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education for the family. Ian is an
engineer. He saw their farm on
the outskirts of Toronto become
Winston Churchill Boulevard,
so he has adapted to change
before. His laid-back manner
stems from a lifetime of many
challenges that have come and
gone, and he faces this new era
with a positive attitude.
“Our success going forward is
to continue what we’re already
doing in a more purposeful way,”
says Jake. “We can’t just raise
sheep; we can’t just sell wool.
New Zealand can put a lamb
in Costco and charge less than
what it costs us to raise one.
That’s partly because they have
no winter and no predators.
Advanced medicines exist there
that we just can’t access. They’re
not subject to the same expensive
regulations and constraints.”
Jake says the theme of the
new phase of the farm business
will be about connection:
“Connection to community,
connection to the land and
connection to yourself.”
They will host events like the
sheep shearing and lambing, as
well as workshops on grafting
trees, foraging for wild edibles,
and finding fossils and fungi. Dry
Stone Canada holds an annual
festival—a weekend building
walls without mortar—which
Topsy Farms hosted in fall 2018.
It brought hundreds of people
to the farm. They got media
attention and made lifelong
friends. And sales at The Wool
Shed went crazy.
This family is tied to the past
and tied to the land and is eager
to share it with those who seek
such connections. HVisit topsyfarms.com for more
information on their yurt stays,
adopt-a-lamb program and
woollen products.