Welcome to Meeting Place Organic Farm. MPOF is owned and operated by Fran and Tony McQuail, and is located just 9 km southeast of Lucknow, Ontario in Huron County in southwestern Ontario (20 km east of Lake Huron, just opposite the thumb of Michigan). The farm was cleared in the late 1800's. It was cash cropped with no manure or hay for the twenty years prior to our purchase in 1973 from an absentee owner. We were one of the first certified organic farms in Ontario, being involved in the formation of the OCIA Ontario chapter in 1985. We are currently certified by OCPP.

It is a 100 acre farm with a 2 acre Community Supported Agriculture garden, about 6 acres in mixed grain in 2003, about three acres in apple orchard and the remaining workable land, approximately 60 acres in perennial hay and pasture. Our farm is a composed of rolling hills with 2 ponds, a small stream and a 25 acre wood lot. We are in horticultural zone 5B or 2700 heat units. Dolomitic limestone is the bedrock with a Harriston clay loam soil over most of the fields. We plant frost sensitive crops after May 24 and may get a killing frost in early September, though this is becoming more variable, usually now not til mid October as the season seems to be lengthening. The land which is not farmed includes a cattail marsh, the 25 acre woodlot including a 7 acre tamarack and cedar swamp and about 18 acres of sugar maple, ash, beech, cherry that is higher and dryer. We have planted some wind breaks and shelter belts.

Our farm operation includes breeding, raising and training Belgian draft horses, raising and selling a variety of meats directly to the consumer, a Community Shared Garden which produces vegetables, herbs and cutting flowers for 50 local families, and apples and apple butter from our orchard.

We use Belgian draft horses for the majority of field work and cultivation in the garden for economic and ecological reasons. We also have a small tractor for baling hay and making windrows of compost.

The farm has a very diverse livestock operation. It includes 10 cattle, 30 sheep, 10 draft horses(mixed ages), 10 feeder pigs and a few laying and roasting chickens. The livestock is raised on pasture using a rotational grazing management plan. A pen of piglets is purchased in the spring and roots up the sheep manure pack in the barn and feeds on waste vegetables as well as an regular organic grain ration. The livestock provide the main source of compost material for the farm fertility program. The sheep also play a role in the orchard management clipping grass and breaking pest cycles by eating windfall apples.

We apply composted manure to the garden and to the farm fields. We also underseed grain crops with clovers or alfalfa to add nitrogen which is then left growing for hay and pasture for several years. We use green manure crops in the garden.

We operate the farm ourselves with the help of 1-3 apprentices during the growing season. We are part of a Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) here in southwestern Ontario. We have an annual Mother’s Day weekend Open House in May and occasionally host tours for the Ecological Farmer’s Association of Ontario.