Nestled
in the “buckle of the potato belt” in Freetown, PEI, is an organic
needle in the haystack of conventional potato growers: Barnyard
Organics.
Mark and Sally Bernard are not only the
sole organic producers in their area of the Island, they are also among
the youngest. At Barnyard Organics, a former conventional potato
farm was given a new lease on life as an organic grain and livestock
operation.
After graduating from Mount Allison
University, Sally attended the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in
Truro where she met her future husband, Mark. After college, Mark
and Sally returned to Mark’s family farm on P.E.I. to begin the
transition to organics. The production of organic grains and
oilseeds continues to be the main focus of the farm but Sally brought
with her to PEI a love for raising livestock and took the opportunity
to diversify the farm further. She took up her own family’s trade
and decided to become somewhat of a shepherd, keeping sheep for
specialty, certified organic lamb. And so, Sally’s flock made the
trek across the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick to
Freetown.
The farm produces certified organic
grain, soybeans, hay, chicken, and eggs. While grains are the
focus of the farm, their farm specialty is without a doubt Sally’s
fresh lamb.
Currently, Sally keeps 25 ewes and
is increasing the flock as time goes on. Each year she feeds a
number of her lambs for the fresh lamb market. The lambs are born
in the spring and are ready for market at approximately six months of
age in September and October. The sheep are all pastured raised
and as young lambs receive a diet of organic oats and soybean to
produce a flavourful lamb product that is certified organic. The
Bernards take great pride in the fact that they grow all of their own
feed, so they know exactly where everything comes from.
Mark’s
parents still live on the farm and his father, a former potato farmer,
is a great help. Though he had struggled with the idea of
organics at first, Mark’s father has come around over the years.
“I used to do that as a kid,” he says while learning about new organic
methods.
“It seems to me,” says Mark, “that I’m
starting to farm more and more like my grandfather did, which generally
seems more sustainable and more viable.”
The young couple are bound to have an exciting farming career on the
Island; while they are successfully revitalizing their little corner in
Freetown, their efforts extend beyond. They are both active
volunteers in the organic and farming community; Mark is involved with
the the Certified Organic Producer’s Co-op, and both are active members
of Young Farmer’s of PEI. Despite the initial reception of these two
(where people were sceptical of the “young hippies”), it is clear they
are now set to make a great impact.
