each human being (Busalle 1996).”
It is important to recognize the fundamental differences between mainstream traditional “service delivery systems” and the Camphill approach. Within the Camphill movement there is “a respect for and a wish to engage with nature, with the earth, with the natural cycles.” This is not a deliberate intention on the part of most traditional service providers of adults with developmental disabilities. I feel blessed to have found this farm where there is opportunity to honor the person.
Within Camphill there is also recognition that “individual growth and personal development happens at hand of others and in and through relationships (whether or not people are living with disabilities), relationships over the course of time and sometimes in the human encounter in the moment.” New England Village mission clearly reflects and supports the opportunity to do just that in our work here on the farm.
So there you have it, the foundation of my philosophy in a nutshell. However, before I digress further, my topic for this writing is some observations I have made on change, and how it affects some of our workers here at Colchester Neighborhood Farm.
Farming is filled with constantly changing variables, weather, pests, crop growth, and animal behavior just to name a few. No two days on the farm are ever alike. Though routine is established, flexibility and the ability to nimbly adjust both your thoughts and your plan are essential to successful farming. Though it may seem oxymoron, I love planning, scheduling and routines, however on the flipside change and adventure charge me up!
There is one aspect of our farm that is a planned and scheduled change. One I am very excited about, our rotational grazing pasture for our laying hens. Managed Intensive Rotational Grazing, also known as cell grazing, or mob grazing is a variety of systems of forage use in which ruminant and non-ruminant herds and/or flocks are regularly and systematically moved to fresh rested areas with the intent to maximize the quality and quantity of forage growth. This type of grazing can be used with cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks and other animals. Here at CNF I am grazing one portion of our chicken pasture, while allowing the others sections to recover. The length of time a paddock is grazed depends on many factors, but it is usually 1-3 days. Resting grazed lands allows the vegetation to renew energy reserves, rebuild shoot systems, and deepen root systems, with the result being long-term maximum biomass production. Keeping chickens on fresh pasture is good for the chickens, cuts down on feed, and improves the quality of eggs as well.
When I first arrived at CNF the chickens were in a pen, where they had been for several years. The soil was barren, compacted and eroded. The chickens didn’t move…. the chicken pen did not move……
Many people, especially people with developmental disabilities, are often most comfortable with routines that they can follow daily so that they know what to expect. Most adults with developmental disabilities thrive on routine. A change in the normal pattern of the day can be very upsetting. A major change might cause them to “lose control” and maybe even have a “melt down”.
Imagine for a moment a person with Autism, or even Down’s syndrome discovering that the chickens are in a different location just about every morning when he or she gets to the farm. Hum, yeah, It had not even occurred to me that something I don’t really even think about could be such a big deal, or news to talk about, much less think to let the girl who collects the eggs, or the guy who cleans the coop know so that they could “prepare for the change”. They were not ready for it, and I certainly was not ready for this -
“What happened to the chickens, why did they move (said in a very anxious and nervous voice)?”
“Are they ok? Are they going to be ok?”
“The chicken’s are over here now! They were there yesterday?
All I could think was “chicken little, chicken little the sky is falling.” Who knew that rotational grazing could cause such commotion……
In all seriousness, two things have become evident to me in my time thus far at CNF. We are all different and so there is no hierarchic relationship, with one teaching and the other learning. Instead it is a situation where we learn from one another and grow through our interactions with one another. However different in cognitive ability we may be, we share the same quality of being human. When working together we not only want to see good results of the hard work, but we also face the problems, questions and the need to adjust our expectations of how things “should be” and just accept the present situation…….if the sky is falling it will be ok.
Sources -
Busalle, Rebecca, Cornelius Pietzner, and Stephan Rasch. “The life of the soul”. Aperture, Summer 1996 n144: 26(10).
Holistic Special Education: Camphill Principles and Practice. 2006, Floris Books, Edinburgh
Marga Hogenboom,Living With Genetic Syndromes Associated With Mental Disability, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001
Voth, Kathy. Mob Grazing with Chickens – http://onpasture.com/2013/06/24/mob-grazing-with-chickens/
