ABOUT US
We are a small, family-owned farm located in Wellington County, near Guelph, ON. We produce pastured, hormone-free beef, pork and roasting chickens, as well as eggs from free range hens. All our animals are raised the old-fashioned way, with access to the outdoors and natural environments. We aim for excellence in the quality of all our products and in the care of our land. As such, we do not use
any pesticides or chemical fertilizers on our land and our primary goal is to provide a provide an environment for our animals that respects their character and natural habits - as such, our cattle are allowed to graze for as much of the year as possible, our pigs have access to vegetated outdoor runs that they can root through, our laying hens are free to roam where they please and our meat birds are on pasture, moved twice a day to provide them with fresh forage and bugs. The feeds we provide to our animals do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The farm is owned and operated by Nick Dalton and Vera Top with considerable assistance from Nick’s sons, Christopher, Cody and Collin.On the so-called "side", Nick runs an energy efficient home building and renovation business (Braden Homes Ltd.) and Vera operates a certified organic seedling business (Trout Lily Nursery), in addition to doing Spanish translation and editing work for an international freedom of expression organization (IFEX).
Please read on for more information about our production practices....
PASTURE-FED BEEF
We raise our cattle on pasture from May to November and supplement with hay in winter. We use a management intensive grazing system, which involves moving our cattle to a new patch of pasture every day and using back fencing to prevent them from re-grazing the previously grazed area. This allows them to have fresh grasses every day and is much healthier for both the cows and the land as the manure is more evenly spread and there is an elimination of overgrazing. The cattle are primarily grass fed, although the young stock receive a small snack of a grain ration beginning three months before slaughter in order to provide a little more marbling to the meat. During this time, they remain on pasture and the
vast majority of their diet still consists of grass. In addition, the herd is given a natural source mineral supplement with probiotics which we have found makes for healthier animals and beef with great flavour.We often have delicious lean ground beef and beef patties available at various times of the year. Beef sides, quarters or 30 lb boxes with a lovely mix of tender steaks, roast, ground beef and other cuts can be purchased in the fall/winter and sometimes in the early summer of each year.In 2012, we are also beginning to partner with another Rockwood area farmer to augment our beef supply. Because we are 100% committed to pasture-raising our cattle as much as possible and our land base is quite small, we are limited in the number of head of cattle we can produce. As such, our demand has begun to outstrip our supply and, after consulting with many of our beef customers, we have decided to partner with another local farmer whose practices around pasturing and other aspects regarding antibiotics and no use of hormones are in line with ours.
FREE-RUN PORK
We purchase locally-produced weaners each spring and grow them out to butcher weight. The pigs have access to spacious outdoor runs where they exercise and root around. They are moved onto new ground on a regular basis so they have a fresh "salad bar" to root though. In addition to a grain-based hog ration, they have a diet that includes plant materials from their run and from the Magda Farm garden and apple trees. In the late summer, the pigs are fenced into a lovely old apple grove where they can munch on fallen fruit and root around in the shrubbery. Sides of pork or 25 lb boxes with a superb selection of bacon, ham, sausages, chops and roasts can be purchased in the summer and fall of each year.
FREE-RANGE EGGSLarge brown eggs are available year-round from our flock of truly free-range chickens (meaning they can range wherever they want on the farm). The eggs are not graded but are typically in the large to extra large range, although customers will sometimes receive super-sized double yolkers or smaller eggs from our young hens. The flavour of these eggs cannot be beaten because of the varied diet of the hens as they peck around the farmyard doing what chickens do best in a natural environment. Studies have shown that free-range eggs have higher levels of the "good" Omega-3 fatty acids relative to conventional eggs.
PASTURED ROASTERS & SOUP/STEWING CHICKENS
We purchase day-old chicks and produce a limited number of pastured roasters each year. The meat birds form part of our management intensive grazing program, following where the cattle have grazed in mobile "chicken tractors". They are moved twice a day weather permitting, providing them with continuous access to fresh pasture. In addition to providing the birds with a more varied and healthy diet, this system ensures that all the waste nutrients produced by the birds are captured by the pasture vegetation. Whole and quartered, frozen roasters are available throughout most of the year.
We also occasionally have older laying hens available for sale as soup/stewing chickens. These older birds make an excellent broth with a richer flavour than the roasters because of both their age and their more varied diet.
