Topsy Farms

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Topsy Farms Founded in 1972, as an organic co-operative, Topsy Farms remains committed to eco-ethical, sustainable agriculture.
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We sell a variety of 100% Canadian, soft-wool blankets and yarn. Both luxurious and affordable, these goodies will last generations! Wool blankets, yarn, wool, alpaca, hats, knitting

Wool MonthThis ewe is standing here like: "I never skip leg day".Thank you Roxy G for capturing some excellent images du...
10/15/2026

Wool Month

This ewe is standing here like: "I never skip leg day".

Thank you Roxy G for capturing some excellent images during Monday's sheep drive.

This specific photo was taken during the first 10 minute rest period (which is why the girls are all milling about).

October is Wool Month.

We don't know who sanctioned this idea, but we swear that we're not making it up.

We think it is a wooly good idea.

Oh that was baaaaaad.

Through the remainder of October, we'll be offering some fun facts about wool and describing the process of shearing the sheep right through the final spinning and weaving of yarn and blankets.

We'll probably throw in some awful puns that might make you feel sheepish but we'll never pull the wool over your eyes.

Wool truly is a miracle fiber.

Breathable in the summer.

Keeping out the cold in winter!

How? Magic probably.

2 of the farmers were at an outdoor Thanksgiving at a park last weekend - that west wind was cool and damp off of the lake: thankfully, we always carry a wool car blanket.

What are some of your favourite facts or qualities about wool?

We are constantly learning new things about this fiber!

Wool is the only natural fiber that resists flame.

In the book Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, the antagonist puts torch to the main character's sacks of wool and they immediately catch fire.

A sheep farmer reading this holds palm to forehead.

C'mon Ken, 400 pages on traditional masonry techniques and cathedral construction and you biff this wool detail completely.

This must be what it's like for a doctor to watch the show Gray's Anatomy or a firefighter watching Chicago Fire.

Or Adam West watching all the other Batmans.

Do you have your own examples?

Thank you for choosing Canadian wool.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farmland as a farm.

📷 Roxanne M Guttin

10/13/2026

This video is a compilation of several clips from the winter of 2025 when young Juniper was introduced to the farm ♥️

Good Neighbours & Good DogEarly afternoon yesterday we completed a sheep drive.The flock of 500 have successfully been w...
10/13/2026

Good Neighbours & Good Dog

Early afternoon yesterday we completed a sheep drive.

The flock of 500 have successfully been walked a few kilometers to Stella.

Guardian dog Polaris explores the pasture.

She checks the long grass for coyote scent.

Polar pees around the gates.

Snoots around the bushes.

The field is clear.

Polar is not accustomed to being this close to so many people.

We are in downtown Stella.

A metropolis some might say.

Polar is pretty good about staying in the field last week she and Akta did a walkabout which was not ideal.

Maybe they hear or sniff a threat?

Maybe they just get bored.

It is important to introduce the dogs to the neighbours.

There is a community page to post buy/sell and other announcements.

A simple message will be posted letting our neighbours know that the sheep are in the field and offering telephone numbers just in case the dogs become a hassle.

Protecting the flock is important - and not being intrusive in the lives of those living in the village is also important.

This is a balance that all farms must be aware of to one degree or another.

As more homes are built and as suburbs spread farther afield, it simply becomes a fact of life.

We are grateful to have good neighbours.

The sort of people who will put their dogs inside knowing that the flock will be going by.

The sort of people who turn up on ATV, on bike, or on foot to assist in the sheep drive (thank you all).

The sort of people who will call and let us know of a problem (and not be complaining about that problem).

There is a huge difference between those two things:

1. "Hey Topsy, there are a couple of sheep on the wrong side of the fence".

Vs.

2. "Hey everyone, Topsy can't keep their sheep in".

We believe that it is far easier and far better to foster the conditions for #1.

But this is not a thing to take for granted.

When we get a call about the sheep being out:

When we get a call about a dog taking up residence in someone's garage:

We'd better do something about it.

