Farm Queen Foods – A NEW Direction
Living my dream as an organic, regenerative and grass based farmer, was a dream come true and a passion fulfilled! For 18 wonderful years, I farmed in the heart of Grey County, Ontario.
As a first-generation farmer, learning to farm organically, with no experience has proven to be a life changing endeavor. I am not the same Cindy that struck out to play in the dirt and pet cows and chickens in 2007.
When I started farming, my plan then, was to change how Local Food is grown and sold. I set some goals and began farming with the focus of keeping it local, humane and responsible. It was important to me that the proceeds from the farm would be used to support fellow Organic and Regenerative farmers and stay within my local economy. And it worked. I farmed for just over 18 years, and direct marketed all the organic, grass-fed and pastured meats I could grown in my barn and a rented barn, and what 9 other farmers would grow for me as well.
I never sold at a farmers market, I built my own distribution system, and delivered my meats, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, lamb, wild boar, bison, elk and wild caught seafood all over Ontario. I self marketed my goods and built my own supply chain. I worked with local butchers, farmers and the community to build an environment where local foods were encouraged and supported.
I harnessed the internet to become one of the first farmers to sell meat on-line in Canada and I utilized the CSA system to build my business with more consistent cash flow as the result. Monthly Meat Subscriptions; you can see where that has gone today. And I did it without ever using pesticides, GMO’s, Vaccines or medications.
My business paid my mortgage, and my wage, and my new house once I decided to change gears and become a consultant to other farmers. Sharing and inspiring others to become Organic, grass-fed and regenerative farming is my new passion. My purpose in life used to be to farming, now I am dedicated to bringing quality, nutrient dense food back into everyone’s kitchen.
To do this, I know we need to change the way livestock is raised in Canada and around the world. We need to reduce grain farming, which is subsidized and channeled into the processed food industry, and return to growing foods that work with our bodies instead of against.
Metabolic disease is the number one killer in North America today. It is the consequence of a poor diet, poor quality food and chemical farming. Its not ok anymore to just ignore it. Too many children are sick and living a life of medication dependency. My family and I don’t have prescriptions that need to be filled because we don’t take pills everyday. That is the biggest factor in eating organic, grass-fed and nutrient dense foods, no prescriptions and no joint pain our food takes care of our bodies.
I understood then, and even more so now, that each dollar I spend is a decision. I want to invest in a farm system that focuses on polyculture, improving the soil, air, water, and raising livestock with the intention of their health and our children’s.
I struck out to farm in a way that I could feel good about, and in that process learned so much more about how the health and welfare of livestock directly results in human health and welfare. Good food, grows good people, happy food grows happy people, we are all connected and energy is energy, and it flows. I got to witness the joy and feel the peace in farming my way. I am grateful for that.
And I am more grateful for the big change in direction my life took in 2024. It has brought me here to Alberta to offer consulting services to farmers who wish to make some change. You may want to start farming using a grass based model or to change your 5th generation farm model back to organic or just implement a few direct marketing ideas into your food business. Perhaps you need a business plan to obtain a loan, or a marketing plan, or help to define your new farm business vision.
Contact me however you feel comfortable, call, text, email or message me from Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I offer a free one hour Farm or Business Consulting Assessment and I have developed many strategies from my personal experience and education to best direct your efforts into measurable results.
My Kindest Regards,
Cindy Boyd
