Our Farm

Local food of unmatched quality.

Our Idea

We’re farming with our collective futures in mind.

Pastured Poultry

Raised like a chicken and turkey should be.

Pastured Pork

Raised under our Peace region sky in a forest and pasture setting.

Grass-fed, Grass-finished Beef

A growing herd with big responsibility.

Events

Where we bring it all together.

Market Garden

A special part of our food-story; community.  Meet the veggie and fruit growers of Whiskey Creek Ranch.

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We had a great time at the farm. The chicken we got was amazing.

Mike HaggstromTaylor BC
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We have been a client of Whiskey Creek Ranch for many years. A few of our favorite items are the home-made granola and their fresh chicken, turkeys, eggs and pork. We enjoy knowing that the food we are eating is from a local, eco-sustainable farm with the welfare of their animals a top priority. A few of our favorite farm-based events have been the annual Field to Fork dinner and the Yoga and Breakfast. The Field to Fork dinner showcases the vegetables and meat that is produced on their farm. As guests, we were treated to great food and warm company in a picturesque setting right on the farm. Yoga and Breakfast allows you to bring your practice to nature, followed up with a nice breakfast featuring farm fresh goodies.

The Stark family
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Tried out the bacon from my pork order and best bacon, hands down!

Tues-Dae Broomfield
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Their eggs are fantastic. And delivery was much appreciated.

Catie HaggstromTaylor BC
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Thank you Michelle and family for all the hard work it takes to put a fresh chicken on our table! I love knowing that the meat is fresh, local and gives our family all that natural health in a meal! After the first meal, I can make chicken stock and soup for the menu for the week ahead . I have found your farm to table service personal, attentive and refreshing! Keep up the great work for our community .

Christine Ford
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Being able to buy local is important to my family for a number of reasons; supporting our local economy and helping the Peace region thrive benefits all who live here, as well as being able to visit the farms that grow our products is a great way to feel connected to the land. So when we were introduced to Whiskey Creek Ranch, we were ecstatic to add their amazing products to our shopping list. From farm-fresh eggs and incredible poultry to homemade granola, we know we are getting top shelf foods from conscientious producers. And for those who have never been exposed to the quality of Whiskey Creek Ranch, one of the best ways to get an introduction is to go out there when they host their fabulous Field to Fork dinner event, though don’t sleep on getting tickets as it sells out fast… and rightfully so!

The Rauschers
Greenhouse - Whiskey Creek Ranch
Our Farm History

Our farm is located in Rose Prairie, British Columbia; an agricultural community established around 1928 with the placement of a formal post office. The main creek flowing through the community was originally referred to as Whiskey Creek.
Original settlers to the area and historians note this was because of the many Whiskey Jack (the Grey or Canada Jay; Perisoreus canadensis) birds that frequented the area and others say it was because the creek water is the colour of whiskey! We think it was a little of both!

Although the creek was eventually renamed Roseland Creek, our farms’ name pays honour and respect to the origin of our community.
With a large wetland complex located on our land, years of agricultural and industrial development have altered the course of water flow through our property as it drains towards Roseland Creek.

Through the application of regenerative agricultural principles on our land, we are leveraging our livestock and our management of them to maintain, and in some cases restore, the ecological diversity of our little slice of land.

Farm to Table - Whiskey Creek Ranch
Our Idea

We are always working to understand and apply decades and centuries of agricultural learnings, current and evidence-based scientific research, and our will for moving forward in a direction that will continually benefit the ecology, diversity, and health of our land.

We do not claim to own our idea, but we can claim that we are part of a growing global group of farmers and ranchers who are approaching food production in this way.

For us, appreciating all aspects of food production requires a first-person and full-loop experience.  This is where our choice to direct market our products, offer on-farm events, and advocate for a strong and localized food system complement the food production aspect of Whiskey Creek Ranch.

As a consumer, when you purchase from us, you are not just choosing food that supports your health, you are also choosing to invest in the economic, social, and environmental fabric of your community.  We hope you are proud of that choice!

Whiskey Creek Ranch - chickens under sunset
Whiskey Creek Ranch - Turkey poults under stormy skies
Pastured Poultry

We receive our meat birds (turkeys and chicks) as day olds where they are raised in a brooder for approximately 3 weeks. Younger chicks and poults are delicate little creatures and are unable to self-regulate their temperature. They need constant, uniform heat to sustain themselves during this beginning and critical part of their life.
While in the brooder, we begin to support their gut health by populating their immune systems with bits of soil, kitchen scraps, and other natural additives to strengthen and fortify them for their upcoming outdoor adventures.
Active and social, our chicks and poults move to their outdoor environments with lots of space, varied elevations, and room to grow. We do not de-beak our chicks nor do we select for pullets over cockerels.

