Lorne & Marilynn Lazorko
LorMar Orchard
Bankend, Sask.
After 27 years of grain farming, in 1995 Lorne and Marilynn Lazorko took a few acres next to their yard out of crop production and began to "diversify" into fruit production. They planted 300 saskatoon seedlings and a shelterbelt. The following year they added 450 more saskatoon bushes, and in 1997 planted a few hundred chokecherries, pincherries, apples and highbush cranberries. In the following years, they expanded the orchard to 17 acres, and planted more shelter belts to prepare for further expansion. They also grow potatoes and Supersweet corn, along with a large garden which provides a variety of vegetables for sale during the summer season.
In the past few years, they have rented out the rest of their farmland to concentrate their efforts on maintaining and improving their orchard and marketing its products. Lorne and Marilynn find that they enjoy the "hands-on" aspects of horticulture, as opposed to farming "from the tractor seat", and they enjoy connecting directly with their customers, one-on-one.
Lorne and Marilynn believe that Saskatchewan is one of the most healthy places on earth to grow high-quality, nutritious fruits, "With its pure water, non-polluted air and abundance of sunshine combined with cool nights, our province's fruits can rival the world's best!"
LorMar Orchard is located alongside Highway 35 - the paved ribbon that connects the US to the Calling Lakes, Greenwater Park, Nipawin and Tobin Lake - a major tourism route. They are just 10 minutes south of the Yellowhead Highway, near Bankend.
For the 2009 season, Lorne and Marilynn expect to offer the following, U-Pick OR Pre-picked: strawberries, saskatoon berries, raspberries, rhubarb, Nanking cherries, plums, tart cherries, black currants, cherry plums, apples, pincherries, chokecherries, highbush cranberries, grapes, potatoes, and Supersweet corn. You can find them at the Wadena Farmers Market during the summer selling their fruits and veggies along with jams, jellies, syrups, pies and other specialty products like chocolates and fruit-based ice cream! They can be found on the web at www.saskfruit.com. Call the orchard at 576-2336 or email m.lazorko@sasktel.net for picking times or more information.
Golden Shore Farms
Dennis Pratchler and Michelle Cruise-Pratchler
Golden Shore Farms
Nokomis-Govan, SK
“Busy as bees!” That’s one way to describe the husband and wife farm team of Dennis Pratchler and Michelle Cruise-Pratchler. In 2000, the young farm couple, with family connections to the Nokomis-Govan and Stalwart areas, decided to make farming a full-time way of life. Today, Dennis and Michelle along with their two young children, operate a highly diversified farm operation that includes—organic grain, natural beef, and natural honey production. On top of that, Michelle is also a self-employed charted accountant with an office in the Town of Nokomis.
The pull of the land and the farm lifestyle attracted Dennis and Michelle back to the farm, and like so many other young farmers they were met with their own share of adversity. As Michelle puts it, “Dennis decided that he was going to be a farmer. At the end of that first year, in 2000, we had no crop, no sales, and we were in debt.” With that kind of success, Dennis and Michelle were looking for more profitable ways to make their farm pay. Switching to organic production was one decision that the couple made to increase their farm returns. In 2001, they broke 30 acres of prairie and grew their first organic crop. Today, the family farms 1500 acres of land according to organic production standards.
The decision to produce honey was far more accidental. In fact, the decision was made for them. The story goes something like this. Back in 2005, friends of Michelle’s who had bees decided that they wanted to spend their winters in Mexico. Soon after, their wintering in Mexico became living in Mexico and Dennis and Michelle “inherited” their friends’ five bee hives.
Since that time the couple has got into bee-keeping in a big way. Beginning with those five hives, the couple moved up to 12 hives and has since bought another 50 hives. Their goal is have 100 bee hives in production! And, with each hive producing up to 250 pounds of honey in a good year, the couple has plenty of honey to go around.
Handling those large volumes of honey got a little easier for the Dennis and Michelle about two years ago when they decided to upgrade from the four frame extractor that they started with to a large 30 frame extractor. Yet, with that much honey production, they have also had to find some big buyers; and, although most of their honey goes to a broker in Saskatoon, Dennis and Michelle hold back about 700 pounds of honey to sell “off the hive” (that’s bee talk for “at the farm gate”) or at events in the area.
