A Story that Starts With The Land
Sonset Farm
sonsetfarm.com
At Sonset Farm, their philosophy is simple: work in harmony with nature to create a sustainable agricultural system. We don’t inherit the land from our parents, we borrow it from our children.
“When people come here, we encourage them to bring their kids or their grandkids, and go out to collect the eggs,” says farmer Andrea Cumpson. “To feel that warm egg in their hand. We want them to experience what the land has to give.”
“When you’re farming with nature, you see the vibrancy and health of the land and your animals.”
Andrea Cumpson, Sonset Farm
“More and more people are coming and having respect — almost reverence — for quality food and the land,” Andrea continues. “I think people are really coming back to that, compared with even ten years ago. It’s amazing the people who want to see farming viable, alive, and well.”
Andrea and her husband Orrie, who grew up on the picturesque property, run Sonset Farm, an organic family farm just west of Inverary in South Frontenac. Together, the family raises dairy cows, pastured pigs and chickens, and grass-fed beef.
“When you’re farming with nature, you see the vibrancy and health of the land and your animals,” says Andrea. “Especially here, in South Frontenac, with the lakes and streams, the rocks and the trees, and the biodiversity… it’s why we can succeed in farming organically.”
“We only sell what we raise and grow,” adds Andrea. “I think that’s really important, so we can tell the entire story.”
The ecological growing methods at Sonset are a big part of that story, and for Andrea, that means attention and deep care for the land. In fact, the farm was one of the first in the area to become organic. Starting in the 1980s, the Cumpson family took ecological agriculture courses and shared their knowledge through kitchen table meetings. Now, they’re proud members of the National Farmers Union.
“It was challenging at the beginning,” says Andrea. “Now there is so much out there about regenerative agriculture and organic agriculture. But when we first started it was really difficult to find that information.”
Today, the farm thrives.
One of Sonset’s major crops is spelt, an ancient grain that is well-suited to organic cultivation. The spelt is ground into flour on their farm and also rolled into flakes (which can be used just like oat flakes in bread, cereal, or baked goods). Sonset Farm sells its own fresh spelt pasta, which is made in Kingston by Pasta Genova, using Sonset spelt flour and organic eggs from Reinink Family Farms.
The rest of Sonset’s products can be found across Kingston and Frontenac County.
