Current Enewsletter

Vol 15, Number 3, March 2025

Welcome to the Newsletter!

Dear Newsletter readers,
I’m grateful I get to write this welcome because March is one of my favorite months of the year. It is less a month of reflection and more a month of survival. March is a test—a test of our beliefs, our purpose, and our resilience. It is harsh, offering little hope, with only the sun as a quiet promise of warmer days ahead. Yet, March demands every bit of strength we have left in our hearts to keep going.

Or perhaps, in its own way, it IS a month of reflection—reminding us why we choose this life, why we work with animals even when the days are hard. Thawing ground, deep mud, floods, ice—March shows us the bite of cold moisture in the air and the way the sun can still awaken something bright within us.
It reveals our true nature, the quiet truth behind our daily work. Why we step out, time and again, to feed, to clean, to water, to care for our animals. Why we hold on, through every challenge, to the dreams that keep us moving forward.

I promise it’s not just because I was born in March that I hold it so close to my heart. But in many ways, I see March’s challenges as a reflection of life itself—meant to be met with grace, peace, and the quiet strength of happiness.

March is a stressful month here, as we must get the logs to the sawmills as quickly as possible before the roads become inaccessible (by law). After a winter of hard work with my horse, hearing the tractor only a handful of times, March is when the engines run harder than ever, and fuel burns fast. The man forwarding my logs out of the woods is stretched thin, racing to keep up with the 25,000 board feet left on this contract and his wood. On smaller jobs, we usually manage without a tractor, but for long hauls—like this forest, set deep from the road—a tractor and forwarder were necessary.

Though the only two other horse loggers I know in Quebec use horse-drawn forwarders, I’ve come to appreciate the role of a tractor in the woods. The steady sound of its engine is a comfort when I hear it approaching through the trees, and it has qualities that can’t be ignored. The fact that nearly anyone can drive a tractor is a big advantage for a business, and I appreciate that it will patiently wait while you load the forwarder, even when you are still learning. And when things go sideways, there’s no denying its strength—it can pull you out of just about any situation without the guilt of pushing it too hard.

This month’s newsletter is about mix powered operations and the balance between animal and engine power on a farm or business. With an article on the balance of farming using both, enjoy this good read while listening to the snow melting from your roof.

Sincerely,
Daphné Rose Courtès,
DAPNet Events Committee Chair and Executive Committee Moderator

Have you had a chance to listen to the Draft Animal Power Podcast? Last year, we have published six different episodes with interviews of people working with draft animals in the USA and Germany! Find us on any podcast listening platform and subscribe to be the first to know of a new episode!

Listen Here

Mixed Power: Flying Plow Farm

By Tom Paduano

Flying Plow Farm is a 56-acre certified organic farm located in Rising Sun, MD, just off I-95, about an hour’s drive from both Baltimore and Philadelphia. Founded in 2010, the farm produces organic vegetables, chicken, eggs, and lamb for our CSA and two farmers’ markets. Our CSA has grown to over 750 families, operating 50 weeks a year. In recent years, we've partnered with other local producers to meet the demand for home-delivered, customized boxes of vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats, and value-added products.

We use both tractors and horses to produce vegetables on 13 acres, with two to three acres left fallow each season for cover crops. The rest of the land is used as pasture for our sheep, horses, and chickens. A team of four seasonal workers helps us grow the food and manage the pastures, along with three full-time employees and a packhouse manager who organizes the CSA boxes during the week. In addition, we employ three delivery drivers, several part-time market staff, and a CSA director.

My wife, Sarah, and I manage the farm operations with the help of our CSA director. We each have our own “pet” projects on the farm that keep us grounded and sane. For Sarah, it’s raising Cheviot sheep. For me, it’s working with draft horses—breeding, training, and using them for farm work. In 2011, I bought my first team of horses: a pair of Haflingers, aged five and seven. They were not exactly what an inexperienced teamster should start with, and over the next two years, I struggled to incorporate them into our fledgling farm, which was mostly tractor-powered at the time.

