By Christopher Johnson
Clare County will be lighting up with more than just fireworks this Fourth of July. The nationally acclaimed Horse Progress Days event is making its next stop in Michigan, and it’s bringing plenty of horsepower with it this year.
Set for July 4 and 5 at the Alvin Yoder Jr. Farm, the gathering is one of the most anticipated events of the summer for the Amish and wider agricultural communities. This annual showcase, now in its 31st year, rotates between Amish settlements in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois—and now, for the third time, Clare County, Michigan. Last year’s event took place in Gordonville, Pennsylvania, and drew thousands of attendees. Organizers are expecting an equally strong turnout this year. Including anywhere up to 40 international guests who regularly travel to be part of the event’s global exchange of skills and ideas.
At its core, Horse Progress Days aims to promote sustainable agriculture, advance innovations in horse-drawn equipment, and educate the public about family farming and homestead living. The event is organized entirely by Amish experts and will be hosted locally by the Colonville Amish community, who have taken great care in preparing the farm, fields, and seminar spaces for a truly immersive experience.
Each day will begin with an official welcome followed by the Children’s Pony Express, a light-hearted opening tradition. From there, the fields will come alive with working demonstrations of horse-drawn manure spreaders, plows, tillage equipment, and more. There will also be produce displays that reflect the methods and outcomes of Amish-style farming.
Seminars will run throughout both mornings and afternoons, and this year’s lineup is especially robust. Attendees can expect presentations on soil health, grazing practices, raising livestock, dairy herd sharing, pork processing, cheese making, goat milk soap crafting, wound care, salve and candle making, orchard care without pesticides, and small-scale beekeeping—among many other topics. These sessions are all hands-on and field-tested, offering practical value for beginners and experienced farmers alike.
According to Alvin Yoder Jr., whose family is hosting this year’s event, the seminars are “very worthwhile” and meant to be as useful as they are educational.
The Round Pen area will be focused on all things horse training with horse master, Daniel Mast. He will be covering valuable insights such as colt starting and horsemanship fundamentals. Doug Russo, the event’s farrier, will be holding a course on horseshoeing, and Lavern Mass will provide a session on hoof care. An obstacle course will also be part of the weekend programming.
While horses are at the heart of the event, they won’t be the only animals present. A sheep herding demonstration, featuring trained herding dogs, is always a crowd favorite and is scheduled to return this year. In addition, there will be shearing demonstrations, and a team of oxen is expected to showcase traditional tilling techniques.
Another plow technique that will be on display is the use of a four-bottom plow that requires twelve horses to operate.
Learning about agricultural equipment from an Amish standpoint offers a rare and valuable perspective on farming that prioritizes sustainability, efficiency, and self-reliance. This approach to equipment—often horse-drawn, human-scaled, and innovatively adapted—demonstrates how traditional methods can meet modern needs without relying heavily on fossil fuels or industrial systems.
By engaging directly with the tools, techniques, and wisdom of Amish farmers, attendees gain practical knowledge rooted in generations of experience—knowledge that’s increasingly relevant for those seeking resilient agricultural solutions in a fast-changing world of smart tech.
Specifically artificial intelligence, or AI. Which is gradually replacing human skills and threatening the modern job market a bit more every day. Utilizing the Amish toolkit can help individuals maintain an edge over looming tech concerns. Curating a sense of freedom, survivability and above all, hope.
Because seemingly, in recent years, the American Dream has atrophied into a commercially obsessed, cyber-hellscape. Corporations and big tech seemingly want to give the world as we know it to robotics and super intelligence, phasing many of us out of the picture along with our hard-earned skills—How lovely.
Meanwhile, our nutrition suffers with overpriced store foods that are poisoned with preservatives and questionable components that are outlawed in more progressive parts of the world. It’s not a good look for us at all.
That’s where the event’s Produce Section thrives with some very vital information. This section has grown into a standout feature, attracting growers and produce enthusiasts from all over. With each passing year, this section expands in both scale and value, offering a wealth of practical insight for those involved in field and greenhouse production alike.
Today’s growers face a wide range of challenges—maintaining soil health, managing pests, and adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Horse Progress Days creates a unique space for collaboration, where attendees can learn directly from experienced producers and soil consultants who offer real-world solutions and guidance.
Greenhouse tomatoes will once again take center stage at HPD 2025. However, visitors can also look forward to a diverse display of in-season produce, including onions, peppers, and more—each demonstrating what’s possible with the right knowledge, tools, and growing techniques.
Demonstrations will explore best practices in greenhouse management, pest and disease prevention, and soil care efficiency, offering useful insights for growers of all skill levels, from those just starting out to long-established professionals.
Timber enthusiasts can head to the logging area, where Mark Yoder will demonstrate how to top and fell trees safely using traditional methods—an impressive and rarely seen process that highlights the versatility and strength of draft animals in forestry.
It costs an entry fee of $15 per person to enjoy this event. For seminars and demonstrations, visitors can pay $100 for optimal seating.
A menu of fresh, home-cooked foods will be available for purchase each day, prepared by community members. In a welcome new feature, free drinking water will be provided to all attendees to help keep guests hydrated throughout the day. In past years, water was always a priced commodity. Well not anymore! Now you can drink freely and save a few extra pennies, as tons of vendors are expected.
The Yoders are anticipating a sprawl of merchandising, with a mix of artisans peddling all various kinds of wares. Each year a massive bazaar sets up shop. The commerce happening under these tents ultimately becomes one of Horse Progress Days’ main sources for funding. The other being local sponsorships from right here in central Michigan.
On Friday evening at 5:30 p.m., the event will conclude with a benefit auction. Visitors will have the opportunity to bid on donated items, with proceeds supporting future Horse Progress Days and other local initiatives.
