Daniel and Anna Chappell, owners and operators of Country Thyme Farm.
Daniel Chappell
Daniel was born and raised in the suburbs of Ontario, Canada. Early on he developed a strong interest in food politics. He would spend his time preparing food in a soup kitchen for the homeless, among other things. This interest led him to question where food comes from. Daniel decided to volunteer at an organic farm called Simpler Thyme in Ontario for an entire season (well, almost). There Ann and Bill helped him develop a love for growing beautiful food and he realized the best way to help the world is going back to the roots- not just cooking food, but growing it as well. On his way to BC where Daniel was going to find somewhere to farm, Daniel actually ended up getting a degree in Production Horticulture at Olds College instead! (this is where Anna's and Daniel's paths intersected for the first time!). With only a little bit of farming experience, but lots of book-smarts and enthusiasm, all Daniel knew is that he wanted to have a farm. A year after graduating Olds College, Daniel started work on Eagle Creek Farms and him and Anna began renting land in order to start their small farm. His passion grew from there, and Daniel now also has a strong love for poultry, and loves raising his heritage chicken, duck and turkey flocks in an ethical manner in addition to growing heritage grain and herbs.
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Anna Chappell
Anna was raised in British Columbia, Canada on a large farm where her parents had a beautiful garden, Emus, horses and goats. Since she was young Anna knew that she wanted to grow up to be a farmer. Living off the land, raising animals, and working side-by side with her family all day long was her dream. As a young adult, she spent 6-months volunteering on a bio-dynamic farm in Germany, to further her experiences and knowledge of farming. From there, Anna went to Olds College, where she got a diploma in Production Horticulture. She didn't so much love the book learning, unlike Daniel, but she knew it was taking her one step closer to her dream. Working as a vegetable manager at Eagle Creek Farms in Bowden she decided to rent a small plot of land to try something she'd never done before. Plant some wheat and then make some bread! It sounded so easy at the time, but she quickly realized even such a small plot is a lot of work to harvest, thresh and winnow on her own. Luckily she invited Daniel to start working on the farm with her, and he was more than willing to help. Daniel and Anna harvested and sold this small amount of grain as a CSA and thus Country Thyme Farm was born (and some amazing loaves of bread!). With an equally strong love of all critters big and small, Anna loved the idea of raising chickens and other livestock to complete the nutrient cycle on the farm.
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About our farm
We have been growing and raising fresh, tasty herbs, spices, grains and poultry since 2010. We sell most of our products through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model as well as through local farmers markets.
We are strong believers in stewardship, and have decided that the best way we can care for the earth is to grow good, healthy food for our community while working to improve the soil of our own land.
All of our products are non-GMO and non-hybrid, believing instead in organically grown and open-pollinated seeds. We believe it is vitally important to maintain bio-diversity in terms of plant varieties and to be able to save our own seeds from those varieities. We do not use any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers on our crops, instead striving towards a truly sustainable food system that includes high plant and animal diversity and a natural nutrient cycle. Our animals are fed on pasture and grains from Alberta farms, soon exclusively from our own farm. We do not medicate their feed and prefer homeopathic and herbal remedies to antibiotics.
We purchased a farm in the winter of 2011, and moved onto it in the spring of 2012. We will continue renting the land to grow our grain nearby, but now can invest all our energy into our own farm land that we hope will be nourishing our family for years to come.
We hope to hear from you and look forward to working with our community.
Sincerely,
Anna and Daniel
We are strong believers in stewardship, and have decided that the best way we can care for the earth is to grow good, healthy food for our community while working to improve the soil of our own land.
All of our products are non-GMO and non-hybrid, believing instead in organically grown and open-pollinated seeds. We believe it is vitally important to maintain bio-diversity in terms of plant varieties and to be able to save our own seeds from those varieities. We do not use any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers on our crops, instead striving towards a truly sustainable food system that includes high plant and animal diversity and a natural nutrient cycle. Our animals are fed on pasture and grains from Alberta farms, soon exclusively from our own farm. We do not medicate their feed and prefer homeopathic and herbal remedies to antibiotics.
We purchased a farm in the winter of 2011, and moved onto it in the spring of 2012. We will continue renting the land to grow our grain nearby, but now can invest all our energy into our own farm land that we hope will be nourishing our family for years to come.
We hope to hear from you and look forward to working with our community.
Sincerely,
Anna and Daniel
