About the Farm

The herd on the way out to pasture, with the two calves out front.

Devon Acres Farm is a small farm located along the Grand River in Brant County, just west of Brantford and southeast of Paris. We are the Kirbys; Marie, Maggie, Aerron and Robin and the four young boys; with a lot of help from the Hewitts; Heather (Kirby) and Kevin and girls; as well as the Simons; Trisha (Kirby) and Mike and their girls. We grow vegetables organically on about three acres, pasture chickens, ducks, and a few turkeys this year, sheep, cows and three Belgian workhorses and encourage the growth of natural forest, all in other areas of the farm. We are slowly adapting our farm to Agroforestry techniques. Trees and shrubs are grown throughout and alongside farmed areas to increase diversity for us farmers and to encourage greater diversity of plants and animals species.

We grow a very large number of different vegetable varieties. We have small flocks of ducks and chickens for eggs and meat, a herd of about ten  cattle for beef and flock of around fifteen sheep for mutton and lamb.  The horses, cows, sheep, turkey, duck and chicken are all on pasture when possible.  The horses, cows and sheep are fed hay during the winter months.

We use our workhorses as the major power source on the farm. They do all the heavy work in the garden with cultivators, discs, plows and potato digger and do a lot of wagon work drawing hay, firewood and other things as well. We use tractors very sparingly to move things that are not so easily moved with horses. Things such as lifting large round bales and compost are done with a tractor.

 

Our Border Cheviot sheep on fall pasture

The cattle herd heading down the trail to a late fall, early winter pasture.

Newly planted spring vegetable garden.

Cucumbers in early summer.

Vegetables started in trays, some ready to be transplanted out to the garden.

The garden in mid summer

The toolshed, right, and the pickup shelter, left, being made ready for the weekly vegetable share pickup.

Ready for pickup

Another day, another pickup.

Tomatillos and several pepper varieties ready for sharers pickup.

The garlic harvest drying on racks.

Picking up some hay from our neighbours farm.

The hay on the wagon, only a 1/2 load here, starting the mile long trip to our barn.

Preparing for planting using the single row cultivator.

Another day, more garden work.