It is on us to manage and prioritize.

Does this resonate in your own life?

Are you able to find the balance in your workplace, your family, your neighbourhood?

Grazing the Long Pasture Mid-October, Thanksgiving weekend.Today the flock will slow walk 6km to graze the still-green p...
10/12/2026

Grazing the Long Pasture

Mid-October, Thanksgiving weekend.

Today the flock will slow walk 6km to graze the still-green pastures of downtown Stella.

They require minimal care this time of year.

It is so nice.

Like when the kids start going to a friend's house for a sleepover.

We still check 'em once a day.

Polaris and Atka the guardian dogs are fed and checked over.

The FOC (farmer on chores) ensures the flock has sufficient grazing and drinking water.

Salt supplements for their mineral needs.

This takes approximately 2.5 hours if there aren't any major issues.

Now is the time to prepare for winter.

The gardens are put to bed and the last of the fruit is harvested.

For the Wool Shed, this means preparing for the busiest time of year.

In the space between, we attempt to catch our breath.

The sheep flock doesn't know about the human experience over the last 6 years.

They've had their heads down.

Focused only on the immediate.

Pandemic, war, food scarcity, financial insecurity, societal divisions.

It sounds like a 1986 Metallica song.

The farmers have been in a state of triage - dealing with the mostest importantest firstest.

The newly leaking roof, the aging or ill parent, the destroyed machine, rodents in the barn.

Do you know what this feels like?

We have all been through (and are still going through) a world-changing era.

It takes a toll.

As farmers, we pride ourselves on our adaptability and elasticity.

The elastic energy has to go somewhere.

Stretch, stretch, stretch, snap.

Do you know what this feels like?

The farmers have been stealing time at night because the hours in the day belong to the chaos.

Just one more episode.

It is ok so long as we can see it.

Name it.

Rest and recovery look different for everyone.

There are quiet moments of stillness and love and calm.

The morning mist off the cooling lake.

The dew on pasture grass.

The smiling dog flipping over for a belly rub.

Please tell us about your own journey.

Your own experience.

Forward motion is medicine.

Even in a time of spiritual recession.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farmland as a farm.

10/11/2026

Throwback to young Zoe feeding a very gentle Cedar ♥️

Sharon Birnbaum
Annick Noelle
Ben Mitchell

Happy Thanksgiving WeekendIn this photo a Boarder Cheviot ram makes eye contact while the others maul a Manitoba maple s...
10/10/2026

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

In this photo a Boarder Cheviot ram makes eye contact while the others maul a Manitoba maple stalk.

Topsy was founded by an actual boatload of hippies - a couple of them are pictured above; that photo is from Thanksgiving weekend 1971.

One of the great things about this photo is that they are all working together to make sure that the meal and the household are welcoming.

Topsy will be celebrating more of those hippie personalities throughout the coming year.

We will have plenty of adventures.

We will never be boring.

First thing this morning we had to go retrieve Atka and Polaris from a neighbour's front stoop - they got bored in their field and went walkabout.

Thank you Amherst Island for your patience and forbearance.

This week, one of the themes of the Morning Journals has been autumn downtime.

October allows for some of this.

Pumpkin pie makes for slow work boots.

We will try to get together for a dinner and drinks amidst the chaos.

We wish you and yours joy of the weekend.

We give thanks for you.

Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us each day.

The Wool Shed will be open all weekend including Monday (seasonal hours) 10am-4pm.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farm land as a farm.

Waning Light Shrinkage Atka keeps watch as the sun sets behind him.As the days grow cold and short, a farmer's work wind...
10/09/2026

Waning Light Shrinkage

Atka keeps watch as the sun sets behind him.

As the days grow cold and short, a farmer's work window shrinks.

Shrinkage is also a phenomenon experienced by skinny-dipping dudes and your favourite box of grocery store cookies.

On the farm, there are never sufficient hours to accomplish a to-do list and that is ok.

We accept this as the nature of our reality.