From the beginning, I knew I couldn’t rely solely on horses for all the farm work due to limited time, equipment, and knowledge. So, I made the decision to give the horses specific tasks and the tractors others. This division of labor still holds today. Over the years, I’ve made sure that all fieldwork could easily be transitioned between horses and tractors. For example, we set our “horse rows” at 32 inches and our “tractor beds” at 60 to 64 inches, so two horse rows equal one tractor bed. Additionally, a majority of the horse-drawn equipment can be converted to tractor use.

Let me introduce you to the farm's work crew—both horses and tractors:
Our Horses:

Rocky: A semi-retired 18-year-old Haflinger gelding, bought in 2011.
Diamond: A 13-year-old Belgian mare, currently on broodmare status for the year, and will be bred this spring.
Buster: A six-month-old Belgian/Suffolk cross, born last fall to Diamond.
Pearl: A 14-year-old Belgian mare, one of our primary workers.
Ruby: A four-year-old Belgian mare, bred for the fall and another key worker.
Inge Ruth: A three-year-old Suffolk Punch mare, currently in training to take over Diamond’s role.

Our Tractors:

IH 584: A semi-retired tractor.
Kubota 5070: Our main workhorse for heavier tasks.

The tractors take on tasks that require more power and time than I can commit to with the horses. For example, we use the 80 hp Kubota to pull a 10-foot S-tine harrow or disk for secondary tillage. Before using the tractor for these tasks, I will plow the fields with horses. However, once plowing is done, we switch to the tractor because it saves time and allows us to cover more ground before planting.

I prefer to use three horses on the White Horse 715 plow, as this keeps the load lighter for the animals and requires fewer rest periods. We also use a three-horse hitch to apply a light compost dressing before plowing, using a Lancaster Spreader 100-bushel manure spreader pulled by the team. The compost is loaded with the tractor and a bucket. The spreader is hooked to the horses via a Cedar Hill Welding forecart that easily converts from two-horse to three-horse to four-horse setups.
When it comes to direct-seeded crops like carrots, beets, or salad mixes, I use a McCormick Deering cultivator pulled by two horses to mark 32-inch rows. For transplanted crops, I use a Nolt’s plastic mulch layer, which is designed for horses and can be pulled by two or three, depending on the soil conditions.
All our cultivation is done using horses. We use a Crossroads Cultivator with sweeps and a Tilmore finger weeder setup for narrow rows, and an S&L Cultivator for wider plastic mulched beds. Both tools are pulled by two horses.

The farm’s crew does much of the other fieldwork with tractors, since they have little to no experience with draft animals. It is also more economical for the farm to pay employees to use tractors versus draft animal power due to the added time needed for horse work. These tasks include organic spraying (using a PTO-driven boom sprayer), mowing, and harvesting root crops such as carrots and potatoes with a tractor-pulled root lifter. The crew also uses pickup trucks for harvesting, and a tractor and wagon for large bulk harvests.
For smaller jobs, like spreading pelleted fertilizer or cover crop seeds, I rely on the forecart and cone spreader pulled by horses. After seeding I will lightly disk and pack the seeds into a firm seedbed with a tractor.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to use horses or tractors comes down to workload, the time of year, and the need to delegate tasks. I’m grateful for the flexibility this system gives us and the chance to incorporate draft animals on our farm. While it would be ideal to have more people in the area interested in working with horses, I understand that the business benefits from employees who are able to use tractor-pulled equipment.
It’s been a long, patient journey to incorporate draft power into our farm, and I’m thankful for the time I get to spend working with draft animals. Even when things don’t go as planned, I try not to take for granted the opportunity to use horses to do real and meaningful farm work. Above all, it’s important to truly enjoy working with the animals.

Orders for the 2024 Draft Animal Power Field Days Commemorative Book

Do the winter blues have you reminiscing about the warm days of September when we all gathered in New York for the 2024 Field Days? Do you long for a memento to page through, to help you get through the long, long months between field days? Fear not, we have just the thing! 24 pages of sheer field days beauty, with captions to help us all keep the teams and people clear in our minds for years to come!
$45.00 covers printing, and shipping and handling is $13.99. Find yours today in our web store.

Classifieds

Are you selling or in search of something draft-related? Harness, equipment, or even draft animals? Or maybe you’re offering a job position or apprenticeship?
Email your ad to dapnetinfo@gmail.com and we’ll put it in the next newsletter.

