BY MELANIE MOSHER PHOTOS BY STEVE SMITH, VISIONFIRE STUDIOS
For farmers, spring is the time to get ready for the upcoming season. At Crossroads Valley Farm—located in the beautiful Ohio River valley, south of Antigonish—the garden is being prepared for planting and the land and equipment readied for the influx of animals.
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t was late April 2021, when I first spoke with Mike Ward, owner of Crossroads Valley Farm. “I’m on my way to town to pick up my daughters,” he said. “We’re going to get our hens for the season.” His farm offers fresh eggs, poultry, and pork — “all humanely raised and provided access to fresh air and sunshine.” Mike was raised in Saskatchewan and was working in Calgary when he and his wife, Tricia, made the decision to move east in 2013. They wanted a different way of life for their daughters. “We definitely moved to Nova Scotia for the lifestyle, community, family, and healthy food,” says Ward. “We are very fortunate to have found our home here in Antigonish. It is an amazing town and county that has so much to offer. “Our friends and family thought we were nuts to give up our wellpaying jobs and move all the way across the country. We bought this 115-plus-year-old house and property, then got to work making it our family farm. “I grew up mainly in the city of Regina, although I spent many summer weekends at my Grandma’s farm near Assiniboia. I was an electrical engineer for more than 15 years, who never in a million years thought I would become a farmer,” says Ward. After having their first daughter, Sadie, in 2011, Mike and Tricia took stock of their way of life and knew it was time to make a change. When asked if he’s glad about the move, Ward doesn’t hesitate to answer. “We’re so happy we did.” Mike and Tricia want their daughters to know their neighbours and feel connected to people; something they weren’t sure they could manage in a big city. A vendor and current president of the board for the Antigonish Farmers’ Market, he admits being a small farmer is tough, but it feeds his soul. “Local community and good food are what we are all about. We believe that ‘community starts at the kitchen table,’ and amazing tasting, ethically raised food is our passion.” Sounding like a true Maritimer, he adds, “Most of our memories and celebrations
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ah! Spring 2022
Life at a crossroads
At Home with
Mike Mike, Sadie, Fiona, and Tricia bring some feed to the turkeys in their pastured pen.
The “hen mobile” moves to different parts of the farm to vary feeding ground and to deter predators.
At Home on the North Shore
