Edwin Binney’s Farm asks for help after key partnership ends

Edwin Binney’s Community Farm and Education Centre, located beside the Crayola building in Lindsay, is calling on the community for more support.

Since opening in 2019, the farm has been supported by Fleming College’s sustainable agriculture program, which has now been suspended, leading to a termination of the partnership between the United Way CKL and the college.

Emily Beall, co-executive director of United Way CKL, says while they understand why the partnership has ended, it has left the farm in a tough position. They’re already expecting a decrease in crops due to extreme weather this year, and now “we won’t have the same people power on the farm to be able to keep on top of the weeding and the irrigation and harvesting…we’ll do the best we can this season.”

Since 2019, 100,000 pounds of food has been donated to 25 different organizations throughout Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County. “We’re averaging somewhere between 15,000-20,000 pounds of food harvested and donated annually,” Beall said. “Food insecurity is increasing, we should be increasing our production, if anything, we certainly can’t be scaling back.”

The farm does more than just harvesting. They offer workshops to elementary and high school students where they make a connection to the curriculum. “We teach about community development, agriculture, ecology, sustainability, there’s a lot of science components with soil science and biodiversity. It’s a wonderful place to learn,” Beall said.

They also connect directly with local camps, including the Boys and Girls Club, and host a farm camp with Ampere. They’ve also worked with Kawartha Lakes Library and Kawartha Art Gallery to host story time and art in the garden, respectively. Even yoga has been held amongst the crops.

While Fleming was their main partner, Beall is grateful to everyone who has helped the farm get to where it is today. This includes their food distribution partners, and donors who help them have access to some plants and tools, as well as the different high schools that partner with them for co-op. “There’s a lot of people involved that have made this kind of what it is now, and we’re grateful for every bit of support we have. But now we’re looking for extra support.”

As for how people can help, the biggest thing they’re looking for is labour support. “We particularly need somebody that’s knowledgeable in agriculture and in farming, and small-scale, sustainable farming.”

“We do need more volunteers as well to help support in all the different capacities that are needed at the farm with weeding and harvesting and planting and watering, just everything that comes along with it,” Beall said.

They also need heated greenhouse space. It’s an important tool for them to be able to start plants at the beginning of the season, without enough space for them, it will have a negative impact on the whole season. They’re also in need of mulch, compost, different hand tools, and a tractor.

However, one of the biggest things that will help to support the farm is donations. “If we had monetary donations from the community, we’d be able to buy some of those things ourselves and keep them on site safe and secure,” Beall said.

While they’re still in the beginning stages of figuring this all out, “we’re just calling out to the community to see who has something they can provide, whether it’s knowing how to do something, resources, or connections,” Beal said. “We’re happy to have conversations with anybody, with what they can provide to us, and we’re happy to give tours.”

At the end of the day, “we don’t want to see this fall apart, because it took so much to get here, and it provides such a benefit to the community,” Beall said.

For more information on how you can help, reach out to the farm and project coordinator at , on social media @unitedwayckl, or by phoning the office at 705-878-5081.