History

Everything begins with a thought, an idea, an inspiration…in 1999 the thought for Ron Service was, ”We have to bring this farm back to life!”

Our thirty acres and old farm house was once the core of a thriving 200 acre farm that was settled in the mid 1800’s by the Smith family. With agriculture in decline in the 1970’s , the farm was subdivided into building lots and vacant parcels of land. We purchased the old farm house and surrounding land from Mrs. Edna MacPherson in 1981, sitting at her kitchen table with a glass of lemonade, a pen and a piece of paper.  Interest rates were 21%.  Mrs. MacPherson was born, raised, married and had her children in this white, one and a half story, 4 bedroom farmhouse. She was happy that “the boys”, Ron and Marty were buying her beloved homestead.

We purchased the house with Ron’s brother and wife (Marty & Pat Service).  We were both young married couples with no children and were thrilled to start our married lives as landowners (and felt we were ready t0 manage a mortgage). With some creative renovations we each had our own space…it was a good decision!

It is now 2010 and we have raised our family of 2 children, and have just been blessed with our first grandson. The years have flown by and much has happened as in any family story.

Going back to 1999 when Ron had the initial idea to “bring the farm back to life”, he was working in the brave new world of Computer Technology & the Internet – I was busy exploring the fascinating world of Libraries, Books…and the Internet. His words as he walked in the back door one day were, “It’s got to be sheep…we have to raise sheep!” We started with 8 ewe lambs and when the time was ready we borrowed a ram, for breeding season. The learning curve was steep; feed and nutrition, shelter, fencing, lambing season, different breeds, illness, heated water bowls, infrastructure, tractors/equipment, seeding the land, spreading manure, harvesting…the list (and the learning) goes on.

Life and death, joy and sorrow, happens on a farm.

Professor G. Elmore Reaman’s book, The Trail of the Black Walnut, written in the 1970’s, contributed to the naming of this property. He was a history professor at McMaster University and his book provides a fascinating look at settlement in Upper Canada. There are a lot of black walnut trees on the property – which means that the land is fertile. The early settlers knew this. There is also a lane that goes to the modern day farm structures that we have built over the last 10 years. In 2000 we named our property “Black Walnut Lane”, and it began to have a life of its own.

Today we have 350 breeding Ewes, several Rams, 15 Dexter beef cows with their annual calves, a handful Aberdeen Angus cattle and three Llamas! Dexter beef is a dual purpose (milk/meat), small Irish breed – suitable for small farms. We sell our meat products at 4 area Farmers’ markets (as well as our Farm Outlet), utilizing the services of 2 local butchers. Our animals are raised with care, with our own locally grown hay and corn silage. We buy natural grains (oats, barley, soy beans…) from small local seed companies. We follow feeding guidelines presented by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and work with our local Dundas veterinarian and his students when there are health concerns. All animals have access to fresh air, fresh water, quality feed, comfortable shelter and some pasture. We never use growth hormones.

The animals have taught us many things about life – the miracle of birth, as well as death, the natural cycle of the seasons, gratitude and thankfulness for the help we receive from our neighbours, friends and family and great appreciation to those who choose to buy our meat. It is also a lesson in patience and trust; believing that all things will work out. It is about experiencing joy, when the next crop of lambs are born.

You can’t help but smile…and wonder what the future will bring! Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Ron and Adele Service & Family