Once they are transferred out of the brooder, they are moved onto pasture into low-density housing structures called chicken tractors; a system of poultry management made legendary by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms and further tweaked by us to support the needs of our unique northern climate.
Both chickens and turkeys are omnivores and a diet focused on solely grains is unnatural and damaging to their overall health. As each chicken tractor is moved daily onto fresh pasture, they are given renewed access to fresh grasses, berries, herbs, insects, soil, and forage.
Our pastures benefit greatly from this daily move where each chicken tractor deposits concentrated (natural!) fertilizer on the ground, spread manure patties from the cows (more natural manure over a wider area), and provides an added bonus of pest management.

Low-stress handling from hatch to your dinner plate is a vital consideration for us. This is why we deliberately chose to navigate the crazy world of meat inspection and licensing and successfully acquired an on-farm slaughter and processing license for our poultry through the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture. On-farm processing means no transport and no unnecessary hike in cortisol levels (the stress hormone) immediately prior to processing.
The end result is a meat that is tender, deep in flavour, with a maximized Omega 3 concentration (and more balanced Omega 6:3 ratio, overall) and a low-carbon footprint … this is meat that is good for you and for the earth!

Photo chicken - WCR
Whiskey Creek Ranch - pigs in grass
Pastured Pork

Of all livestock to pass through our ranch, we often remark that it is the pigs who are the hardest to say good bye to each season. It might be because they are so intelligent, very aware, interactive, and social. They are quick to express their emotions and it is easy to tell when they are both happy and unhappy.

There is no barn confinement, no needle teeth trimming and no tails removed from our piglets.
While on pasture, we provide all of our pigs with shelter from the sun and mud wallows. They always have more than enough free room in their pasture so they can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and natural pig behaviours.

Pigs are omnivores like people – they only have one stomach. This means that they require a varied diet, which includes grains, to finish properly. They love to eat grass, bugs, hay, roots, shoots, apples and vegetables too while spending their days free to roam throughout our forested and pasture settings. We do not feed soy, canola or corn.
All of our pigs are processed at one of the two provincially inspected abattoirs located within the Peace River Regional District.

The meat is darker than store-bought and conventionally raised pork and is a reflection of the land, our management choices, and the quality of life experienced by our stock. The French call it, “terroir”, and we believe that pork raised in the unique climate and on soils of the north Peace will bring you a special dining experience. The depth and diversity of flavour in the meat and fat is unparalleled and will have you hooked from your first pork chop.
Our butcher once told us, our pigs are some of the nicest he’s ever cut and we can’t wait for you to see what he’s talking about!

Whiskey Creek Ranch - piglets
Grass-fed, Grass-finished Beef

Our fledgling beef herd has a tall order to fill. While we are managing their location on the landscape, they shoulder the responsibility of being our primary facilitators for the regeneration of our lands.

Using smaller, more numerous pastures, we concentrate our cattle over a shorter period before moving them into a newly partitioned area. This process mimics the historical movements of bison across the North American landscape, grazing all plants in an area down a few inches before moving along. This process is known as intensive, rotational grazing; the benefits of which are understood and widely documented. Allan Savory provides an inspiring visual of how this process works in his famous TED talk, linked here.

Grass-fed, grass-finished beef meat is leaner; it is lower in Omega-6 fats which are linked to heart disease. Conversely, the meat is also higher in Omega-3 fats and conjugated linoleic acids; both of which reduce the risk of heart disease.

Whiskey Creek Ranch - east pasture
Market Garden

We are honoured to have Squiggly Things and Hip Peace Produce producing vegetables at Whiskey Creek Ranch.
Squiggly Things is producing a wide variety of annual vegetables and also year-round access to soil-grown microgreens and occasionally offer traditionally made Swiss baked treats. More information is available at www.squigglythings.ca
Hip Peace Produce is producing a variety of garlic for your larder this year. Who doesn't love garlic?!

Whiskey Creek Ranch - veggies
Events

"Food, at its best, carries memories and reflection that go beyond sustenance to connect the personalities who harvest and from the land from which they gather.”

A quote that speaks directly to our hearts from one of Michelle’s favourite books, Bee Time (Mark L. Wilson) and gives insight into the pulse of our on-farm event series.

Each event is intended to connect our guests with fresh food, a time of contentedness and enjoyment, and a connection to the land. The Peace region produces some amazing products, from musicians to food, to drink, to chefs, to scenery. We’re proud to be the first to have brought outdoor culinary events to the region and excited for the coming season!
If you are interested in collaborating with us on one of these events, please contact us.

WCR - Field to Fork