Regenerative Agriculture at Work

Maple Ridge Farm
mapleridge-farm.ca

“We harness our animals’ superpowers on our farm,” says farmer Becky Williams. “By utilizing what they naturally love to do, [they help] to improve our land and produce delicious, nutrient-dense food.”

Becky and her husband Mark McCrady, along with their sons Mitchell and Ben, run Maple Ridge Farm in Sydenham. When the family first arrived, the farmland was tired from past overgrazing. The decision was quickly made to raise ruminants, like cows, that are known to help restore soil health in a practice called regenerative farming.

“If your soil isn’t healthy, you’re not producing healthy plants,” Becky explains. “If we want nutrient-dense food, we need to go back to the health of the soil. Much of the food consumed today is grown on depleted soil, so the food is lacking those healthy vitamins and minerals.”

Becky and Marc began raising grass-finished Dexter Beef, pastured Berkshire pork, and pastured chickens for meat and eggs in an environment designed to keep the animals healthy and give them room to stretch their legs in the fresh air.

The Dexter breed of cattle that they raise is smaller than commercial breeds and does very well when exclusively grass-fed. “Dexters are amazing at turning forage into meat,” says Mark. “Their meat is sweet, naturally marbled and delicious.”

Happy animals mean healthy soil and on pasture, the animals can express all their natural behaviours, grazing to stimulate grass growth and adding manure to increase soil fertility. Becky and Mark’s ethical farming doesn’t stop there, though; the farm is free of herbicides or pesticides and their animals are raised without vaccinations, growth hormones and antibiotics.

“We try to mimic nature as best we can,” explains Becky. “Cows love to be on the move and they love to be grazing. Pigs love to wallow and have their nose in the dirt. They are our built-in rototillers.”

At Maple Ridge, they believe in connecting with their customers.

“The more people know about how their food is raised, the better,” says Marc. And Becky agrees, “People have become disconnected to where their food comes from. I think it’s because we can get whatever we want at any time.”

Each week, a newsletter goes out to their customers with a candid recap of the happenings on the farm from the past week, along with recipes and product availability updates and the option to directly order meats and seasonal products for delivery.

Becky and Mark are grateful to the loyal customers who support their farm and see value in knowing where their food comes from. Because of them, their farm is sustainable and they can take care of the people who support them.

It’s food you can feel good about eating.

“Our goal is to grow the most nutritious, delicious food,” says Mark. “When you buy meat from us it’s good for you and it’s good for the environment.”

Besides meat and free-range eggs, Maple Ridge Farm also keeps honey bees and grow cut flowers they turn into beautiful fresh bouquets.

Maple Ridge Farm offers home delivery of meat and flowers directly into Kingston, with a variety of pastured beef, pork, and chicken cuts as well as processed meats including beef jerky, pepperettes, kielbasa, sliced Black Forest ham and salami, and chicken pot pies. Customers can also order a “meat for the week” package that includes an assortment of dinner options with recipes.