Hay Year - Call for contributions!
Have you been involved in haymaking in the past? Will you be harvesting hay this year? Do you have experience in hay management with draft animals or traditional hay storage? Would you like to share hay stories with us, experiences with harvesting equipment, be it scythes or mowers or even hay tedders or rakes?
We are also looking for historical, ethnographic and archaeological information on hay management, be it photos, films or publications.
Are you interested in becoming part of this unique networking project? Then contact us now!

Employment Opportunity: North Country School and Camp Treetops Seeking Farming Fellow
North Country School & Camp Treetops is seeking a full-time Farming Fellow to join our educational farm in the Adirondacks. Over the course of this year-long fellowship, you will immerse yourself in the daily tasks and seasonal cycles that sustain our campus farm—from starting seeds and growing crops to caring for livestock, managing rotational grazing, and working with horses. You’ll also help create a hands-on, place-based learning experience for nearly 300 campers and students, guiding them through barn chores and integrating them into the rhythms of farm life. This unique opportunity blends farming and education, offering a meaningful way to inspire the next generation to discover “the joy in meaningful work."
Anyone interested is invited to apply, but young folks with a passion for working with horses are especially welcome as North Country School develops its horse program.
For more details and to apply, visit:

North Country School Farm Fellowship

Internship: North Country School and Camp Treetops Summer Farm Internship
Interested in working with the North Country School but looking for something shorter term than the full fellowship? Check out their summer internship!

North Country School Farm Internship

Draft Animal Farming Needs Assessment Survey, Purdue University
Dr. Moriah Bilenky of Purdue University is conducting a needs assessment survey of draft animal powered farmers for funding opportunities which would allow for many different collaborations among current and future draft animal powered farmers as well as those providing education formally or informally to those interested in draft animal power on small farms

Needs Assessment Survey

In Search Of 1-2 Riding Horses near Lake Placid, New York
North Country School in NY is looking to add to our herd of 7 riding horses!
We’re looking for one to two new horses (or mules!) that meet the following criteria:
- between the ages of 6 and 12
- 15.2 to 17.2 hands (barn height restriction)
- ride and drive
- western or English
- beginner safe (must be able to pick up feet and stand comfortably while being handled by students)
- preferably within 7-8 hours driving distance of Lake Placid, NY
- price is flexible but around $7-8k would be ideal.
Contact Toby if you have any leads, tharmon@northcountryschool.org
or 607-435-8355 (text or call).

Events

Have a draft animal related event you’d like share with the DAPNet community? Fill out our Events Submission Form and our volunteers will add your event to our website calendar!

Event Submission Form

For more details on the following events and others, visit our website.

April 5th: Draft Horse Gathering. Held at the Cart Before the Horse Farm, Pleasant Valley, NY. Hosted by Kieran and Gabby Conway. Free to the Public.

April 5th - 6th: Oxen Driving. Held at Tillers International, Scotts, MI. Cost: $445

April 5th - 6th: Initiatie Werken met trekpaard op cordeel, Halle Begium. Vraagprijs: 125€ pp. VOLZET

April 12th - 13th, 9am - 4pm both days: Hudson Valley Draft Horse Association Driving Class. Ulster County Fairgrounds, 249 Libertyville Road, New Paltz, NY. Members only (only $15 to join). Cost $75 for both days.
April 17th - 18th: Draft Horse Basics. Held at Tillers International, Scotts, MI. Cost: $410.
April 20th. 7pm EST. DAPChat - Story Time and Q & A on Working with Horses, featuring Ted Russell and the Green Mountain Draft Horse Association. Online via Zoom. Free.
April 26th - 27th. Oxen Basics 1. Sanborn Mills Farm, Loudon, NH. Taught by Ray Ramsey and Tyler Allen. Cost: $280.

April 26th - 27th. Beginner Horse Driving Clinic. Shelburne Farms, VT. Organized by Green Mountain Draft Horse Association. Cost: 145.
May 4th, 7pm: DAPChat - Building a life with Draft Cattle with Lea Fales and Brian Alfonsi. Online via Zoom. Free.
May 8th - 9th. Donkey Basics. Held at Tillers International, Scotts, MI. Instructor: Rick Eshuis. Cost: $550.
May 10th - GMDHA Auction. Addison County Fair, New Haven, VT. Hosted by the Green Mountain Draft Horse Association

May 17th - 18th: Draft Animals: Farm and Garden. Louden, NH. Hosted by Sanborn Mills Farm. Instructors: Ray Ramsey and Tyler Allen. Cost: $280.
May 22nd - 25th: Farming with Draft Animals. Hosted by Tillers International. Scotts, MI. Instructor: Rick Eshuis. Cost: $610.

