Greenfields Organic Farm is primarily a market gardening operation, with 15 acres of mixed vegetables under production in the Campbellville Area (map). In addition to vegetables, we have some livestock: if you come to visit, you'll see chickens scratching in the farmyard and a blind donkey wandering around. At other times, you may see a couple of pigs. You'll also see horses, but these are part of the equine business operating out of one of the barns. In addition, you will likely be greeted by our friendly blue heeler, Boris, and an army of barn cats.

Greenfields is operated by Lorenz Eppinger, who came to farming via the music industry in 1989. Since starting the farm (Switch Farm, in its early years), both Lorenz and the business have evolved. We started with a few acres of hay to feed to horses and Emma the donkey. By 1997, we were growing several acres of vegetables and became certified by the Organic Crop Producers and Processors (OCPP). Sales at that time were primarily via the Guelph Farmer's Market and, soon after, to the Switch Farm CSA. In an effort to become more efficient, we moved away from the CSA to more farmers' markets and wholesale: you can now find us at three farmer's markets, including the Wednesday on-farm market at home in the red barn.

Our emphasis at Greenfields is environmental, economic and social sustainability. We produce our vegetables and raise our animals without chemical fertilizers or synthetic herbicides or pesticides, we don't use any genetically modified organisms, and we use certified organic seed where available. Our fertility management relies on crop rotations, application of composted manure, and natural soil amendments such as greensand. Environmental sustainability goes beyond what we do and don't put on our field, though, and includes addressing undue erosion and compaction problems before they get out of hand. Our livestock is raised according to organic standards: we don't use growth hormones or antibiotics. We feed our chickens, pigs and donkey certified organic feed, which is often supplemented with vegetables from our own operation.

Producing organically makes sense not only from an environmental standpoint. By not relying on inputs owned by the biotech industry, we keep our production costs down and thus farming is economically sound. Still, like the majority of Canadian family farms, we are challenged by a larger environment which puts the focus firmly on large operations. We believe in paying our hard-working staff a fair wage, and providing comfortable accomodation. In this way, we create a socially viable family-run operation.