Also produce beef, pork, chicken | They say consumers have responded to their grass-fed, hormone-free meat
DAYSLAND, Alta. — When Lisa and Troy Greenstein couldn’t have a baby, they went a little crazy buying critters.
Alpacas, llamas, miniature donkeys, ducks, horses and a collection of other assorted animals ended up on their 12-acre farm eating feed and not doing anything to bring money back to the farm.
The couple lucked out when they found their niche with sheep and had a baby too.
“The sheep we really enjoyed. They are easy to handle and a joy to be around,” said Lisa.
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With almost 300 head of ewes and a strong social media presence, the couple has a steady stream of customers who want to buy their grass-fed, hormone-free lamb, beef, pork, chickens and eggs.
“A lot of people want grass fed and more natural food, but it’s not available. All natural food shouldn’t be only for the elite,” she said.
The couple sells much of their produce through Facebook and their website.
“The sheep have done well for us,” said Lisa, who wants to build a community of agricultural learners on their farm.
Growing up in a city, Lisa admits there is plenty she doesn’t know about livestock or farm machinery, but through her meat sales, she has learned there is a desire from consumers for a connection to the land.
This summer, the couple hopes to host canning bees in an old farm building. The couple already spends the summer canning mini potatoes, spent hens, beet stems for borsch and fruit and vegetables.
“Canned potatoes taste like they’re fresh out of the garden,” said Troy.
Growing up on a farm near Seven Persons, Alta., Troy said he helped his parents garden and can.
“I grew up with a huge garden and hated canning. I used to help, but then got away from it. Now that I’m older, I’m right back at it.”
“We can everything,” he said.
Like most work, gardening and canning go quicker and are more enjoyable when working with family and friends.
With a large garden plot, the couple would like to form a loose community shared agriculture garden where everyone helps with the seeding, weeding and harvest for an equal share of the produce. Already they have people from Edmonton willing to drive more than an hour to Daysland to dig in the dirt and grow food.
“Not everyone has space for a garden,” said Lisa.
The couple also wants to encourage more people to raise animals. Recently, they gave 50 of their older hens to a neighbour so he could sell his own eggs for extra money. When they heard a young man was starting a beef herd, they directed beef orders they can’t fill to him.
“We just want him to get up and running. It costs a lot of money to become established,” she said.
The couple relies on Lisa’s nearby uncle, who has a knack for finding inexpensive equipment or livestock.
“He horse trades everything for us,” said Troy, adding they have acquired a ram in a trade.
They have also become an Alberta dealer for sheep handling equipment from Zubot Welding and Manufacturing of Humboldt, Sask. It’s one more way to connect with small producers, while selling the sheep handling equipment.
As part of their marketing strategy, the pair worked with a local food store and restaurant in Camrose and put on a lamb dinner. Many people had never tried lamb or were afraid to cook the meat.
“We wanted people to have a meal of lamb and get more people trying it,” she said.
The lamb event has helped the Greensteins attract more farm sales.
Lisa said her parents couldn’t understand why the young couple works so hard growing their own food when it’s available in the local store.
For Lisa and Troy, small-scale farming is a skill that could soon be lost and it’s a healthy alternative for their family.
“We worry local farms will go by the wayside if we don’t start to support local farmers,” she said.
