Farm Feature Interview: Homestead Orchards
- York Farm Fresh
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
Tell me about a typical day here on the orchard. Walk me through what you do from sunrise to sunset, and what you enjoy most about it.
My day on the farm really changes over the year. It depends on the season, the weather, and if our farm shop is open or not. Currently, we have been cleaning up from maple syrup season, prepping our ground strawberries, pruning apple trees, putting up tunnels for our hydroponic strawberries and preparing the asparagus field for harvest. Our farm shop is set to open early May, which is always an exciting time as we get to welcome families back to the place we call home.
What's the biggest change you've seen since you started, and how have you adapted to it?
The weather is a big one. It’s typically warmer, which means an earlier season for all the crops we grow or crops blending into one another which can sometimes make things challenging on the retail side of things. If there is one thing farmers are good at: its adaptation. We work with whatever weather throws our way and adjust planting, harvesting schedules and the farm shop open seasons.
If you could share one thing about your farm and the work you do with someone who's never been to an orchard, what would it be?
How much work goes into growing food and how rewarding it is once you can harvest it. There is certainly something to say about watching the full circle. You would be surprised by the number of people who pop into our farm in May looking to pick apples (or other fruits and vegetables) because they have them available in grocery stores. Yes, there is controlled atmosphere storage for apples – which many large producers use - so we can enjoy Ontario apples all year long; however, they’re not freshly picked like the general consumer thinks. Educating people about where their food comes from, and Canadian farming practices is one of the reasons I love what we do.
In one paragraph, share with me the story of how you came to be at Homestead Orchards...
Homestead Orchards was established in 1989 by my parents Larry & Nora Pegg. They were originally dairy farmers and decided an orchard would be a great “retirement project”. One thing they taught me was to get a career, work for someone else and then if you truly want to farm, you can always come back. I worked in the Drilling industry for many years and enjoyed my career, but I was a farmer at heart. In 2014 we started succession planning with my parents and in 2016 I left my drilling career and officially moved back to the farm. It was time for my wife and I to start planning our routes. Succession farming isn’t always easy, but that’s not why you choose it – you choose the lively hood, you choose watching your kids grow up climbing the same trees you did, you choose the local farming friends who are more like family, and you work alongside your father each day because farmers truly never retire. When you do something, you love you truly never work a day.
That's always been a blast to visit this nice little farm. The son has done a great job of doing this. He is always helpful to guest and nothing bad to say. His father is different, I've seen him yell at student or family staff members and accuse people or stealing apples. Still will be coming here for more years.