Our most enjoyable meeting was at Small Spade Farm, located north of Stirling
Our most enjoyable meeting this morning was at Small Spade Farm, located north of Stirling, Ontario, in Rawdon Township. They farm 7 acres of mineral-rich, stony farm land using organic practices and no-till soil management.
Small Spade Farm was established in 2011 when Lauren and Eric relocated from Toronto to establish a life in Hastings County. Lauren is an accomplished horticulturist, visual artist and farmer. Eric is a woodworker and builder of fine things. Together they grow regionally adapted heirloom crops using organic principles that produce nutrient dense healthy food. The farm is also home to a herd of very spoiled Dwarf Nigerian dairy goats and a flock of (also very spoiled) heritage breed laying hens.
As a closed-loop, regenerative farm, their focus is on minimizing off-farm resource extraction - they fertilize crops and manage soil by applying compost made from livestock manure and vegetable scraps. They are no-till, and do their absolute best to minimize soil disruption, encourage fungal and microbial life and provide habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects and diverse communities of indigenous plant species.
Small Spade is also a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. When signing up for a Small Spade CSA share, you are becoming a member of the farm. The CSA program is small, but by supporting a small-scale, sustainable farm, you are ensuring that farmers are paid a modest living wage and can afford to invest in ecologically sound field practices.