Producer
Three Fork Farms
Contact: Evalisa McIllfaterick, local distributor for Peggy and Eric
Address: 9 Douglas Rd Gore Bay, ON, P0P 1H0
Phone: 70593160
Website: www.threeforksfarms.com
About Us
An adventure in learning
We were raised as farmers, but the journey how we go here has been an adventure for both of us.
Peggy was born on a traditional cash crop/ beef farm until the age of 6 when her parents divorced. After that she did not see a path in farming until in her early twenties, after cooking in restaurants across the country, she decided to understand where food comes from and did a 1 year internship on an organic farm. It transformed her and she never looked back, continuing to work on other farms for years until she moved to Sudbury to work at a local food co-op. This is where she met Eric.
Eric's father had taught him a passion for gardening at an early age. He has fond memories of pulling fresh potatoes from the garden for dinner. But his growing years did not present farming as a career path. Instead he did a degree in Political Science and went on to work in politics. Realizing that his passion was not fulfilled, he decided to learn more about food, and that is when he started working at the local food co-op.
Quickly upon working together, a great friendship developed between us, both with deep passion for food. As our relationship developed, we began gardening on various plots of shared land by generous landowners. Eric also volunteered on a farm once a week to gain more experience. After experimenting in Northern Ontario gardening for a couple of years, we decided to make the jump and bought a farm in Warren in 2015. This was the beginning of Three Forks Farms.
Our years of working at the co-op had taught us so much about the local food industry and farming. When we started Three Forks, we knew we wanted to grow vegetables and meat. Thankfully in 2015 the Chicken Farmers of Ontario launched the first Artisanal Chicken Program, which allowed farmers to grow chicken at a financially sustainable scale in Northern Ontario. We jumped at the chance.
In our first years, we grew slowly and steadily. We started with 1 acre and 1000 chickens our first year and grew to 4.5 acres and 1400 chickens by year 4. We had built an amazing community around us of people who loved good food.
Having established our name and built confidence in our growing, we decided that in order for farming to be sustainable for us, we needed better work life balance. So we decided to move our farm to Manitoulin Island where we could be closer to friends, family and plenty of swimming. As well Manitoulin offered a better climate for our crops, particularly seed which has become an important part of our business.
Since the beginning of Three Forks, having staff and supporting a next generation of farmers has been extremely important to us. We have continued to value having a business where we can pay future farmers to work with us, while also providing hands on training. We could not do this work on our own, and have been blessed with amazing staff over the years.
As our community continues to grow, we look forward to seeing our farm grow more food while regenerating the local ecosystem, and building a next generation of farmers.
We were raised as farmers, but the journey how we go here has been an adventure for both of us.
Peggy was born on a traditional cash crop/ beef farm until the age of 6 when her parents divorced. After that she did not see a path in farming until in her early twenties, after cooking in restaurants across the country, she decided to understand where food comes from and did a 1 year internship on an organic farm. It transformed her and she never looked back, continuing to work on other farms for years until she moved to Sudbury to work at a local food co-op. This is where she met Eric.
Eric's father had taught him a passion for gardening at an early age. He has fond memories of pulling fresh potatoes from the garden for dinner. But his growing years did not present farming as a career path. Instead he did a degree in Political Science and went on to work in politics. Realizing that his passion was not fulfilled, he decided to learn more about food, and that is when he started working at the local food co-op.
Quickly upon working together, a great friendship developed between us, both with deep passion for food. As our relationship developed, we began gardening on various plots of shared land by generous landowners. Eric also volunteered on a farm once a week to gain more experience. After experimenting in Northern Ontario gardening for a couple of years, we decided to make the jump and bought a farm in Warren in 2015. This was the beginning of Three Forks Farms.
Our years of working at the co-op had taught us so much about the local food industry and farming. When we started Three Forks, we knew we wanted to grow vegetables and meat. Thankfully in 2015 the Chicken Farmers of Ontario launched the first Artisanal Chicken Program, which allowed farmers to grow chicken at a financially sustainable scale in Northern Ontario. We jumped at the chance.
In our first years, we grew slowly and steadily. We started with 1 acre and 1000 chickens our first year and grew to 4.5 acres and 1400 chickens by year 4. We had built an amazing community around us of people who loved good food.
Having established our name and built confidence in our growing, we decided that in order for farming to be sustainable for us, we needed better work life balance. So we decided to move our farm to Manitoulin Island where we could be closer to friends, family and plenty of swimming. As well Manitoulin offered a better climate for our crops, particularly seed which has become an important part of our business.
Since the beginning of Three Forks, having staff and supporting a next generation of farmers has been extremely important to us. We have continued to value having a business where we can pay future farmers to work with us, while also providing hands on training. We could not do this work on our own, and have been blessed with amazing staff over the years.
As our community continues to grow, we look forward to seeing our farm grow more food while regenerating the local ecosystem, and building a next generation of farmers.