About the farm
Hillesum Farm is a 45 acre farm located just outside the village of Campbellville in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The Niagara Escarpment, one of Canada's most significant geological landforms, defines the physical features of the property with its gently rolling hills. The farm borders Guelph Line on the East and a wooded tract with hiking and riding trails protected by the Niagara Escarpment Commission in the West.
Our philosophy
We understand this place as a means to put into practice certain ideas and ideals about co-existence and sharing.
In the long term we hope to generate enough income from the farm to support on- and off-site charitable projects based on some of these principles:
To live in harmony with the land
to live in an ecologically responsible way
to farm organically and sustainably
to share the experience of this place
to learn from the land and the animals
to invite others to participate and partake
Our Name
No, there are no Mr. and Mrs. Hillesum living here. The Farm is named in honour of a very special individual who exemplified transcendant kindness and compassion, and who loved life in all its manifestations. Etty Hillesum died at Auschwitz, in August of 1943.
Our four-legged friends
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man," Winston Churchill once said. We think he was right.
Much of life at Hillesum Farm revolves around horses. We have some long-time equine residents enjoying the spacious paddocks and lush grass, and we always try to make room for some that need refuge.
Hillesum Farm has also been home to many wonderful dogs and cats over the years.
-
"When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people."
– Abraham Joshua Heschel
-
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
– Rumi