The Rural Voice, 2004-08, Page 33The grass is greener
Young couple targets grazing, value added
as the kegs to making
Steele Wool Farms a success
Story and photos by Bonnie Gropp
30 THE RURAL VOICE
When it comes to Steele
Wool Farms' vision, you
might say, it's all in the
name — a sense of family, the skill
to find your niche, and a love and
respect for agriculture.
The family began when Rick and
Marg Steele of RR3, Blyth met as
students at the University of
Guelph's science of agriculture
program. Rick, a city boy whose
heart's in the country, got a job with
the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority, bringing the young couple
to the area.
"1 knew I wanted a grazing
operation and between my job and
the land prices. it pushed us this
way."
When they first moved onto the
land, half of the farm was cropped. A
neighbour rented some of the
acreage. and the Steeles began
seeding their 100 acres.
"The area now is getting pretty
small to rent so we will probably
seed that down," says Rick. "1 guess
you'd say our operation is actually
grass, so we are going to try anything
that grazes."
Today they have 150 sheep. a
Berkshire pig and her eight offspring,
as well as some chickens. The latter
are pastured in moveable pens.
"Which 1 guess was good because
one day Rick went to move them and
a hawk was sitting on the cage," said
Marg
While Rick tends to daily chores
and Marg looks after the lambing
duties, it was another skill that she
discovered which has helped her find
a niche. Growing up on a farm in
eastern Ontario she watched her
mother, talented at a variety of
handicrafts, and learned from her the
magic that can be created by wool.
"I guess I absorbed all of that.
When we moved here, 1 realized 1
had a passion for knitting and I
realized I was sitting on all this
fibre."
She sent some of her wool to a mill
in Prince Edward Island, then after
Rick bought her a computer program,
began designing her own patterns,
Margaret and Rick Steele (top, left)
create sweaters from the wool
sheared from their sheep. They
seek to squeeze extra profit
fromtheir operation by taking their
products directly to the customer.