Join us for an in-person field day featuring tours of two outstanding farms on Manitoulin Island.

We will start the morning at Three Forks Farms – a certified organic farm owned and operated by Peggy Baillie and Eric Blondin. Since establishing their farm in Northern Ontario, Peggy and Eric have been committed to producing high-quality food while caring for the land, supporting biodiversity, and helping build a strong local food system. The farm produces a wide range of vegetables and raises chicken for direct sale to customers in northern Ontario.

The day will begin with a tour of the farm and gardens, where Peggy and Eric will share how they work with the land and the changing seasons to produce healthy, nutritious, and high-quality food. We will also visit the on-farm store and learn how direct farm-gate sales have shaped their operation.

Biosecurity Notice: All participants will be required to complete a boot wash at Three Forks Farm before the farm tour.

Following the tour, participants can enjoy their packed picnic lunch at Three Forms Farms before travelling to Martin Farms.

In the afternoon we will visit Martin Farms, which is owned and operated by the Martin family (Jim, Birgit, Nick and Alex) and is dedicated to producing exceptional beef while caring for both their cattle and the land. On the farm, they raise both traditional grain-fed and grass-fed beef and their approach is the same for both: a great breeding program for their cattle, dry-aging their beef, raising cattle as naturally as possible, and being very picky about quality control. Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour to see how these practices are implemented on the farm, tour their pastures and learn how they manage feed and pastures to produce high-quality beef.

Agenda for the day:

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Farm tour at Three Forks Farms.

12:00 pm – 12:50pm: A lunch break will take place between tours. Participants are encouraged to bring their own picnic lunch to eat at Three Forks Farms.

12:50pm – 1:30pm: After lunch, participants will drive to Martin Farms (approximately 36min drive)

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Tour of Martin Farms.

Funding support for this event has been provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario.