Family farm
Ontario
🌿 Welcome to our Farm (WWOOF Host Listing)
Tucked away in a sheltered valley, Riverbend Farm is our little piece of paradise—bordered by a winding river to the west and rolling wooded hills and pastureland to the east. Although we’re just 15 minutes from the lakeside town of Port Elgin on beautiful Lake Huron, life here feels peaceful, remote, and deeply connected to nature.
🌾 About the Farm
Riverbend Farm spans 800 acres and is divided into two parts:
🌱 Non-Commercial (Homestead Life)
Diverse gardens: vegetables, berries, asparagus, lavender, and fruit trees
A flock of 200–300 sheep, who help enrich our compost with winter manure and graze freely in summer
Livestock guardians: our dogs Mama Bear (Maremma) and Sirius (Great Pyrenees), protecting sheep and cats from coyotes
🚜 Commercial (Organic Agriculture)
We grow a variety of organic crops including spelt, sunflowers, soybeans, peas, oats, buckwheat, black beans, and hay.
Our practices include:
Crop rotation (with a strong focus on hay cycles)
Underseeding
Composting using our own farm inputs
Soil monitoring inspired by Elaine Ingham’s soil food web approach
We are certified organic through Ecocert and continually strive to improve soil health using organic, biodynamic, and sustainable methods.
👩🌾 The Team
We are a small, dedicated team of four:
Two full-time farmers (that’s us!)
Our daughter, the Junior Farm Manager
A seasonal mechanic wizard who keeps everything running
🌟 The WWOOF Experience
Farm life is deeply rewarding—but it’s also hands-on and physically active.
✔️ You’ll be a great fit if you:
Enjoy working outdoors and don’t mind getting dirty
Are eager to learn but also comfortable working independently
Bring practical skills (e.g., construction, plumbing, electrical, machinery, chainsaw use, or power tools)
🛠️ Typical Tasks
No two days are the same! You might help with:
Garden care (weeding, watering)
Landscaping (mowing, trimming, edging)
Feeding chickens
Splitting and stacking firewood
Building compost piles
Fence checks and clearing invasive vines
Various seasonal or creative farm projects
🏡 Life on the Farm
We believe in sharing knowledge, experiences, and a sense of belonging. Our goal is for you to feel at home while discovering a meaningful, nature-connected lifestyle.
🚫 Please note: We maintain a drug-free environment.
🍳 Food & Meals
We eat well and value wholesome, organic food.
Breakfast & Lunch: DIY style with plenty of options (oats, eggs, fruit, bread, cereals, baked goods, etc.)
Dinner: Shared meals—if you enjoy cooking, we’d love to try your dishes!
We often enjoy:
Farm-raised grass-fed lamb and chicken
Fresh baking using our own grain mill (spelt flour, honey, natural sweeteners)
🥗 We happily accommodate vegetarians and dietary needs (including gluten-free and dairy-free).
🚣 Free Time & Exploration
There’s plenty to enjoy when the workday ends:
Canoe, kayaks, and paddleboards for river adventures
Bikes for exploring scenic country roads
Trails for hiking and running right on the farm
Sandy beaches along Lake Huron within biking distance
Nearby:
Port Elgin (12 km) – vibrant lakeside town
Paisley (8 km) – charming arts village
Toronto (~3 hours by bus)
🛏️ Accommodation
Private room in the farmhouse or
Cozy off-grid cabin (insulated, no electricity)
Shared bathroom in the house.
Wi-Fi is available, though rural connection can be spotty.
🌻 Final Thoughts
This is more than a stay—it’s an immersion into a lifestyle rooted in hard work, simplicity, and connection to the land. If you’re curious, motivated, and ready to experience farm life in a meaningful way, we’d love to hear from you.
🌿
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Grain farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Wild foraging
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Methods or systems
Biodynamic agriculture
Holistic management
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
121.4
Hectares
|
300
Acres
Irene
Member since 2022
Languages spoken:
English, German
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Ontario
Bus Station Port Elgin
Reviews
Ron
Germany
•
July 2025
I enjoyed every single day of my stay with them. They genuinely go out of their way to make you feel at home, and I’d absolutely stay with them again on my next trip.
Ruby
United Kingdom
•
October 2024
We had an excellent experience at Fiete and Irene's farm! Whilst unfortunately Irene was away, Fiete and his nephew Henrik were so welcoming, friendly and made us feel comfortable and at home.
The work took up around 5 hours a day, after which we had lots of time to relax or explore. The work consisted of some landscape gardening (paving and mowing), raspberry picking and bringing in wood for the winter. We learned how to drive some of the tractors which was great fun.
Free time was incredible, Fiete was very generous allowing us to use kayaks, paddle boards, bikes and even a vehicle. We saw the Bruce Peninsula, pumpkin fest and gorgeous nature.
The food was always excellent and mostly from the farm or surrounding farms! The vegetarian amongst us was well catered for and loved contributing to the cooking.
Thank you for our lovely experience!
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