Market Garden, Ranch/ Livestock Farm, Mixed Farm, Family farm, CSA market garden

Saskatchewan

14 reviews • Updated 1 month ago

Grovenland Farm is a great place to spend some time farming with some easy going friendly folks. We've had a few WWOOF visitors every summer for since 2012 and have enjoyed the company of every one of them! *Looking for volunteers for one more fall job on the farm in October (asap) to help with garden clean-up and garlic planting. (And there's always animal chores too.) Warm private house to stay in. * The farm took new form in 2011 to become a multi-generation mixed farm. We seek to grow wholesome, natural food for our community, and surrounding areas in central Saskatchewan and would love having others join us in the adventure! We have a market garden, including a CSA (approx 40 shares) and a variety of livestock. We raise pastured poultry (for both meat and eggs), pastured heritage pork, and grass-finished beef. We have also begun a small school field trip program. From late April to October we can use help in many different areas, including garden work, animal chores, fence building, building infrastructure around the farmyard (ie. more chicken housing, greenhouse, shop repairs,) chicken butchering (July-Sept), and food preserving. There is something for everyone! There are 2 families living on the farmyard, Lisa and Ben and 3 children (boys ages 12-16) live in one house, and Ben's parents, John and Denise in the other. We also have 2 staff that live in campers on the farm during the spring to fall months. We are LGTBQ+ inclusive. WWOOF accommodations would be in a camper (or possibly in Lisa and Ben's house), while meals are with either or both of the families. We have had fabulous WWWOOFers come stay with us (both with kids and without) and we enjoy showing them around the area and taking them with us for social events, outings, and local festivities. Having been interns on a farm ourselves and having very positive hosting experiences in the past, we look forward to hosting more WWOOFers on our farm! We are located 120km south-east of Saskatoon on the Yellowhead Highway (#16) or about 200km north of Regina. And nearby to Vai Train Station (Watrous). There is no public transportation available. We can arrange pick from a major city or the train. Organic methods: Not certified organic, but could certify our beef and pastures as is. Pig and chickens eat a mix of local grains, some organic, some not. Market garden is grown with organic practices and no chemicals or pesticides used. Certifications: See below Current projects: Wwoofer's are primarily involved in garden tasks. April-June is seeding and weeding. July to September involves mostly harvest (for market and csa) and weeding, fall is harvesting and garden clean up. Chicken butchering & food preserving (Aug-Sept) Many other livestock and general farm tasks as well in every season. Internet access available but can be a little patchy at times.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Poultry farming

Pig farming

Cattle farming

Forestry

Beekeeping

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Meat processing

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Methods or systems

Holistic management

Regenerative agriculture

Mentoring opportunities

Woman-operated

Host type

Production farm

186 Hectares | 459.6 Acres

Accommodation

3 WWOOFers

Bedroom

Camper / RV

Campsite

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1 day (local)

Weekend

Less than a week

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Lisa

Member since 2012

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 90% Response time: typically within 2 days

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Saskatchewan

Saskatoon nearest airport, no public transportation

Reviews

Maria

Germany • October 2025

I stayed with Lisa and Ben for 3 weeks and I had the most amazing time! It was my very first wwoofing experience and I was integrated into the family from day one. I got to cook, helped harvesting or packed for the market. I would say this was one of the highlights during my canada trip and I can only recommend wwoofing at grovenland farm!! Also a very BIG thank you to Ben’s parents John and Denise who welcomed me with such open arms, I felt home immediately! I will always remember this experience! Thank you!!

Jean D'amour

Netherlands • October 2025

I had a wonderful experience volunteering on this mixed organic farm for almost two weeks. The hosts were very welcoming, and I learned a lot about small-scale organic farming, including preparing garden beds, planting garlic, using compost, and applying mulch to protect crops. The daily tasks were well organized and varied, which made the experience both educational and enjoyable. When the weather suddenly turned cold, the family made sure I was comfortable and cared for, showing great kindness and consideration. I also had the chance to visit the nearby community during the weekend, which added to my cultural experience. The accommodation was warm and comfortable, and the meals were healthy and delicious, made from local organic products. Overall, my stay was an excellent learning opportunity in a friendly and supportive environment. I would highly recommend this host to anyone interested in gaining hands-on experience in sustainable and organic farming.

Dunya

United States • May 2025

I loved my time at Grovenland Farm! Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, and I learned so much in a short period of time. I spent the days helping to prepare the garden beds and sowing seeds. As I'm an early riser, I got a good understanding of the feeding of the pigs and chickens as I followed Ben's dad as he did the morning rounds. I stayed in one of their trailers, so had my own space for relaxing in the evening, though was also welcome in the house. The days were very rich and also seemed to fly by. I would have gladly stayed longer if I could and would WWOOF here again!

United Kingdom • May 2025

Staying with Lisa and Ben and their family was a fantastic opportunity to find out what it takes to run a small, mixed farm and to understand something of the challenges. There was so much to do and so varied: I learned about looking after cattle, chickens and pigs. I was able to help out with sowing seeds, preparing beds for planting and how use of copious amounts of the plentiful compost produces rich soil. I learned about use of mulch to overwinter eg garlic and how it protects onion seedlings from the harsher aspects of the weather in the spring, whilst holding moisture in. Whilst the snow was still melting I was able to help with making hot sauce from previous seasons' hot peppers, and making lard. There was opportunity to find out about how their CSA runs and the challenges of selling produce in a disparate population. We had lots of discussions about the changing nature of farming in the area, and Ben is a fount of knowledge. It was a wonderful 2 wks with such generous hospitality and welcome and I wish that I had arranged to stay longer! I will miss the fabulous food and have so enjoyed getting to know the whole family - very special people!

Antonia

Germany • October 2024

I had an awesome time on the grovenland farm. I stayed there for one month With Lisa, Ben, their three Kids and Bens parents. They are all lovely people and instantly made me feel at home. I spent most of my days processing vegetables, milling feed, feeding the animals and many more fun Tasks that Ben would find for me. In my free time i visited the neighboring towns, the local thrift store, had fun and interesting conversations with Ben and i petted every animal i could find. I got to take part in their family life, sitting around the fire on wednesday and sunday evenings, roasting sausages and marshmellows, i visited their kids summer camp, they took me to my first drive in theater, and my personal highlight: danceland! At the end i was sad that one month was over so fast and i can only repeat myself: i had an amazing time with amazing people!

Thomas

Germany • September 2024

Grovenland Farm was the perfect choice for our very first wwoof experience! What a welcoming and kind family. Ben explained everything to us in detail and we learned so much about preparing garden beds, seeding, planting, watering the vegtables, weeding and - of course - harvesting!! We really do feel passionate about fresh veggies now and will surely start gardening as soon as we come home. Furthermore, there are lots of lovely animals on the farm, which was very interesting for our children. The wonderful grandparents also need to be mentioned: they are so so kind and caring that our children called Denise "Oma" (=grandma) right from the first day we arrived. Thanks a lot to all of you - we really enjoyed our stay with your family!!