Valleyfield Farm: Farming on the fertile lands beside the Canadian Shield
Nestled in beautiful and historic Sylvan Valley, just east of Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, you will find Valleyfield Farm.
Melanie and Martti Lemieux have been living and working on this farm for over fifteen years. While relatively new to farming, they explained to me that they have adopted the practice of regenerative agriculture to operate their farm. “Regenerative Agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services.” “This practice also increases yields, provides resilience to climate instability and higher health and vitality for farming and ranching communities.” Source
“We were interested in getting the best quality food for ourselves and our family.”
I wanted to know how they got started in farming and they said: “We met in Toronto (Martti is originally from Sault Ste. Marie, and Melanie from Hamilton.) and while living and working there for over ten years, we got involved in sourcing our food directly from farms near the City. We were interested in getting the best quality food for ourselves and our family. As we met and talked with producers about our food, we decided we wanted to learn more which led us to volunteering to work on farms in the Gravenhurst and Muskoka area for a couple of years. We were particularly interested in what the most successful or top 1% of profit generating farms were doing things right, especially when it came to maintaining soil health. We researched the best cattle grazers and started to understand regenerative agriculture. We began to see the growth and improvement in the land and how that rolls into next years crops. For example, our cattle eating the best grass protein will become the best muscle protein.”
“We continued to do some research in the U.S. and Canada around the best kinds of agricultural practices to ensure food security. Our education never stops with conferences and constant interacting with like-minded farms.”
“It was around the 2008 recession, that we starting looking for our own farm property. We found the Sylvan Valley farm and broke ground in 2009. It was farmland that hadn’t been touched in decades, so there was a lot of work to do.” To start bringing in some money right away, Melanie began baking and selling pies. Slowly they grew their farm by first bringing in Icelandic sheep (unique to North America), then pigs, and poultry. Friends offered them their herd of cattle which they purchased. The beef is a “lowline black angus” the herd has remained a closed herd as they are able to do their own breeding. Now the herd is 50-60 head at any given time. Martti describes them as “stocky, stout and brick like.” “They rapidly convert grass into body-weight to produce more beef per acre than any other breed of cattle.”
The Lemuiex’s own 80 acres of land, however they actually use 240 acres including their own farm and neighbouring properties, where they grow their own feed as well as hay and for grazing purposes. In fact, they both pointed out to me that if it were not for this great relationship with their neighbours, they wouldn’t be able to accomplish what they have. “We have great neighbours”, they indicated.
The farm is worked year-round by both Melanie and Martti and their children and by a few hired helpers during the summer. The farm products they offer are as diversified as they are unique. They include;
100% grass-fed and finished beef
100% grass fed and finished Icelandic lamb
Tamworth, Berkshire, and Large Black pigs
Raised on open range, chickens, turkey and eggs
Garden vegetables - 50 types of vegetables ranging from Baby Leaf spinach and crisp Romaine to Hakurei salad turnips, heirloom tomatoes like the smoky Black Crim and Charentais melons.
Further farm products include;
Icelandic fibre and pelts (farm shorn and Ontario finished)
Field cut flowers
“No pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or antibiotics — just sun, soil, a little rain, and a lot of attention to nature’s natural cycles.”
All products are grown and raised with “No pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or antibiotics — just sun, soil, a little rain, and a lot of attention to nature’s natural cycles.”
Valleyfield Farm sell their products several ways. Their main method is through a CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) or Farm Share. Shareholders buy a share of the harvest at the beginning of the season and then pick it up or have it delivered weekly from mid-June to mid-October. Under the Farm Share, Valleyfield drops off share products at a location in Sault Ste. Marie and another on St. Joseph Island, alternatively shares can be delivered direct to the door. To inquire about a share, contact the farm through their website www.valleyfieldfarm.ca
The farm also supplies their products to Embers Restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie.
The Country Way store in Sault Ste. Marie carries Valleyfield Farm meat products, eggs, greens and more.
Currently, Valleyfield is building their on-line store. Watch for more information through the website.
Sylvan Valley is described as a “pocket farming community”, which means there are pockets of fertile land tucked within the valley while the valley is surrounded by the rocky and ancient Canadian Shield.
Sylvan Valley is described as a “pocket farming community”, which means there are pockets of fertile land tucked within the valley while the valley is surrounded by the rocky and ancient Canadian Shield. The fertile land found there has been ideal ground for growing for many generations of farmers. Sylvan Valley also has a significant historical importance. The following is an interesting piece from a publication about the history of the area (kindly supplied by Martti and Melanie for this blog);
“In 1870, 1200 troops under the command of Colonel Garnet Joseph Wolseley were sent to quell Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion.
Leaving Toronto by boat, they docked in Bruce Mines and travelled by land to Sault Ste. Marie rather than risk detection on the waters of rivière Sainte-Marie. At the time, the Fenians in the United States were retaliating against the British in Canada, and Wolseley didn't want them alerted. From Colonization Road in Bruce Mines, through Plummer township up to Sylvan Valley and into Sault Ste. Marie, his men, travelled the 'Military Road,' literally building sections as they went.
In time, parts of the 'Old Military Road' were graded and paved and much of it became today's HWY 638.” Source: Glancing Through Rydal Bank and Plummer Township: Over One Hundred Years of History” Author: E. Iona Robbins
Little did the military people mentioned in this article know that the valleys in this stretch of land would become home to small pockets of farms going against the grain in their own way. I find it fantastic to see new and young families being excellent stewards of the land by working properties that were once fallow farm land. The Lemieux’s exemplify this approach to land stewardship and are a hard-working family making their vision come to life.
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Valleyfield Farm
Martti and Melanie Lemieux
193 Cemetery Rd. Sylvan Valley, ON
Instagram @thevalleyfield