Campton's Cider Orchards will be something new, by being something very old - an orchard that grows fruit just for making cider. 

After many years of planning, learning, and searching, John and Maddie Wernham have finally bought themselves a farm where this orchard can be planted! However, buying the farm has taken everything we've got, with precious little left over to turn that farm into an actual working farm. That's where you come in...

But why? Well, for many years, "the family farm" has been on the decline in Canada. In many ways, this concentrates agriculture and food production under the control of international corporations that don't have a strong connection to the land. While there are incredible efficiencies to production on such a massive scale, something gets lost along the way. Food is only as healthy as the land that produces it.

Campton's Cider Orchards will be different from most modern orchards. Instead of focusing on extracting as much fruit as possible per acre of land, the orchard will be grown in a way that is socially and environmentally responsible. What does that mean? It means...supporting natural insect predators to keep pests in check; planting the trees with more spacing to allow drying breezes to move down the rows and protect against tree diseases; diversifying the understory by planting herbs and flowers amongst the trees to support healthy bee populations year-round; maintaining nesting habitat for hawks and owls to encourage natural rodent control and protect the trees. This also means that Campton's Cider Orchards could produce less fruit than conventional orchards, but that loss is more than offset by the value of the increased health of the orchard and surrounding environment.

What is needed now is the means to convert the existing hayfield on the farm into an orchard. This includes the equipment for cultivating cover crops to increase the organic content of the soil, many pounds of seed for the companion herbs and flowers that will support healthy bees throughout the year, a row mulcher for laying loads of mulch to reduce the grass competition for the young trees during their establishment years (without using herbicides), and the equipment necessary for pruning and harvesting the trees to actually realize the fruits of all the labour! 

And what's up with the name? Why would the Wernham family go with "Campton's Cider"? Shortly after we met, I first encountered my wife's grandfather, Bob Campton. He got me started on craft beer, which then led me to craft cider, and he's been tremendously supportive over the years. Because of his significance in our lives, along with the fact that his family name won't otherwise be carried on to the next generation, one of our goals is to establish a fitting legacy for Grandpa Campton, a gentle soul and thoroughly decent person who ought to be remembered. 

Many of us appreciate that the current path of our food production could lead to some major problems down the road, but it also seems like there's very little any of us can do to change it for the better. Well, why not make a contribution to help one family plant an orchard that's better for the environment and better for people?