EVENT RECAP: Farm Tour and Potluck at Steel Pony Farm

Touring a vegetable farm at the beginning of September is a bit like showing up to a BBQ after everyone has eaten – if you dig around you might be able to find some salad and a sausage left. This was the analogy Mike Kozlowski from Steel Pony Farm opened the tour with, getting a few chuckles from the crowd. We were in luck, there were still some carrots, pumpkins, kale, beets and onions in the field, a fraction of the over 30 veggies produced on the 8 acre plot located in Treaty 7-Battle River Territory, just south of Red Deer.

Mike opened the farm tour with an introduction circle, inviting each of the thirteen participants to share their favourite vegetable, where they traveled from today (many coming from over two hours away), and questions they had about the farm or growing vegetables. Mike then led us through the story of Steel Pony Farm’s inception and evolution over the past decade, from his trip to Kenya, to the delivering of veggies on his bicycle, to the grocery boxes, with products from multiple Alberta vendors, now delivered year round to customers.

We took a slow meander through the vegetable plots with stops to examine compost heaps, learn about soil health, discover the right kind of onion for this latitude (Ailsa Craig), and hear Braden Stotle’s, this year’s YA apprentice, share this season’s learning experiences. The depth of conversation and learning was wide, inspired by questions from participants who were curious about everything from hand tools for a no-till approach, to solutions for the financial and market barriers of new entrant farmers.

Afterwards everyone gathered for the potluck of delicious creations from people’s gardens and kitchens, including three kinds of potato salad, haskap ice cream, guacamole and lamb rolls. A big thank you to Steel Pony Farm for hosting this wonderful tour, and Sunterra Market for their financial support towards making the last potluck and tour of the season one of delicious food, deep conversation and belly laughs.

Follow Steel Pony Farm Online

Website: steelpony.ca

Instagram: @steelponyfarm

Learn More

New to farming? Check out our How to Start Farming course or access our How To Start Farming In Alberta toolkit.
Learn how you can become a YA Apprentice or a host farm in our Apprenticeship Program.

Photos and write-up provided by Sasha, the Alberta Apprenticeship Program Coordinator at Young Agrarians