John Rowe has a different way of relating to his land and his cattle — a way that he’s been developing since the 1960s.
He received a 2016 Watershed Award from the Grand River Conservation Authority for his environmental practices and for his willingness to educate people about them.
Rowe is the founder of Rowe Farms, which has a store in Guelph and seven more in Toronto. The company also has a network of farmers producing a range of foods, while Rowe grows beef on his land north of Guelph Lake.
He is a long-time tree planter with shelter belts and windbreaks on his farm. He uses farming methods that emphasize stewardship, natural cycles and limited inputs.
Farming in the era of climate change
Rowe started growing hormone-free and antibiotic-free beef decades ago due to health concerns. Now he is finding new ways of farming that he believes will help slow down climate change.
He said agriculture has come to this place today for valiant reasons — to grow enough food to feed everyone. Now the issue of the day has shifted, so it is time to investigate new ways of farming.
“I started at a time when there was still starvation in the world due to lack of food. Today there is a surplus of calories. Now we need to farm to reduce the impact of climate change and to solve water management issues,” he said.
“Cattle can be part of the solution.”
Rowe thinks about energy efficiency, the water cycle and nutrients in ways that are different from traditional farming practices. He is taking old farming methods and making them new again.
“This philosophy is of great benefit to the environment,” explained Greg Meredith, the Senior Interpreter at Guelph Lake Nature Centre.
“Above all else, John remains committed to educating the public. Every year Rowe Farm opens up for a public tour. He shows how raising beef can be good for the environment.”
Rowe stands in a field of lush grass that is glistening with morning dew. His herd eagerly wait to be let loose in a new field where they will feast for the day. This is their routine every day. Rowe said cattle digest grass better than corn and his animals are healthier and less stressed because of the food they eat.
The cattle have been bred from a variety of species to be small, have a layer of fat and longer hair that helps them through the winter, because they are outside all the time. Walking in the fields, especially in winter, keeps them healthy and means they don’t have any problems with calving each spring.
There are no signs of water problems here. The fertilizer comes from the cows, but they are moved to a new field each day, so the manure breaks down and decomposes naturally, feeding the grass.
Looking closely at the pasture, you see it is made up of many perennial species. Each offers different nutrients to the animals. The roots of each species are at different depths, making the pasture more resilient during dry conditions. These perennials return year after year.
Rowe believes that all of this combined has the potential to regenerate the soil and hold more carbon on the land in the plants he grows. The fields are never exposed, so there is no erosion.
Rowe is always happy to have students from Guelph Lake Nature Centre tour his farm to help them understand that farming and raising livestock can be environmentally sustainable.
This is farming in a different way with a different goal — “to enhance nature’s systems to feed ourselves,” Rowe said.
He knows he doesn’t have all the answers, but he always welcomes others to build on what he is learning.
