Photos by Ellen Cameron
Saturday was the 8th Annual Schomberg Agricultural Society Farm Tour. The theme this year was “Home of Champions”. The three sites: Glencal Farms, home to 47 Percherons, Schonberg Farm with Thoroughbred race horses and Sunny Maple Holsteins.
Last year Ellen and Sandra accompanied me and we joined forces again. Ellen is a GREAT photographer and took the pictures you see here.
We met at the Schomberg Community Hall on Main Street and enjoyed a bowl of chilli. Ron and Brenda Dike walked in. They live east of Newmarket and it was their first Farm Tour. It’s my seventh. I’ve known Ron and Brenda since 1989 and it was a treat to cross paths.
The “Champion” theme flowed through each farm. At Glencal all the horses were over 17 hands high, with one at 18.3 and another at 18.1. The flyer for the Farm Tour listed over a dozen big shows across North American where the Percherons have been consistent winners in both line and hitch classes.
The Schonberg Farm (Schonberg is German for Beautiful Hill) has been in the Schickendanz family since 1981. There is a broodmare band of about twenty mares with two stallions, Wando (2003 Canadian Triple Crown Winner and 2003 Canadian Horse of the Year) and Mobil (2004 Canadian Champion Older Horse of the year).
The Sunny Maple Holsteins have over 200 head with 90 cows of which 65 are milking. The cattle have been shown at local shows, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sandra, Ellen and I are looking forward to next year’s Farm Tour!