More Events

Merch Update: Draft Animal Power Field Days Note Cards

Now available in our online store: DAPFD Note Cards featuring images from 2024 Field Days at the Orange County Farmer's Museum in New York. These gorgeous cards are just the thing for thank-yous and staying in touch with your friends and loved ones. Check them out below:

DAPFD Notecards

Welcome to the DAPMap

This month we are looking at our sleigh, wagon and carriage rides.

NEW - Hintz Farm LLC - They grow specialty fresh market vegetables, hay, produce maple syrup, and raise pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, cattle, meat rabbits, and more! We also offer private and public wagon/sleigh rides. We use haflinger work horses on all aspects of our family farm. You can contact them here.

Stockton's Big Little Shires- Shires; Stallions standing, foals for sale sometimes, wagon & carriage rides, training for those wanting to gain experience driving. Visit their website here.

Plows and Petticoats- Horsedrawn carriage tours. Contact them at their email.happyhorselady3@hotmail.com

Horses and Wheels- Draft horses for hire and wheelwright. Contact Horses and Wheels here.

Broken Yoke Ranch- Cattle farm, Oxen for work and movies. Contact them here.

Want to be featured on the map? Fill out the form today!

Join our Map

Committee Updates

Executive Committee
During the last month, Excomm has been busy doing all the behind the scenes things that help make the DAPNet magic happen. One thing that we are always thinking about is new prospects for the Board of Directors - the main group of dedicated folks who spearhead DAPNet’s programming. Do you think you would love organizing events, fundraising, helping folks learn about draft animals in person and online, and working with an excellent and dedicated crew of like-minded individuals? If so, please reach out to dapnetinfo@gmail.com and let us know!

Events and Field Days Committee
The Events Committee is kicking off the enormous process of planning our 2025 Field Days at Sanborn Mills Farm, scheduled for October 3rd–5th. We are just beginning to shape the schedule and assign coordinator roles to ensure a well-organized and engaging event. There’s a lot to do, and we’ll need plenty of hands to make it all happen!
In addition, we’re discussing how we can support James Guthrie in organizing a Southern Teamster Gathering in Kentucky. This is an exciting opportunity to extend our network and contribute to a great event beyond our Field Days.
Stay tuned for more updates, and if you’re interested in helping with any of these efforts, we’d love to hear from you!

Finance and Fundraising Committee
The Finance and Fundraising Committee has been working on both this month! DAPNet’s committee chairs have made budgets for the fiscal year that help DAPNet make the very best use of our resources. We’re also honored to announce that DAPNet has received a grant from the Hostetter Foundation to support our programming in 2025!

Education Committee
The Education Committee has developed a draft outline of our programmatic platform. This outline is now out for review by committee members. When we meet in April we will revise the outline based on that review. A less mentioned area of interest aside from a mentor/apprentice program and higher education courses is youth development. Rick Thomas of the Berry Center’s Farm and Forest Institute has an excellent example with his new Junior Teamsters offering. Rick has suggested this concept could be used as as model for youth engagement for DAPNet affiliated programs. We are grateful for the continued interest from the membership to volunteer for the committee. Hearing from enthused folks about these topics gives us affirmation that what we are pursuing is valuable to the draft animal community of practice.

Communications Committee
The Communications Committee continues to research alternative options to Facebook and Instagram, and develop a plan for shifting our internet presence off of corporate social networks. None of us being extreme IT wizards, there is much research to be done. We welcome any input from actual IT wizards or just teamsters with an opinion about what direction we should go; email margaretsmithlonglake@gmail.com directly with your thoughts. It’s been a little quiet on the podcast front, but we do have an episode in development right now, which we hope to get to your earbuds sometime in the next month or two. We have also made an important edit to the DAPMap entry form: asking people to state explicitly whether they are interested in mentoring new teamsters. Our committee felt this is important for those using our DAPMap to get started with draft animal work.