Neighbourly Farm

 

land and homes
for ecological farmers and entrepreneurs

The Vision

Neighbourly Farm is a growing community of ecological farmers, craftspersons and food-based entrepreneurs, based on a vision of affordable long-term land access in a farm village setting in Grey County, Ontario.

Residents become co-owners through the partnership that owns the land, similar financially to a housing co-op.

Each household runs their own independent enterprise and there is relatively little group decision-making. (In this sense, it is quite different from an intentional community.)

Philosophically aligned neighbours are ready to lend each other tools, equipment or a helping hand when needed.

fluffy clouds in sky above house & contoured garden rows
overhead of land from west

The Land

When you’re there, you’re in a pastoral paradise: 228 acres of pastures, mature hedgerows, and wild spaces.

A creek meanders down to a small picturesque lake, part of a provincially significant wetland that offers breeding habitat for sandhill cranes and countless other wild species.

A large spring-fed pond by the barn stays full to the brim, year-round.

We tap maple trees each spring, making syrup by boiling sap down in the sugar shack.

A conservation easement legally protects the land, in perpetuity, from destructive conventional farming practices or land exploitation for resource extraction.

Just two minutes’ drive off Highway 6 (that runs between Guelph and Owen Sound), you’re in another world.

The Buildings

A magnificent timber frame building offers a large, beautiful, accessible community gathering space, guest quarters and more. It can be the site of cooking demonstrations, “pop-up” farm dinners, yoga classes or whatever you imagine.

Extensive outbuildings, including large-scale barns and drive sheds, offer much scope for a variety of industrious activities.

The newest building on the farm is a “passive house,” a super-insulated home that stays comfortable on even the coldest winter days with just a tiny woodstove.

Every residence is comfortable, with high-quality, natural materials and finishes; a fireplace or woodstove; plenty of storage space; a balcony or patio for sitting out on quiet summer evenings; and a root cellar for storing the harvest in the autumn.

The People

Do these characteristics resonate with you?

Independent & collaborative.
Entrepreneurial & committed.

Respectful, considerate, fair-minded.
Kind, generous, trusting & trustworthy.
Good communicator & listener.

Sociable, peaceful, intentional.
Attuned to the land & other beings.

“Village-minded”
(in the words of author Stephen Jenkinson)

Neighbourly Farm

 

land and homes
for ecological farmers and entrepreneurs

The Vision

Neighbourly Farm is a growing community of ecological farmers, craftspersons and food-based entrepreneurs, based on a vision of affordable long-term land access in a farm village setting in Grey County, Ontario.

Residents become co-owners through the partnership that owns the land, similar financially to a housing co-op.

Each household runs their own independent enterprise and there is relatively little group decision-making. (In this sense, it is quite different from an intentional community.)

Philosophically aligned neighbours are ready to lend each other tools, equipment or a helping hand when needed.

fluffy clouds in sky above house & contoured garden rows

The Land

When you’re there, you’re in a pastoral paradise: 228 acres of pastures, mature hedgerows, and wild spaces.

A creek meanders down to a small picturesque lake, part of a provincially significant wetland that offers breeding habitat for sandhill cranes and countless other wild species.

A large spring-fed pond by the barn stays full to the brim, year-round.

We tap maple trees each spring, making syrup by boiling sap down in the sugar shack.

A conservation easement legally protects the land, in perpetuity, from destructive conventional farming practices or land exploitation for resource extraction.

Just two minutes’ drive off Highway 6 (that runs between Guelph and Owen Sound), you’re in another world.

overhead of land from west

The Buildings

A magnificent timber frame building offers a large, beautiful, accessible community gathering space, guest quarters and more. It can be the site of cooking demonstrations, “pop-up” farm dinners, yoga classes or whatever you imagine.

Extensive outbuildings, including large-scale barns and drive sheds, offer much scope for a variety of industrious activities.

The newest building on the farm is a “passive house,” a super-insulated home that stays comfortable on even the coldest winter days with just a tiny woodstove.

Every residence is comfortable, with high-quality, natural materials and finishes; a fireplace or woodstove; plenty of storage space; a balcony or patio for sitting out on quiet summer evenings; and a root cellar for storing the harvest in the autumn.

The People

Do these characteristics resonate with you?

Independent & collaborative.
Entrepreneurial & committed.

Respectful, considerate, fair-minded.
Kind, generous, trusting & trustworthy.
Good communicator & listener.

Sociable, peaceful, intentional.
Attuned to the land & other beings.

“Village-minded”
(in the words of author Stephen Jenkinson)

old rowboat on shore of pond
garlic hanging upside down to dry