Hello and welcome to the first Lightfield Farm newsletter—thank you for welcoming us into your inbox!
We hope to use this space to connect our community with the farm by sharing seasonal updates, event invitations, and offerings from the farm. The farm asks more of us in some seasons and less in others, so the frequency of these letters will ebb and flow with those cycles.
For those who are new here, we are Emily and Mitch, and together we run Lightfield Farm. We started this farm because, for a long time, we searched for food that was grown with a higher standard in mind. We wanted to understand our food more deeply—how it was raised, what went into it, and where it came from—so we could feel confident in what we were using to nourish our family. We found that surprisingly difficult. So, we bought a piece of land and started building.
Over time, that became connected to something bigger. We believe good food has a way of bringing people together, strengthening families around the table and, in turn, creating stronger communities. That idea shapes the way we farm: caring for the soil, raising animals with intention, and producing food we are proud to feed our own family and share with others. Our hope is that Lightfield becomes a place where people can reconnect with their food, with the land, and with one another.
Farm update
This is our second summer on the farm, and it has been very different from our first. Mother Nature brought us a summer of record rainfall after a winter of record snowfall. To say it has been wet would be an understatement.
We have been battling what feels like one giant mud pit for most of the summer, hand-digging trenches to drain spaces just enough that you don’t lose your boots when you try to walk through. This week, we finally found some relief when things dried out enough to get the tractor into some of the worst areas and start digging out the mess.
This spring, we significantly increased the size of our sheep herd by raising 14 bottle lambs on milk from our dairy cows. The three ewes we raised last year also had their first babies, welcoming another three lambs to the farm and bringing our total flock to 21, including our ram.
The pigs are doing what pigs do best: turning over ground, investigating everything, and eating all the whey from our cheesemaking. We wrapped up our second season of raising meat chickens in July, and three little goats are heartily working away at clearing the overgrown brush around our yard so we can begin uncovering and cleaning up the treasures that await in the bush.
This summer, we’ve also had the pleasure of welcoming more people into the daily life of the farm through the WWOOF program and our cheesemaking apprenticeship. Both have given us the opportunity to share not just the work itself, but also the rhythms, skills, and values behind it.
One of our new friends came to the farm this summer with 15 years of cheesemaking experience and has been teaching us all sorts of new skills and techniques, while we share what we know about caring for dairy cows. Having others live, work, and learn alongside us has brought a new sense of energy to Lightfield. It has also become an important part of our hope to make the farm a place where knowledge is shared, relationships are built, and people can reconnect with the work that goes into producing good food.
Offerings, asks & invitations
We recently opened preorders for whole and half shares of our organically raised, pastured pork and our grass-fed and finished lamb. You can find more information on our Pork & Lamb page.
We will also have individual cuts available in the fall for those who would rather not buy in bulk. We’ll send out an email when those become available on the website.
The trees are already beginning to change colour, and we’ve started looking ahead to fall and, dare I say, winter. There are still plenty of tasks to tackle before the cold season arrives. Preparing our big barn for winter calving, planting fruit trees and garlic, and building more winter pens are some of the big ones on our list.
If you want to experience the farm up close and lend a helping hand, we would love to have you—and feed you!
On that note, we will be hosting a work bee weekend on and . There will be tasks for all abilities, and you are welcome to come for one day or stay the weekend. We’ll wrap up Saturday with a lamb roast and potluck, then gather again Sunday morning for a farm-fresh breakfast before getting back to work.
We have lots of room for camping for anyone who would like to make a weekend of it. Power and water are available. Let us know what you need when you RSVP.
RSVP to community@lightfieldfarm.org if you plan on joining us, and let us know which day—or days—you’ll be coming.
As we head toward fall, we’re feeling grateful for how much this little farm has already taught us—and for the people who have chosen to be part of it along the way. Whether you buy food from us, come out for a work day, share a meal, lend a hand, or simply follow along from afar, you are part of the community we are trying to build here.
We’re excited for what the next season will bring, and we look forward to sharing more of it with you.
Until next time,
Mitch and Emily