Sunday, September 9, 2018

The Farm In Summer

One summer day in late July, I paid a visit to the Experimental Farm, mostly to see if I might be able to photograph the dairy herd out in pasture (they were either in a different pasture or, more likely, being milked at the time). The Farm is a government property, over a thousand acres of fields and pastures in the city dedicated to agricultural research. Roads and bike paths cross it. This view, beside a flowerbed with summer plantings, gives one view. It is quite likely that this flowerbed has tulips in May.


Corn was growing in one of the fields.


This view looks east from that field. The buildings of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, as well as other working buildings of the Experimental Farm, are over there. The Museum uses a series of barns to house animals and displays on agriculture in Canada. Readers who haven't seen my series from the spring in which I paid a visit to the Museum might want to start with the first post. There were seventeen posts in total.


Continuing my walk, the first barn I came across was the Meadowview Barn, part of the Museum complex. A summer day camp was busy on the grounds around it- the kids were off to my right.


This view looks towards the Small Animals Barn in the background.


Across the road from the above view is this former house that would have likely been a residence for an administrator of the Farm back in the day. Today it houses offices for the Canadian Dairy Commission.


Returning back to the south side of the road, I photographed the Dairy Barn. The herd might well have been inside for milking time, and there was a milk truck parked here to make a pick up. This time of year, the animals spend a good deal of time outdoors.


Coming around the Dairy Barn, I had this second view of the Small Animals Barn. Cows were out in the paddock area, some visible near the trees. They would be the breeds who reside in the Horse And Cattle Barn, which I'll show you an angle of in tomorrow's post.


I leave off for today with this view of the Cereal Barn, taken from the south east. As I passed by, there was a notice on the back door that the building was being used for summer day camps, and I could hear kids inside. I have added today's post to Tom's Barn Collective post for the week, so go on over and have a look.

41 comments:

  1. What great buildings! You captured a great sky too.

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  2. Those barns are enormous - almost the size of cathedrals. Their architecture is very interesting with those steep gables and round towers.

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  3. Nice to compare this farm and its buildings with our, much smaller farms.
    Our summer was too warm for a cows too stay in the pastures during the day, so some farmers send them out in the evening after sunset.

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  4. These scenes look so peaceful, like peering back to a simpler time.

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  5. As I say... there is so much to see, so much to learn.

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  6. Amazing research goes on there and at other sites across the country!

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  7. Wonderfully captured buildings. I've had several walks on the dairy farm today - with the dog of course. Saw cows and calves in different stages and paddocks.

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  8. I like the shapes and colours of those different barns and they look wonderful against that bright blue sky:)

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  9. Hello, love the pretty flowers and the neat looking Dairy Barn. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and have a great new week!

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  10. Farms are a treasure to tour.
    Its a charming sight to see cows crowding each other under the shade of a tree. The barns offer more shade.

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  11. ...William, I hope that you will stop by and Link this post at The Barn Collective.

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  12. That's a good idea to visit there. I love their gardens, and used to bike there!

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  13. It looks so peaceful, Did you have a picnic?

    Janis
    GDP

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  14. You show some pretty awesome barns.

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  15. i enjoy the blooms, the barns, what a great day. nice times. ( :

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  16. What a peaceful place to visit. I sure like that first barn.

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  17. There is a lot to see on this farm and it is very well maintained.

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  18. This looks great place to visit! I love the photo of the corn field. The buildings are beautiful!

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  19. I'll bet there are tulips in those beds in the springtime, too. Wonderful place to visit. Thanks for the tour! :-)

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  20. @Linda: it was a fine day, but hot!

    @Rosemary: the Dairy Barn is particularly big.

    @Jan: I imagine that might have happened some days here.

    @Sandi: that's true.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Catarina: definitely!

    @Marie: a lot of work.

    @Jo: I grew up in the countryside around farms, so I'm used to them, but this place is a great exposure for city kids.

    @Rosie: they do indeed.

    @Eileen: thank you!

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  21. @Maywyn: this farm is a treasure.

    @Tom: I'm planning on adding it as a link before the day is out.

    @Jennifer: I've got garden views over the next three posts.

    @Janis: I didn't, but I spent a considerable amount of times in the garden.

    @Red: there is quite a mix in these barns.

    @Beth: thank you!

    @Janey: me too.

    @Sharon: it is indeed.

    @Tamago: thanks!

    @DJan: you're welcome.

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  22. What an attractive barn! Very nice indeed.

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  23. What a wonderful farm with plenty to see. I enjoy seeing your photos, well done William.

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  24. The barns are beautiful, William. I like the flowers as well.

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  25. What a great idea your city has. Teach teach teach hands on. Lovely buildings
    MB

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  26. What an awesome farm and photos!

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores

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  27. I do remember your Spring posts and I remain in awe that your government Agricultural Department makes this available to the public. Everything about the Farm seems perfect. The beautiful buildings as well as the crops, the animals.... thanks for sharing.

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  28. I enjoyed seeing your farm photos! Have a wonderful week!

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  29. A huge farming complex! The enormous barns and that wonderful tudor farmhouse are gorgeous!

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  30. I can see this being a fantastic place to bring school children on excursion William ✨

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  31. @Unknown: the barns here all have character.

    @Bill: thank you!

    @Revrunner: I do too.

    @Marleen: so did I.

    @MB: it is quite a museum.

    @Cloudia: that it is.

    @Michelle: definitely.

    @Carol: thank you!

    @Sallie: it's a beautiful property to be able to pass through.

    @Lea: it's a pleasure to show them.

    @Colorful World: it is quite an operation. And we don't seem to have a lot of Tudor style architecture here.

    @Grace: I would think it's busy a lot during the school year with field trips, and running summer day programs seems to be a very good idea.

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  32. First, William, thanks for your comments on blog posts done during our recent cross country road trip. I read and appreciated all. Now, that we're home I am trying to catch up on reading posts of fellow bloggers. I have scrolled by many of your recent ones, but not left comments on all. Thanks for the tour around this Experimental Farm.

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  33. This is a place I'd love to visit!

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  34. I enjoyed seeing all of these photographs, and also what stood out for me was the wonderful sky!

    All the best Jan

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