Why Yellow Door Acres?
At first blush, the name really isn’t that deep—we have yellow doors and we have acres. But what it really boils down to is sticking to your roots and breathing new life into your corner of the world. Around here the Cowieson Family Farm has become known as the barn with the bright yellow doors, doors that were painted by my mother as a nod to our roots in the maritimes. On the coast of Cape Breton and Newfoundland where my mother was raised, houses are painted in bright and vibrant colours to pop and shine against the cool grey backdrop of the ocean’s mist. A signal to sailors out on the ocean trying to find their way back home through the fog; and just like those bright houses bring new life to the coast, we’re bringing new life to our little farm.
You may have heard of 2525 Ma Brown’s Road before, or better yet Scugog Island’s infamous Jack the Donkey. In 2008, the property had a run in Toronto and local media after reports of a donkey, named Jack, ran away from a sheep farm where the barn floor was “covered with rock-hard sheep dung that [hadn’t] been mucked out in four years”. Abandoned by its owner and on the verge of being condemned, my family acquired the farm back in 2009 and spent the better part of the next 10 years undoing the neglect and rebuilding. We saved the wells, the barn, fixed what could be fixed, built new where needed, reclaimed the pastures, created a home for our horses, and gradually brought the soil and land back to its former glory. After years of literal blood, sweat, and tears the farm is finally hitting its stride and through regenerative farming practices we’re making sure it’s here to stay for generations to come.
Born and raised in Port Perry and having to move away for work, it was always my father’s dream to eventually come home and it was his two sons’ dream to help see it through. From my father growing up in Scugog, to raising a family, and now seeing his family raise a family here, we’ve seen a lot of change over the years. Now building off the roots and life laid by my parents, Yellow Door Acres is about continuing that change and fulfilling my dream of a regenerative farm of my own, and a more sustainable future for my family and the next generation on Scugog Island. The vision is simple and in stark contrast to the farm we found: to put animal welfare first, produce ethically raised and sustainable food, and leave the land better than we found it. A place the farmer, the customer, and, most importantly, Jack the Donkey can feel good about.
It’s pastured poultry today, but my ambitions for the farm are much greater. Our yellow doors stay open and we’re focused on transparency and building relationships with our customers. Join our farm’s journey, we’re just getting started.
