The Melnychuk family, made up of Kathleen, Michael, and their two sons, first started farming back in 2018, when they lived in Balmoral and bought some bred heifers. Slowly, they grew their herd, but then decided to buy and move to Kathleen’s homestead just outside of Fraserwood in 2020. This is where they started Stoney Acre Farms.
Kathleen’s family had been farming in the Fraserwood area for over 100 years, a mixed farming operation that eventually became a beef operation. When it came time to forge her own path, Kathleen left home to study Environmental Sciences with a focus on Natural Resource Management at the University of Manitoba. She now works for the East Interlake Watershed District as a funding coordinator.
Kathleen’s husband, Michael, also has an extensive background in agriculture. Raised in Balmoral, he spent his high school years running a market garden on his family’s farm. After graduation, he worked in dairy barns, and as an auctioneer, while raising Holstein calves at home. Later, he worked at the Teulon Grain Elevator and Gunton Crop Inputs. In 2020, he moved onto a seasonal job at the airport in Winnipeg as an operator, spending the off seasons on the farm.
The downsizing of the Melnychuk’s herd in Balmoral and the creation of Stoney Acre Farms are rooted in their prioritization of growing their family.
“Farming was in our blood and over many conversations we decided that we wanted to continue farming, and worked on a way we could safely include our young children, maintain our off-farm jobs, and be productive with what we own,” said Michael.
“We were talking about it many years ago because I was always interested in a market garden and having more fruits and vegetables locally. We thought it would be a new challenge to take a shot at,” shared Kathleen.
Not only does pursuing strawberry production allow for a family-friendly farming experience, but also provides a strawberry farm for the Interlake. So, over the last year and a half, the Melnychuks have been hard at work doing extensive research, attending seminars and webinars, working with their agronomy team, and speaking to other local producers about their operations.
Through all of this, the Melnychuks learned that establishing a sustainable operation with a strawberry farm takes three years from the time the first plant goes into the ground. This means that strawberries planted in the first year of operations will be available for picking next year. Shortly after Mother’s Day weekend, they planted 15,500 strawberry plants on the northern part of their land, which was accomplished with the help of both sides of the family.
The plants that grow this summer will have their blooms and buds cut off to prevent them from fruiting and to promote the use of energy for sending out runners, allowing the plant to multiply and become strong enough to handle the Manitoba winters.
Next year, 10,000 plants will be put in the ground followed by another 7,000 the year after that. These strawberry plants last, on average, three picking seasons, which ensures there will be berries available for picking every year. The 15,500 plants from last month will be ready for U-pick operations in 2025.
This year, the Melnychuks also planted 2.5 acres of sweet corn and 1,000 pumpkin plants. With these, they plan to market through farm gate sales and local wholesale. New additions in the future may also include a saskatoon and cherry orchard.
Through all of their hard work behind Stoney Acre, the Melnychuk family hope to create a sustainable, environmentally friendly, profitable operation. With working for agricultural sustainability comes the need to look at things in different ways. For example, despite the heavy rains the Interlake has experienced this season, the Melnychuks were actually worried about running out of water for their crops. Last year, they partnered with the East Interlake Watershed District to install a water retention project which will help to keep water on their land for longer periods of time.
They also want to be more resilient to climate change, promote biodiversity, and increase wildlife habitat. This is why they will be seeding native prairie plants and grasses around their irrigation site. The native grasses will not only help with water management by creating less runoff and reducing nutrient loading while purifying the water, but will also, through their deep root systems, help to stabilize the soil, reduce erosion and sedimentation effects, reduce nitrogen and phosphorous loss to water systems, help reduce disease and pest pressures, and improve nutrient cycling and soil health.
On top of promoting biodiversity with these native grasses, Stoney Acre Farms also recently finished planting a shelterbelt of five rows with the help of the Watershed District. This agriculture production system is a mix of native trees, including balsam poplar, trembling aspen, Manitoba maple, green alder, dogwood, saskatoon, cranberry, and rose. They planted 700 trees, allowing for a large number of environmental benefits.
The Melnychuks are passionate about the sustainability of their environment and have an environmental farm plan, as well as having agriculture closer to home to be able to rely on. They regularly soil test and apply manure where it is needed to create a healthy soil, research meticulously and keep up to date on food safety guidelines, and use farm stewardship practices.
“We think regenerative agriculture is going to be the way of the future,” said Michael. “It’s not a concept that you need to do in an “all or nothing” manner either.”
It is easy to gain access to resources, like those promoted by the Watershed District, that will help someone familiarize themselves with the five principles of regenerative agriculture: minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining a living root, maximizing plant diversity, keeping the soil covered, and integrating livestock. Though all operations are different, anyone can apply these principles to make their practice more sustainable.
“Currently, we are watching everything grow,” shared Michael. “We take the boys out to the field to check the strawberries, pumpkins, corn, and trees every day and see if any maintenance needs to be done. They have been by our side through spring equipment preparation all the way to planting the last seed. Our farm has truly become the family operation we envisioned it to be.”
