Old jack-o'-lanterns find new life at local farms
At Mapletwiss Farm near Arthur, Ont. they have a multitude of discarded old jack-o'-lanterns that are finding their final use -- as feed for their livestock.
“I think we did get a lot. We didn’t really count, but I think we probably had 200 people here on Saturday,” says Amanda Twiss.
Mapletwiss Farm hosted a “pumpkin party” over the weekend, inviting people out to their farm to unload their used jack-o'-lanterns. The response was overwhelming, and the Twiss’s pigs, chickens, even cattle, are now reaping the rewards.
“The pumpkins are good for them. It is part of their natural diet, and they get to forage, and do their natural behaviours while their eating the pumpkins, and breaking them apart themselves,” says Twiss.
Just northwest of Stratford, Perth Pork Products has their annual pumpkin cart out front, encouraging anyone who wants to “recycle” their pumpkins, to recycle it into the mouths of their heritage breed pigs and wild boar.
Former jack-o'-lanterns are devoured by livestock at Perth Pork Products in Sebringville, Ont. (Scott Miller / CTV News)
A few years ago, they had over 800 pumpkins dropped off at their farm.
“If it’s nice and cold, and we’ve got a nice snow cover, and it freezes at night, the pumpkins will last six to seven weeks, and we’ll feed them some everyday,” says Perth Pork Products Owner Fred de Martines.
And what the animals don’t devour, will ultimately find its way back to the field, in one way or another.
“The pigs will eat them, and anything they don’t eat will just go back into the soil as nutrients. I mean the pigs are eating them really well, and then in turn they’re creating food for us, so they’re absolutely not going to waste, getting a second use with the pigs here,” says Twiss.
It's “much better than the landfill,” adds de Martines, who is a certified swine specialist. “Eventually they turn it into manure, we spread it out on the fields, and grow our crops. So, it’s your full cycle,” he says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.