About our Farm
Our Berkshire Pigs
Our heritage Berkshire pigs are born & raised here on our farm! Fed a diet of mixed grain (wheat, barley & oats), beans for protein & a mineral mix – they are corn free in their feed. We also work with a few local farmers to obtain apples, squash & other seasonal produce when available to supplement their regular feed. Our pigs are added hormone, antibiotic free & fed an all vegetable protein feed!
How do we raise them?
Piglets are born in our nursery barn. It is temperature controlled to stay cool in the summer & warm in the winter providing the ultimate comfort for sows & their piglets. They spend their first 8 weeks with their moms (most commercially raised piglets are weaned at or before 21 days). Once weaned they are moved out to our open air barn that has indoor/outdoor free access year round. Inside they are bedded down with lots of fluffy straw to stay warm & dry! Fans run in the summer to cool the inside of the barn when they need a break from the hot sun. This is where they are fed an abundance of sweet apples & other local treats.
Why Berkshire Pork?
Berkshire pork has more fat marbling than other breeds of pork. The meat tends to be redder & has a sweet flavour. Tastes more like pork and is tender & succulent! Our pigs also take longer to grow compared to your typical commercial hogs as we do not feed corn.
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Our Cattle Herd
Our herd of cattle are 100% grass-fed and finished. They are on pasture during the late spring, summer & fall and then reside on the home farm during the winter. While pasture is hidden under the snow as it often is during Ontario winters they are fed hay that is grown, cut & baled on our farm as well as oats & peas baleage. Oats & peas baleage is cut green before it has a chance to go to seed, wrapped and then left to ferment! Baleage is higher in quality and protein because it is baled right after its cut (the cows love it – it’s like having green grass in the winter!). All of our cattle are added hormone & antibiotic free.
How do we raise them?
We have a herd of 15 cows & our speckle park bull – Bubba! Calving typically happens in the early Spring here on the farm. It’s always an exciting but busy time! Once they’ve had a chance to find their legs we move the cows & their calves to our summer pasture. The calves will stay with their moms for about 8 months before they are weaned. We wean calves so that our cows have a chance to rest & recover before their next calf arrives. This is the best way to ensure they are in good health. We also work with a select few local farms that provide us yearling calves that are also 100% grass-fed. They stay with us for about another year enjoying their pasture & winter forage along side our yearlings.
Why Grass-Fed?
Grass-fed beef is lower in fat than grain-fed beef but higher in omega 3 fatty acids & CLA. Along with the benefits of all beef – full of vitamins B12, B3, and B6 it has highly bioavailable iron, selenium, and zinc. Grass-fed beef also has higher levels of vitamins A & E.
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Our Pasture Raised Chickens
We are proud to be a part of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario – Artisanal Chicken Program! This program allows us to bring even more of our delicious pasture raised chicken to your freezers. Our chickens are fed an all vegetable protein, GMO free feed as well as all the fresh grass & bugs they can find. They are also added hormone & antibiotic free.
How do we raise them?
We pick up our chicks from a local hatchery that our family has used for generations. We then bring them back to the farm and place them into our brooder with heat lamps, fresh water & lots of feed! The chicks stay in the brooder until they are fully feathered & ready to be transferred into our chicken tractors. Our chicken tractors are built tough & completely predator proof – they also provide excellent protection against the elements when needed. The chickens reside in the tractors being moved to fresh, green pasture twice daily until they are ready at market weight. They have constant access to feed & fresh water. The tractors are 10’x20′ each so they have lots of room to stretch their legs & roam around!
Why pasture raised chicken?
We choose pasture raised chicken because it is not only a better life and more natural way to raise chickens but it is better for you too. Pasture raised chicken is higher in iron, omega 3, and antioxidants like vitamin E.