Hi, my name is Jim Gronau. My partner, Rosalind, and I raise sheep and a few goats on a hundred-acre multigenerational farm in Prince Edward County. We’ve been doing rotational grazing for two full seasons now (the flood year and the drought year, around here). For twenty years or so prior to that, sheep were continuously pastured here, and before that, dry dairy cows, We have a vegetable garden for our own use, and we’re going to plant a few apple trees in the spring.
We look forward to participating in discussions about sheep, goats, livestock guardian animals, rotational grazing, and draught animals.
It`s great that this forum has been launched. Thank you, EFAO!
Hi Jasmine. We also live in Caledon. We grow hops are are looking to source local barley for our in-development brewery. If its OK, I’d love to connect & explore this possibility.
Hi,
My name is Joey Anstey. I started on the adventure of changing careers (and lifestyle) from healthcare to farming (both of which are difficult to separate from one another, if you ask me) in January 2015. Since then I became a member of the EFAO later in 2015 after working on an Organic vegetable farm North of Kingston, ON. Since then I have moved to SW Ontario as my wife chased her dream job and we have been fortunate to find a little slice of land (6.25ac, ~4 workable) 25min W. of London where I am now wading through the many options for produce and livestock production systems. Right now, my primary goals are to settle into our home, clean up the outbuildings, build soil fertility and organic matter, and position ourselves (my wife, daughter, and I) in a place to invest in our farmstead (as I like to call it). I’ve been fortunate meet several very knowledgeable people through activities with the EFAO and can’t say enough good things about my experience so far. Without EFAO opening up doors to education and mentoring I’m not sure this adventure would have been so fruitful (pun intended) thus far. Happy to be a member of such a great group and I look forward to absorbing as much as I can from this forum.
Hi everybody, My name is John Moylan. My wife and I bought our farm 7 years ago. We’ve been growing some chickens and turkeys for a few years and have some pigs and beef cattle now. This year we are taking the plunge into full time farming. We’re starting with the artisanal chicken program and plan to have turkeys, pigs and beef, all pastured. Our plan is direct sell to restaurants and individuals. So far so good with the marketing. Our future plans/ideas/dreams include hops, bees, no-till cropping, maple syrup etc etc. The EFAO has been a fantastic resource for learning so I’m excited about this forum and hope we can have something to offer to others down the road as well.
Hi
Pat Kozowyk - Baba Link Organic Farm in Flamborough Centre, Hamilton. Fruit, herbs, flowers, veg. and wild - mostly perennial. Usually seeking the less common.
My name is Jennifer Sanders. I don’t farm. We have a very large vegetable garden and I am interested in seed saving and vegetable breeding. I have projects going with onions, leeks, shallots, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, beans, and peas. I write a blog called Seasonal Ontario Food where I post recipes, write about my garden, and visits to people who are growing and processing food in Ontario.
Hi, My name is Michael (most call me Mike) from Kirkview Farms located in beautiful North Glengarry, in Eastern Ontario. I farm with my sister Alison, and we are in the process of turning our 196 (one 100 acre and one 96 acre farm) acres into a diversified, regenerative, permaculture based organic farm. We currently raise chickens, turkeys and pigs, but hope to add beef in the near future. We only joined the EFAO this past summer but are very excited to be part of this great organization. Looking forward to interacting via the forum and hopefully in person as well.
Hi, My name is Elly Finlayson of Railway Creek Farm . I raise vegetables using organic methods. My farm is in Central Ontario, north of Madoc, in the land of rocks, wetlands, trees and more rocks, trees and wetlands. This farm though is a beautiful plot of sandy loam soil that grows wonderful veggies. I specialize in garlic, but try many kinds of produce. I have been farming on my own for 20 years and I am currently expanding into new ventures. I have been a member of EFAO forever. I value all kinds of info and I love to grow my knowledge of farming as well as experiencing food in general.
I just have the need to grow!
My name is Aabir Dey and I work for USC Canada as part of The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security. We run a number of different programs to support farmers in saving ecological seed adapted to their regional farming conditions. I based out of Seeds of Diversity in Waterloo, ON, and run a number of research trials at different farms across the province. We work with the EFAO to put on a number of different workshops and field days across the province, and I’m happy to answer any questions on seed in Ontario.
