He has spent a number of years raising his cow/calf herd, fattening to finish and sell at the local stockyard. Over the past 13 years, as a means of feeding his family as well as another source of revenue, he has been selling freezer beef by the quarter, half or whole animal on a by-call basis. The idea of fresh, growth-hormone free products sold from the farm gate has certainly been revived and t
here has been a great response to the availability of these products. Several years ago, Kendra joined the farm as Steveโs wife, and together they began to grow the business. Construction began in 2013 on a multi-purpose building that would, among many things, house the Bloomers Family Farm business, moving it from the basement of their home to a bigger area with the intention of increasing the variety and amount of product. Today, Bloomers Family Farm offers not only eggs, beef and chicken products but also Rolling Ridge maple syrup products, handmade quilt projects, and various dรฉcor items. Since Bloomfield farms beginning in 1969, cattle have always been a large part of the business. The cow/calf operation has been running for the last twenty years, and prior to this venture it operated as a dairy operation. Bloomers beef and chicken are home grown right here on the farm. The cattle are an Angus Cross, raised from birth. They are fed from corn that is grown right on the farm, and there are absolutely NO growth hormones used in any of the products. All of the products are gluten-free. The summer sausage, bbq sausage, and pepperettes are all smoked and made of a beef/pork split. The approximate ratio of beef to pork is 60/40. The pork is added to keep the products from drying out, and is provided by the butcher at the time of preparation. Zurich Meat Market is the local abbatoir that handles the butchering of the cattle. Located on Highway 83, east of Exeter, Ontario, proprietor Trevor Edwards does a tremendous job preparing the meat. Bloomers chickens are purchased as day old chicks from a hatchery, and fed a grain crumble to fatten them for several weeks. They are then sent to a processor, and returned as frozen roasting chickens, either whole or pieced. The laying hens produce brown eggs, and are also purchased from the hatchery as โready to layโ, rather than the day old size. On average each laying hen produces 1 egg per day. Both the chickens and hens are housed and fed on the farm, with NO growth hormones used. Today, everything from the straw used as bedding for the cattle and chickens, and the grains used to feed them, is grown directly on the farm. Besides the grains and straw, hay is a big commodity found in the farming operation. As well, property maintenance, snowplowing, and custom baling are all part of what makes this family farm function.
