by Alisha Johnson

Lisa and Scott MacEachern are on a mission to provide Nova Scotians with plenty of quality, locally sourced beef, the need for which has been further amplified by the pandemic.

Since establishing their family farm, Ashcroft Angus Farms in Bailey’s Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia in 2015, that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.

“We naturally raise 100% Canadian Black Angus cattle, producing premium Black Angus beef for Nova Scotians,” said Lisa, who graduated in 1993 with a biotechnology degree from the former College of Agriculture of the Nova Scotia (now the agricultural campus of Dalhousie University). “And we stand behind our slogan: ‘Premium. From pasture to plate.’”

Understandably, consumers are conscientious about their beef consumption and want it to come from humane, sustainable and hormone-free environments. The purebred herd of over 80 head at Ashcroft Angus Farms roams pastures spanning over 1,000 acres. Livestock are also fed oats, hemp and haylage grown on the farm. No hormones or antibiotics are added to the feed.

“Each day, from April through November, we follow a carefully constructed plan, keeping our pastures at their highest nutritional quality for the herd,” Scott said. Lisa said Scott had this plan down to a science.

Livestock are also kept outdoors most of the time in winter.

“You name a possible wind direction, and the herd will be fine,” Lisa said. “Black Angus is an amazing breed in the elements, knowing exactly where to take shelter in storms and when to head for hay or a drink.”

The MacEacherns have three children: Emily, 23, Danielle, 22, and Vaughn, 19. Emily is a graduate of St. FX University, and Danielle and Vaughn both attend St. FX. All three help on the farm, and Danielle and Vaughn work full time. time on the farm from May 1 to September 1.

During the winter months, the family feeds several bales, each weighing over a ton, every few days, depending on the severity of the weather. When the ground is not frozen, the MacEacherns regularly move the feeders so that the herd has a good footing. Danielle and Vaughn are on call filling the feeders, which is an hour and a half chore.

Come spring, Lisa and Scott look forward to putting their herd out to pasture as soon as possible. As in winter, cattle are just as smart in calving season and need little help from the MacEacherns.

“Besides finding the young and tagging them, the mothers do all the work,” Lisa said.

The fences need to be repaired in the spring, and Danielle and Vaughn do most of that work.

Scott and Lisa admit that the six horses and the chickens, which also live in Ashcroft, take more time and effort than the cattle. But being fairly self-reliant, the MacEacherns have more time to focus on the health of the livestock.