Products
Dennis and Michelle sell their honey in either a one or two pound jar. They charge $3 per pound plus one dollar for the jar. They also sell organic flax.
Where and when to find them
Dennis and Michelle sell their honey and flax at the farm gate and at Michelle’s office in Nokomis. They can also be found flea markets in Nokomis, Semans, and Stalwart, and at trade shows and other events in the area.
To purchase some honey or flax or to get directions to their farm call 306-484-4644.
Golden Shore Farms
Nokomis-Govan, SK
“Busy as bees!” That’s one way to describe the husband and wife farm team of Dennis Pratchler and Michelle Cruise-Pratchler. In 2000, the young farm couple, with family connections to the Nokomis-Govan and Stalwart areas, decided to make farming a full-time way of life. Today, Dennis and Michelle along with their two young children, operate a highly diversified farm operation that includes—organic grain, natural beef, and natural honey production. On top of that, Michelle is also a self-employed charted accountant with an office in the Town of Nokomis.
The pull of the land and the farm lifestyle attracted Dennis and Michelle back to the farm, and like so many other young farmers they were met with their own share of adversity. As Michelle puts it, “Dennis decided that he was going to be a farmer. At the end of that first year, in 2000, we had no crop, no sales, and we were in debt.” With that kind of success, Dennis and Michelle were looking for more profitable ways to make their farm pay. Switching to organic production was one decision that the couple made to increase their farm returns. In 2001, they broke 30 acres of prairie and grew their first organic crop. Today, the family farms 1500 acres of land according to organic production standards.
The decision to produce honey was far more accidental. In fact, the decision was made for them. The story goes something like this. Back in 2005, friends of Michelle’s who had bees decided that they wanted to spend their winters in Mexico. Soon after, their wintering in Mexico became living in Mexico and Dennis and Michelle “inherited” their friends’ five bee hives.
Since that time the couple has got into bee-keeping in a big way. Beginning with those five hives, the couple moved up to 12 hives and has since bought another 50 hives. Their goal is have 100 bee hives in production! And, with each hive producing up to 250 pounds of honey in a good year, the couple has plenty of honey to go around.
Handling those large volumes of honey got a little easier for the Dennis and Michelle about two years ago when they decided to upgrade from the four frame extractor that they started with to a large 30 frame extractor. Yet, with that much honey production, they have also had to find some big buyers; and, although most of their honey goes to a broker in Saskatoon, Dennis and Michelle hold back about 700 pounds of honey to sell “off the hive” (that’s bee talk for “at the farm gate”) or at events in the area.
Products
Dennis and Michelle sell their honey in either a one or two pound jar. They charge $3 per pound plus one dollar for the jar. They also sell organic flax.
Where and when to find them
Dennis and Michelle sell their honey and flax at the farm gate and at Michelle’s office in Nokomis. They can also be found flea markets in Nokomis, Semans, and Stalwart, and at trade shows and other events in the area.
To purchase some honey or flax or to get directions to their farm call 306-484-4644.
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm
Kent and Brenda McLeod,
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm
Young, SK
“Natural, Natural, Natural!!!” that’s the farming philosophy that guides Kent and Brenda McLeod’s 210 acre berry and bison farm southeast of Young, SK. The farm is home to an orchard that includes saskatoon berries, apple trees, chokecherries, and sea buckthorn, as well as a large vegetable/market garden, and 26 head of buffalo.
Motivated by a desire to eat healthy, wholesome food and escape the hustle and bustle of urban living, the couple decided to return to a way of life that connected them to the land and food that sustained them. In 2007, they purchased the farm from its owner Eric Upshall. It was Upshall who was responsible for planting the orchard and starting the buffalo herd. Upshall planted the saskatoon berries in the late 1999, and the apples trees were planted a few years later. The McLeod’s were fortunate to enjoy the first substantial apple harvest from the orchard in 2007. That year was also a good year for saskatoon berries, with the orchard producing its highest yields to date.