In July, a farmer has 16 hours of daylight in which to smash that list - the waning light is subtle - a restaurant server politely stacking chairs and wiping tables.

In late October, we have a mere 9 working hours.

Nightfall is unforgiving.

There is no such thing as a slow slide into evening.

No gentle waning light.

Dark busts through the door as a tequila-drunk college roommate.

Autumn is a good opportunity to begin our restful season.

Yet, there are certain days when we need every minute of those hours.

This is particularly true on sheep-work days.

Days when the shepherds bring the flock through the barn to do medical checkups (and then the flock shifts to a new pasture).

Today, for example, we'll be walking the flock 6 kilometers to Stella where they will graze for the next month.

We will do this move slowly taking many breaks.

And when completed in a few hours, we can start the actual workday.

There is no time in reserve.

Nightfall comes hard at 6:25pm.

The pasture infrastructure is prepared:

Water wagons filled and staged.

Gates will need to be double-checked.

Electric fence power tested.

Oh look, an ash tree has fallen on the lines in the last 24 hours - a chainsaw is fetched.

The rams need to be moved to a secure location (fence, salt, and water set-up).

Oh, hey, the tractor attachment isn't working: "I'm going to leave it beside the workshop."

The gate is closed as dark takes over.

A supper and sleep well earned.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farmland as a farm.
📷 Harley

Autumn MaintenanceOn the farm, everything needs attention in the lead up to winterNeglect is a survival tactic from Apri...
10/07/2026

Autumn Maintenance

On the farm, everything needs attention in the lead up to winter

Neglect is a survival tactic from April - Sept

Do you know what this feels like?

The non-essential is set aside as the critical waves enormous, red flags; "deal with me now"

Now, however, those non-essentials have risen to the top of the list:

Tractors require oil and filter changes

The hydraulic hoses and belts on the haying equipment need to be covered or brought inside due to freeze-thaw-UV degradation

Fences and gates are buttoned up before the ice pulls them to the ground and locks them in until spring

The piles of detritus laying about need to be sorted and stowed away

The roofs (even the giant grey barn) need to be caulked and rescrewed

The time for the the "I'll do laters" has come

It is the time to address that which was intentionally (or unintentionally) ignored

Winter is long

It is difficult or impossible to do the "later" things when winter locks in

A farmer is delusional if autumn is spent coasting in the belief that 'we'll get that done someday'

The songwriter John Fogarty sings "someday never comes"

After that first snow all the bets are off

The contract is signed

There are no more negotiations

A farmer ought not spend the winter with the additional mental weight of the tasks undone

For these unfinished jobs have compound interest

The waterline that wasn't emptied bursts; 1 hour in November becomes 3 hours in March

The barn roof that costs $47 worth of roofing screws and silicone in October becomes $47,000 in February when it blows away

You

You, the person reading this morning's journal

The person helping us to keep this farm land as a farm

Do you have the equivalent of a waterline that needs clearing?

Do you have a version of a barn roof that needs screwing?

The winter is long and it locks in soon

Now is the time

Now is when the magic is made

Now is when we flip the math to our favour

What may we invest in now that pays off in the spring?

The answer is always the same: yourself and your surroundings

In whatever way that looks like in your own life

You have the strength and a deep well of fight.

Hair Flip-Off Cedar is a 9 year old highland coo. She and her cousin Juniper hail from Heriter Farms in Marlbank Ontario...
10/05/2026

Hair Flip-Off

Cedar is a 9 year old highland coo.

She and her cousin Juniper hail from Heriter Farms in Marlbank Ontario.

In December 2024, Cedar lost her best friend and life-companion Willow to a devastating accident - eating some old wire that got caught in the round bale.

Willow the Introvert would occasionally give a farmer the morning off and hoof-write some of her musings and share the farm happenings.

We all miss Willow.

After Willow's loss, Cedar was profoundly affected.

Lonely.

We tried putting some sheep with her for company.

She couldn't have cared less.

Cedar started "moo-ing" - calling for her friend.

We had never heard Cedar moo before, not even once.

