A Tradition of Farming:
Our family lineage can be traced back to the early 1800’s in Wexford County, Ireland. Due to the extreme poverty in Ireland at the time, our ancestor John Fenton Murphy immigrated to Canada with his wife Lydia and settled and farmed in Trenton, Ontario. John and Lydia’s youngest son, Isaac was born in 1852 and settled in the Mono / Orangeville area in 1875.
In 1884, Isaac purchased a farm just north of what is now Island Lake. He built a house and barn on the property and farmed there until his death in 1943. The house and barn are still present to this day, with 6 generations of Murphy’s living and farming in Mono, Ontario Canada.
Circa 1937
Circa 2022
Circa 1952
Core Values
At Murphy Meadow Farms we have a core set of values which we follow and guides our decision making:
#1: Animals deserve our respect and a quality life
We strive to provide our animals with the best quality of life. All our animals live out on pasture and we practice ‘low stress’ handling. As a result our herd is very calm and quiet. We walk through our herd every day to ensure every animal is healthy and thriving. Our mama cows all have names and individual personalities and some live on the farm over 15 years!
“Our cows really enjoy a good back scratch for those hard-to-reach spots!”
#2: Environmental Sustainability
We operate our farm in an environmentally sustainable manner. We do not use any pesticides, herbicides or fungicides in our operations. Instead, we encourage and use natural pest eliminators on the farm such as birds, bats and insects. Our farm operates under a certified Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan.
Our decision-making process on the farm is guided by this key value and we want to farm in the most natural and environmentally sustainable way possible.
#3: Regenerative Farming
We employ modern regenerative agricultural techniques. Regenerative Farming puts an emphasis on soil health by employing some of the following techniques:
- Reduced or ‘No-Till’ practices
- Composting
- Increase plant and bio-diversity
- Grazing management
We use polyculture farming to increase the plant diversity on the farm. We also employ rotational grazing methods to keep our pastures healthy and in a constant state of growth. This helps maximize our farms ability to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and keep it in the soil. By employing these techniques our farm is not an ‘extraction operation’ but rather builds better, healthier soil year after year.
#4: A Family run operation
We are a family run farm, and we believe strongly in working together. We believe that hard work, cooperation, and responsibility build good character. We value honesty, respect, perseverance, and compassion. Our farm has been shaped and guided by these values over the course of 5 generations.
#5: Honesty and Openness
We will be honest and open with our customers and always try our best. We will be willing to answer any and all questions about our farm and our products. We strive to build relationships with our customers and welcome any feedback people may have.
#6 Our Quality
All our meat products are inspected and processed at a provincially licensed facility in accordance with the Ontario Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001.
Our Beef – The Grass-Fed and Finished Difference
We provide premium quality 100% grass-fed and finished beef. You’ll notice right away, the difference in colour of our beef products. They are a much deeper red colour than mass produced grain-finished beef. Studies have shown that grass-fed and finished beef is the more nutritional and healthier option. Pound for pound, grass-fed and finished beef contains less monounsaturated fats and contains up to five times more omega-3s. In addition, grass-fed and finished beef is loaded with vitamins B6, B12 and is rich in antioxidants.
You can really taste the difference in this nutrient dense food!
Pasture-Raised Chicken
Much like our grass-fed and finished beef, pasture-raised chickens produce a higher quality healthier meat than commercial poultry. Studies completed by the USDA Agricultural Research Program have shown that pasture raised chickens contain up to 20% less fat and 30% less saturated fat. In addition, pasture raised chickens have higher concentrations of vitamin A and omega-3s (and taste much better too!).
Not only do pasture raised chickens have increased nutritional benefits over commercial birds, they also have a much nicer quality of life!
