A person wearing a straw hat drives a horse‑drawn farming implement through a grassy field, guiding two brown draft horses harnessed side by side. The scene is set in a rural area with trees, open land, and a small structure visible in the background.
The Sustainable Horticulture Lab at Purdue University, together with Old Capitol Farm and Burgess Draft Logging and Lumber, brings you a hands-on introductory workshop on the fundamentals of farming with horses – from handling to harnessing to hitching.
Location: Corydon, IN
Cost: $15/person
About the Instructors
Ben Burgess is a Senior Master Biological Woodsman with the Healing Harvest Forest Foundation. Ben gained experience as an instructor at Berea College, where he helped lead the college’s horse-powered forestry program. Ben now works and breeds Suffolk Punch horses near his home in Russel Springs, Kentucky. Whether on the farm or in the woods, Ben is a skilled teamster. His humble, down-to-earth communication style makes him a good trainer of horses and teamsters.
Cameron Howard is a Master Biological Woodsman with the Healing Harvest Forest Foundation. Along with his wife, Molly, he is the host of today’s workshop. Cameron has worked his horses in the garden, on the farm, and in the woods since 2012. Cameron holds a B.S. in education and brings his teaching expertise to this event. Cameron enjoys building community, and he finds that the horses do this well.
Moriah Bilenky is a professor and researcher at Purdue University, where she engages with students and growers with an integrated research and teaching program focused on integrated crop-livestock systems for sustainable horticulture. Bilenky is particularly interested in how draft power fits into regenerative agriculture and is actively investigating whether it can enhance soil health, reduce emissions, and improve economics.
This event is made possible by NCSARE ONC24-141