Looking forward to connecting with all of these awesome farmers over the course of the season.
Hi. My name is Laura from High Spirits Farm. This is my second year farming officially, opening a vegetable and fruit CSA with a small membership.
We have horses and I teach a horsemanship program that reflects our holistic vision for the farm. Second phase of the food forest/permaculture orchard is being added this year and hoping to have over 20 different types of fruit in production,in a couple of years to add to our CSA and local farmers market.
We are in transition, working towards organic certification.
Hi everyone. I’m Justin Hilborn from Fat of the Land Farm located outside the village of Moscow in the Kingston/Napanee area. We raise grass-fed beef and pastured pork and poultry, primarily chicken. We’ve been involved in the artisanal chicken program and direct market all of our meat via a buying club format. We’re big on simple, low cost, easily scalable livestock raising techniques and we use chicken tractors, portable electric polywire, and nothing so large it can’t be moved by hand or an ATV. We’ve been at it since 2010 and have become experts on what not to do. Despite that we persist.
Hello! My name is Tyler and partner Erin and I are on a journey to create a life connected to the land. We initially started this path by taking workshops and courses on wild foraging for edible, medicinal and utilitarian plants 4 years ago. Since then I have contributed in starting an organization called We Grow Food in Oshawa where we help young families and individuals start their own backyard gardens free of charge. From there I moved on to a 6000 sq ft garden space in Ajax where I began Foragers Urban Farms and grew veggies on a few plots in the Ajax Whitby area. This year Erin and I have partnered with Headwaters Community Farm in Cobourg where we will be living off grid, farming veggies and perennial fruit and herbs and foraging for wild medicinals and nutrient dense greens! We will be taking care of the established gardens there and starting a 3/4 are plot where myself and a few volunteers and hopefully and intern will be growing and making a living.
Thanks for introducing me to this group Denis and looking forward to chatting and maybe getting some support through this amazing organization.
Hello I’m Mike Swidersky and I farm in Melancthon Ontario which is in the Shelburne/Dundalk area. Our farm/ranch is almost 100% perennial pasture. We custom graze several hundred yearling stocker cattle. I also manage the Grey/Dufferin Comunity pasture farm. All our pastures are very intensively managed with stock being rotated every 1 to 3 days. Soil building, plant and animal health are areas that we manage for. We have been experimenting with high density grazing for about 12 years. We have a flock of sheep that live out side all year. They are winter grazed with hay for 120 days and graze the rest of the year. My wife Amber grows close to 2 acres of cut flowers.
I look forward to learning from fellow producers as well as sharing my successes and failures.
Hello Alvaro Venturelli from Plan B Organic Farms in West Flamborough near Dundas Ontario You can check us out online at www.planborganicfarms.ca We operate around 25 acres organic veg and 28000 square feet greenhouse as well as operate the City of Hamilton’s McQuesten Urban Farm. We make lots of our own fertilizers and plant protection products which we are in the process of registering so we can share them. Thanks for your comments and sharing info!
Hi, there. My name is Rodney Lott and my partner, Carolyne Siebert, are new owners (i.e. we’ve been on the property since last Nov) of a 9 acres farm in Grimsby on the escarpment. Our farm is aptly named 9 Acres and was formerly an organic farm called Ridge Meadow Farms. We are intending to manage the farm using permaculture concepts and practices. We have three areas of focus: small scale honey production, making vegetable-based products and supporting food security in the Burlington/Hamilton area (i.e. supporting food banks, dinner programs, etc.). We are looking forward to learning from others in the forum and hopefully helping others as we are able. Best regards!
Hi My name is Dave and farm 125 acres with my wife Darlene,We have beef cow calf sheep and some heritage pigs.Most of the calves are sold as stockers,the lambs at 75-80 lbs as freezer orders . breeding stock or at the local sales barn and pigs as weiners in the spring and finishers in the fall and winter.We rotationally graze the sheep and cattle and grow mostly hay and pasture.We grow some grain.mainly wheat ,and purchase the rest as mixed grain.We are not organic but are working towards it.I like this forum…
