Looking Back: The Friends of the Farm Lecture Series

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The Friends of the Farm lecture series was initiated in 2002 with the intention of informing the Friends and the community in order to promote wise decision making concerning the future use of the Experimental Farm lands.
2002: Brian Mackay-Lyons, architect and urban planner, “Public Spaces and Spirit of Place”.
2003: Julie Harris, historian and heritage consultant,”From Experimental Farm to Town Farm”.
2004: Bernard Jackson,Memorial University Botanical Garden, “Development of a Botanical Garden”.
2005: Andreas Haun, Kingsbrae Gardens, St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
2005: Karen Achenbach, Annapolis Historical Gardens, Annapolis, Nova Scotia. Presented jointly with the PEI Garden Club.

2005: Daniel Glenn, landscape architect and park planner,”Ravenwood Experimental Farm Concept Plan”.
2006: Doug Shouldice, President, Friends of the Central Experimental Farm, ” Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm, Preserved and Flourishing”.
2007: Diana Beresford- Kroeger, botanist and medical biochemist,” Island Trees , Island Treasures”.
2008: Warwick Harris, Island Studies, ” The Plants and People of the Chatham Islands”.
2008: Laura Lee Howard and Bert Christie, Island studies and Agriculture,” The Future of the Experimental Farm, Conflicting Views”.

2009: Larry Beasley, urban planner, “Buildings, Spaces and People: Making a Great City by Design”.

2010: Greg Smallenberg,landscape architect, “How good design is saving the world…one landscape at a time”.

2012: Kevin Garvey,historian,”The History of Apple Farming on P.E.I. and the Art of  Growing Apples “.

2012: Catherine Hennessey, historian, “Ravenwood- An Early Estate, A Place in History, A Local Treasure”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AGM 21-11-2011

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Dear Friends of the Farm:

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Farm will be held at the Farm Centre, University Avenue on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. All members and the public are invited to attend.  There will be a short business meeting following which Kirsten Connor, President, Upton Farm Trust, will be our guest.

Please Download the Membership Renewal Form

Over the course of the past year the Board has worked hard on your behalf. The Royal Crown Garden was rebuilt and bloomed beautifully all summer, and a brand new species of rhododendron was planted in the Rhododendron Garden.

As well, this past summer, Premier Robert Ghiz and past premiers Catherine Callbeck, Keith Milligan and Pat Binns planted a “Premier’s Tree” at the Farm. This revived a long-standing tradition of having our PEI premiers plant a tree during their term of office, the last having been planted by former premier, Joe Ghiz in 1986.

The Board is proud of these accomplishments and particularly with having been able to make these enhancements to the property that we hold so dear.  This has been made possible with the support of  Research Manager, Dr. Maria Rodriguez, Property Manager, Gayle Arsenault and several staff members

Minutes November 2009

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The minutes of the Annual Meeting November 9, 2009 were distributed to all in attendance for review and were duly approved.

Chair, Janice Simmonds gave a report of activity over the last year. She indicated that it had been a quiet year compared to the previous year in which a joint submission with the City of Charlottetown on the future of the Farm had been made to the Federal government. Highlights of the past year were the sponsorship of two public presentations on the design and use of urban spaces. The first lecture in May was by Larry Beasley, a renowned urban architect from Vancouver, and the second took place in October and was given by Greg Smallenberg, a landscape architect with wide experience in urban and community design.

A meeting was held with the new research manager of the Farm, Dr. Maria Rodriguez, to exchange information and ideas.

Bert Christie, acting Secretary-Treasurer, presented the financial statements report and audit. He also distributed a sheet listing those organizations and businesses who contributed financial support to the Larry Beasley presentation. The financial statements report was approved as circulated on a motion by Bert Christie, seconded by Ken MacDonald, and duly carried.

Gertie Purdy delivered a report on memberships and indicated there were currently 345 members. She asked those present to either join or renew their memberships that evening.

Ken MacDonald and Lane McLaren presented the report of the Nominations Committee. Two openings are currently available on the Board as one member, Paul Hickey, has decided to resign and Lloyd MacLeod is now an honorary Chair. The Nominations Committee put forward a proposal to nominate Kim Devine and Sylvia Poirier to fill the two vacancies on the Board. Additional nominations from the floor were requested and as no nominations from the floor were received, a motion to nominate Kim Devine and Sylvia Poirier as new Board members and to re-nominate the current members Janice Simmonds, Lane MacLaren, Nora Jenkins, Bert Christie, Catherine Hennessey, Connie-MacKay Carr, Doug MacDonald, Ken MacDonald, Libby Martin, and Gertie Purdy was put forward and seconded by Doug MacDonald and duly carried.

Janice Simmonds introduced the guest speakers of the evening, Dr. Maria Rodriguez, Research Manager and Mr. Jamie Coffin, Regional Engineer, Atlantic from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research Centre Home Farm. Other AAFC staff also in attendance were Mr. Roddy Pratt, Research Operations Manager, and Gail Arsenault, A/Integrated Services Manager. A handout was distributed to the attendees that outlined the status of the Farm property, management of the property, information on surplus buildings slated for demolition, and special projects such as the Ducks Unlimited ponds and the sunflower fundraiser. Jamie Coffin talked about maintenance and structural changes to the Farm property and about ten buildings that are considered surplus and the reasons their demolition is required when funding becomes available. He stressed that the Farm property continues to be useful for specific research activities, that it will continue to be well maintained, and that there is no talk of the property being declared surplus in the foreseeable future.

Various points were raised and questions posed by attendees and the AAFC position clarified on several initiatives. Items discussed included: the need to maintain Ravenwood house as a heritage property, ways to raise funds to help with its maintenance and the role of the Friends; access to the property for public events and liability issues; permission to revive the Royal Forest with new ceremonial tree plantings, the requirement for an official proposal to Real Property office in Ottawa, and the Friends role to purchase the trees; the reinstatement of the “Crown “ flower bed; and appreciation for the enhancements that have been made to the property by AAFC, such as the duck ponds, and the desire for future partnerships on similar projects with the Friends and the broader community.

The Chair, Janice Simmonds thanked the AAFC guests for their presentation and for the very useful and open discussion that resulted. She also thanked people for coming to the meeting and for their support and help and then adjourned the meeting.