Farming is nothing new to the couple. They both have rural, agricultural backgrounds:
Kent was raised on a mixed farm in southern Manitoba, while Brenda grew up around the Town of Spiritwood in the north central region of Saskatchewan. The opportunity to buy the ranch and berry operation from Upshall allowed the couple to realize their longstanding desire to return to their farm roots.
Since moving to the ranch, Brenda and Kent have made many improvements to the orchard and farm site. They moved a house to the farm site in late summer 2007, and have made other improvements to the yard and out buildings located on the farm. Another big task has been getting the orchard back to a manageable state—pruning, weeding, and removing worn plastic mulch—after several years of neglect. Family members have provided a helping hand throughout the process.
Despite the hard work, the couple feels that the move has been well worth it. As Brenda indicated, “Our daughter has commented that we are much happier out here than we were in the city.”
Products
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm is offering the following farm products for the 2008 season:
• apples
• saskatoon berries
• potatoes
For the 2009 season, Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm expects to offer the following farm products:
• apples
• saskatoon berries
• raspberries
• potatoes
• asparagus
• bison (the McLeod’s expect to have five or six bison for sale)
Where and when to find them
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm offers U-pick saskatoon berries during the summer months. Prices are $10 per 4 liter pail (U-pick) and $16 per 4 liter pail (picked).
Brenda and Kent can also be found selling saskatoon berries, potatoes, and apples at the Watrous Farmers’ Market on Saturdays in the summer, or at the Manitou Beach Flea Market on Sundays.
Email ewok56@sasktel.net or call 306-259-2061 to contact Brenda and Kent regarding U-pick hours, requests for fruit and vegetable products, or to order bison.
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm
Young, SK
“Natural, Natural, Natural!!!” that’s the farming philosophy that guides Kent and Brenda McLeod’s 210 acre berry and bison farm southeast of Young, SK. The farm is home to an orchard that includes saskatoon berries, apple trees, chokecherries, and sea buckthorn, as well as a large vegetable/market garden, and 26 head of buffalo.
Motivated by a desire to eat healthy, wholesome food and escape the hustle and bustle of urban living, the couple decided to return to a way of life that connected them to the land and food that sustained them. In 2007, they purchased the farm from its owner Eric Upshall. It was Upshall who was responsible for planting the orchard and starting the buffalo herd. Upshall planted the saskatoon berries in the late 1999, and the apples trees were planted a few years later. The McLeod’s were fortunate to enjoy the first substantial apple harvest from the orchard in 2007. That year was also a good year for saskatoon berries, with the orchard producing its highest yields to date.
Farming is nothing new to the couple. They both have rural, agricultural backgrounds:
Kent was raised on a mixed farm in southern Manitoba, while Brenda grew up around the Town of Spiritwood in the north central region of Saskatchewan. The opportunity to buy the ranch and berry operation from Upshall allowed the couple to realize their longstanding desire to return to their farm roots.
Since moving to the ranch, Brenda and Kent have made many improvements to the orchard and farm site. They moved a house to the farm site in late summer 2007, and have made other improvements to the yard and out buildings located on the farm. Another big task has been getting the orchard back to a manageable state—pruning, weeding, and removing worn plastic mulch—after several years of neglect. Family members have provided a helping hand throughout the process.
Despite the hard work, the couple feels that the move has been well worth it. As Brenda indicated, “Our daughter has commented that we are much happier out here than we were in the city.”
Products
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm is offering the following farm products for the 2008 season:
• apples
• saskatoon berries
• potatoes
For the 2009 season, Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm expects to offer the following farm products:
• apples
• saskatoon berries
• raspberries
• potatoes
• asparagus
• bison (the McLeod’s expect to have five or six bison for sale)
Where and when to find them
Manitou Orchard & Berry Farm offers U-pick saskatoon berries during the summer months. Prices are $10 per 4 liter pail (U-pick) and $16 per 4 liter pail (picked).
Brenda and Kent can also be found selling saskatoon berries, potatoes, and apples at the Watrous Farmers’ Market on Saturdays in the summer, or at the Manitou Beach Flea Market on Sundays.
Email ewok56@sasktel.net or call 306-259-2061 to contact Brenda and Kent regarding U-pick hours, requests for fruit and vegetable products, or to order bison.
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