Sweet Earth Farm

Sweet Earth Farm is a medium-sized diverse farm in Nova Scotia. We have a 10-acre organic haskap berry orchard and also raise heritage pigs and cattle. We also produce eggs and chicken.

Our Mission Statement is as follows:

Sweet Earth Farm is a multi-purpose, regenerative agriculture business, with a keen emphasis on integration of individual enterprises and stacking of functions to maximize productivity and health of our plants and animals. Our objective is to grow nutritious and delicious food for our community – from Tatamagouche to Halifax – while improving our land and environment and providing financial stability and food security for our family.
Our values are embodied in our desire to nourish the earth and our land, and in turn to nourish ourselves and our community. This means using regenerative agriculture methods, such as rotational grazing, generation of on-farm fertilization, and planting living mulch and cover crops, to improve plant diversity, soil health and animal health. We do not use any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or fungicides and we use minimal tillage; use of chemical fertilizers and tillage can significantly reduce profitability and have been proven to degrade soil health and plant nutrition and do not align with our core values.

To expand…

We use biological farming methods in our haskap berry orchard; instead of focusing on maximizing yields, we focus on maximizing soil health. That is, we feed our soil organic nutrients, including plant cuttings and manure we produce on site, and provide healthy habitat for earthworms and other beneficial organisms in order to grow highly nutrient dense fruit.

We raise our livestock following regenerative practices which we feel are most ethical and mimics their natural environment. We rotate our cattle and chickens across our pasture (spring, summer and fall) so that they can access fresh forage regularly and spread their fertility to improve the quality of the pasture. This also saves fossil fuels and prevents over-compaction of the soil, as we don’t have to mow the pasture or spread fertilizer using heavy equipment. This approach allows the animals to experience freedom and fresh air and be in a more natural environment. It also improves the taste and nutrition of the meat and eggs they produce. We raise our pigs in our woodlot, which provides them with healthy forage, shade and a playful environment.

This regenerative approach to livestock management also sequesters carbon: the grass requires carbon dioxide to grow, the cows consume the grass, then fertilize the grass so that it grows larger and becomes more healthy, so that it can use more carbon dioxide. The same is true for the chickens and pigs, though on a smaller scale.

Histoire de l'entreprise

Sweet Earth Farm was started in 2012 by first-generation farmers. It started small with a few (layer) chickens and pigs. Each year, it has expanded – both by adding new enterprises and expanding the number of livestock. In 2013, we planted our first (3,000) haskap berry plants. In 2018, our haskap orchard became certified organic and we added beef cattle.

In 2022 we have approximately 200 laying hens, 30 Berkshire pigs, 7 Belted Galloway (beef) cows, 2 Jersey (milking) cows and 9,000 haskap berry bushes. We anticipate raising approximately 1,000 meat birds this year and will also be producing value-added organic haskap berry products, for distribution across Canada.

Données sur l'entreprise

Sweet Earth Farm is comprised of approximately 200 acres of mixed pasture and woodlot in the Cobequid Hills of Nova Scotia.

Our chickens and pigs all receive a ration of non-GMO grain to supplement their forage. Our cows eat only grass and hay.

All of our egg and meat is sold directly to the consumer: we do not sell at farmer’s markets or via retail shops. We place enormous value on the relationship we have with our clients; and we believe our clients feel similarly about the relationship they have with us.