We practice regenerative agriculture, utilizing our livestock to improve our pasture fertility and the nutrition density of the food we grow.
Our livestock are a critical component of how we grow the best food possible, while also taking care of the surrounding ecosystem and all of the micro-organisms that live within the soil.
At Sweet Earth Farm we aim to leave this earth better than we found it. We use regenerative farming practices to not only sustain the existing ecosystems around us, but to improve them so that our livestock, our haskap bushes, the micro-organisms in our soil, and all the wild plants and animals that live on or pass through our farm, now and into the future, can thrive.
We also aim to provide our family and our community with the absolute best food that we can; this means best flavour, best nutrition and best growing practices.
It is important to us that all of our animals are happy, so we raise our livestock outside in their natural habitat as much as possible, with lots of space to roam and forage and play!
Laying hens
Our laying hens are not only free-range, but pastured (weather/season permitting). This means they live on the grass and have access to lots of bugs and plants and other yummy bits and pieces of organic food that they need to thrive. They also receive a daily ration of non-GMO grain.
In the winter, the hens live in an “open air” coop with large wide open windows so they get lots of fresh air, even when it’s cold and snowy outside.
The fresh air and access to pasture (depending on the season) yields healthy birds and absolutely delicious - and nutritious - eggs.
Berkshire pigs
Ask any chef and you will learn that Berkshire pork is some of the very best pork around. It is known for it’s juicy and tender texture with just the right amount of marbling and healthy fat.
We have been raising Berkshire pigs - from farrowing to finishing - right from the very beginning, when we moved to the farm in 2012. Not only is pork from Berkshire pigs delicious, Berkshire pigs are also incredibly docile and robust and thrive in the forest, where they are raised (spring/summer/fall).
The dark skin of Berkshire pigs allows them to live happily outdoors year round - without getting a sunburn! From May to November, our pigs live in our woodlot and during the snowy months, they live in a large enclosed paddock near the farmhouse.
Our pigs receive a daily ration of non-GMO grain, as well as lots of vegetable scraps, and when they are lucky, lots of milk and whey.
We love our piggies!
Pastured chickens
Between June and October, flocks of meat chickens live on our pasture. We move them to fresh grass daily - typically behind our cows - so they can de-thatch the pasture and help spread the cows’ manure.
We feed our chickens a ration of non-GMO grain to augment their diet of plants and bugs. At the end of 8 weeks, our chickens are nice and plump and yield delicious, moist and tender meat.
Our meat chickens add enormous amounts of fertility to our pasture - and help the grass grow lush and green - much to the cows’ delight!
Belted Galloway cows
In 2018 we bought a small herd of Belted Galloway beef cattle. These beautiful “oreo” cows provide us with some of the best beef around, and also help us to restore our pasture via rotational grazing. They are an essential tool in our regenerative agriculture practices. Once the pasture has dried out after winter snow melt, we move our cows daily to fresh grass and by doing so, they spread their fertility across our pasture without causing damage and compaction due to overgrazing. Since they spread fertility, it means that we don’t have to! Thus saving fuel and further improving the grass for the next season.
One of our customers described our beef as “sweet” – just like the name of our farm! We tend to agree - our grass-fed heritage beef is tender and delicious and tends to be fairly lean.
We love our belties! They are very mellow and do exceptionally well on our mediocre pasture. In the winter, they live in an area of our farm that includes woodlot and pasture, with a small cow shed for shelter. Their thick fur allows them to stay nice and cozy, even in frigidly cold temperatures.
Jersey cows
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention our Jersey cows, Elsie and (her heifer) Blossom. While we don’t sell their milk, they are as much a part of our farm as all of our other livestock, if not more-so.
We are so lucky to have fresh raw milk daily! This includes cream, butter, yogurt, kefir and cheese. The pigs love dairy also and they regularly receive lots of excess whey and milk. We also use our raw milk as a natural organic fungicide in our haskap orchard.
We collect manure from our Jersey cows in the winter to compost and spread in our haskap orchard after harvest. Creating fertility on farm is an important element in regenerative agriculture.
We resisted getting a family dairy cow for a long time - thinking it would be “too much work”. But the rewards far outweigh the challenges that come with owning such a friendly - and generous - beast!
How to Buy our Eggs & Meat
We sell our eggs, meat and haskap berries at the Tatamagouche Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. We also do deliveries directly to our customers on Halifax Peninsula every two weeks and also offer on-farm pick up (by appointment only). We love getting to know our customers at the farmers’ market and during our deliveries; we also feel it’s important for our customers to know us, and to understand exactly how their food is grown!
If you live in our community, which includes Tatamagouche, Truro and Halifax/Dartmouth - and all places in between - and are interested in purchasing our eggs and/or meat, please contact us to learn about pickup and delivery options and to receive a current price list and/or to get on our regular email list.