A farmer in central New York doesn't believe in using tractors or anything else with an engine to wo

Описание: (18 Sep 2014) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus017463

VOICE-OVER:
HORSEPOWER...NOWDAYS MEANS AN ENGINE REVVING, TIRES BURNING DOWN THE TRACK.
BUT THIS FARMER STILL RELIES ON THE OLD FASHIONED KIND.
SOUNDBITE: Donn Hewes, Draft Animal Farmer
"I'm doing the kind of farming that I believe in that heals the land.//Never a day when I wish I was on a tractor."
DONN HEWES IS ONE OF A GROWING NUMBER OF SMALL-SCALE FARMERS DEDICATED TO FARMING USING DRAFT ANIMALS INSTEAD OF ENGINES.
HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE DRAFT ANIMAL POWER NETWORK, WHICH BOASTS 400 MEMBERS.
SOUNDBITE: Donn Hewes, Draft Animal Farmer
"The animals don't use fossil fuels, and they produce the hay that they need to fuel them for the next year."
HEWES WORKS 100 ACRES OF LAND IN CENTRAL NEW YORK WITH HORSES AND MULES TO MAKE HAY, SPREAD COMPOST AND HAUL LOGS.
SOUNDBITE: Donn Hewes, Draft Animal Farmer
"I feel that there is something to be gained from exploring a world with limits. I'm interested in how my work and my choosing to work with horses affects how I view my soil, my water."
... BUT SOME TRACTOR FARMERS SAY THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE A LIVING THAT WAY.
SOUNDBITE: Raymond Luhrman, Tractor Farmer
"I cannot rely on that at this point in time when I have to plow five acres or something like that in the term of like a day or so. It's just is not going to happen with any horse."
FOR HEWES... IT'S MORE THAN A LIVELIHOOD.
SOUNDBITE: Donn Hewes, Draft Animal Farmer
"Working with the animals is a fantastic experience for me. It's a personal experience that I find enriching and rewarding."
... AND HE SAYS IT'S A CHANCE TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY LIFE.
CINDY SHARP, ASSOCIATED PRESS.

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