Now it was a constant.

"Where is my friend? Where is my heart?"

It was during that time that we reached out to Heriter Farms to ask if they had any weaned calves for sale.

Thanks to the generous support of our online friends, we were able to add Juniper to the fold.

Their meeting is one of the sweetest things ever - will try to find that video and pop it into stories.

Highland cows can live into their twenties.

That means Cedar is perfectly middle-aged.

500 kgs of redheaded stubborn.

She no longer has any trucks to give.

A very good friend of the farm CB said of her own aging journey (paraphrase):

"Growing up, I always had a need to please. I think most women do. When I turned 40, I didn't care as much. Now, as I'm turning 50, I don't care to please others at all - just myself."

For Cedar, rejecting a demand or expectation on her time, space, or body might result in a horn-whack.

Fortunately/ unfortunately, humans aren't walking around with face-swords to ward off the unwelcome.

Cedar sets a good example of setting a boundary.

To come within her arc of consent is a privilege that maybe withdrawn at anytime.

She controls who has access and who does not.

The gift of age is knowing that the consequences of setting a hard boundary are far more tolerable than not.

Thank you Cedar for your example and for your pretty hair flip-off.

You, dear Cedar, are a fabulous communicator.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farmland as farm.

The Log of Constant Change2 weeks ago, Jake found this mantis inside the island Fire Station - so he moved it outside wh...
10/04/2026

The Log of Constant Change

2 weeks ago, Jake found this mantis inside the island Fire Station - so he moved it outside where crushing wheels or boots wouldn't spoil its day.

"You'll need to find somewhere else to winter big guy."

The idea was to use this photo as a: "check out this cool bug" kinda post.

After a bit of research, we go in a different direction.

This is Tenodera Sinensis or the Chinese Mantis - a species introduced to North America as natural pest control (for gardens and crops).

Tenodera is identifiable by its large size and the bright green stripe running the length of the wing.

Like all mantids, this insect can see the world in 360° and in 3D.

Unlike its smaller, native cousins, Tenodera is large enough to hunt frogs and hummingbirds (or so sayith the internet).

Today, we use this mantis to explore nuance, complexity, and how we handle things that aren't quite as simple as "good" or "bad."

Farmers live at the intersection of wild nature, introduced species, and delicate ecosystems.

The sheep we have grazing on the pastures of Amherst Island are also an introduced species.

For more than 100 years, farmers and gardeners bought mantis egg cases hoping for natural pest control, celebrating these voracious hunters as allies.

However, Tenodera is not quite the tidy pest-control saviour people once thought.

It eats the "bad" bugs, sure, but it also eats the native bees, butterflies, and beneficial pollinators essential to biodiversity.

Working in agriculture and living in partnership with nature means recognizing that nature rarely fits neatly into strict categories of "pure helper" or "outright pest."

This is, of course, from a mostly self-serving human perspective.

Ecosystems are complex, overlapping, and constantly adjusting.

This was an interesting post to follow through on because we humans often crave simple narratives - good bugs versus bad bugs; native purity versus invasive disasters.

But nature, especially in managed agricultural landscapes, is full of complicated middle grounds.

The lesson is to cultivate thoughtful curiosity over snap judgment.

On the farm, we navigate complex ecosystems rather than rushing to simple solutions.

This mantis is here now.

We can appreciate the complexity of the world around us - observing closely and understanding that history is a logbook of constant change.

This applies to our own, small human lives too in a variety of ways:

Yes, that package contains fewer cookies and costs a dollar more than it did last year.

We get to decide to purchase or not.

Yes, you probably no longer recognize the faces in your local Timmies.

We get to decide our own level of engagement with the world around us; kindness and a smile is a universal language.

The lesson of Tenodera is about how we individually respond to change that is outside of our own control.

That response is within our control.

And it is a practice.

Thank you for being part of this adventure.

Thank you for helping us to keep the farmland as a farm.

Address

14775 Front Road
Walpole, NH
K0H2S0

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+18882873157

Website

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