Our Manitoba Farm
About Us
McDonald Farm is your source for drug and hormone free, healthy and nutritious grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. McDonald Farm is owned and operated by Wayne and Maria, along with our kids Emma (9) and Ethan (6). Our goal is to combine behavioural and conservation science (Wayne has a MSc degree from the University of Alberta) with Holistic Management techniques to create a sustainable, diverse farm that can raise healthy, happy animals. When you choose McDonald Farm grass-fed, sustainably grown products you are supporting a family farm and giving your family the healthiest food that you can. It’s a win-win situation. In 2021 McDonald Farm was recognized with the Pembina Valley Watershed District’s Conservation Award. This honour is awarded annually to the farm family that exemplifies superior environmental stewardship practices supporting sustainable management practices.
We are a 4th generation family farm started by Wayne’s great-grandfather Alexander in the early 1900’s and continued by his grandfather Norman and his father Jim until the early 1990’s when we switched away from grain towards grass farming. After years of effort and lots of learning we have developed a grass-fed system that produces healthy, tasty meat in a sustainable manner. Proudly from our farm to your table.
Our Food
All of our cows and sheep are free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and anabolic steroids and have never been confined in any way. First and foremost, these animals are raised ethically and humanely. All of our beef and lamb is provincially inspected for your family’s safety (Manitoba Health Permit # : EST-035-00141)
Our pastured pork comes from Berkshire pigs, an heirloom breed renowned for the exceptional taste and texture of their meat. Our pigs are never confined in a building at any time in their lives. We supplement the pigs with a small amount of high quality grain to not only keep them healthy, but also to encourage them to forage on their own and get plenty of exercise and fresh air. Our Berkshire pigs are never kept on less than 40 acres, where they are free to forage for tasty treats such as roots and leaves. All of our pork is provincially inspected for your family’s safety.
You can get our meat in a couple of different ways:
- Arrange for pickup on the farm. Come on out and see for yourself where your food comes from.
- Delivery is free to Winnipeg once per month. We also come to Brandon 3 or 4 times a year.
Our cows, sheep, and pigs are all kept on pasture with access to fresh, clean water and all of the forage that they can eat. Our animals have never been given antibiotics or hormones, and are never confined in unsanitary housing. This grass-fed, forage based system creates meat that is low in calories and saturated fat, rich in taste, and high in Omega 3 fatty acids in balance with Omega 6 fatty acids. A 5 oz. serving of grass-fed meat provides twice the minimum amount of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) needed for prevention and regeneration. It also provides 300 times more vitamin E, 75% more Omega 3’s, 78% more beta carotene, and 400% more vitamin A. Omega 3’s are instrumental in reducing the risks of a host of diseases and conditions including cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart attacks, and strokes.
Raising animals on pasture alone has a variety of environmental benefits as well. By removing the grain most use to grow and fatten ruminant animals we also eliminate harmful pesticides and artificial fertilizers. In our grass-fed system, animals fertilize the soil naturally as they graze and are able to graze a wide variety of native and tame weeds and forages, making chemical weed control unnecessary. Our grasses and legumes dramatically improve water and soil retention on our land, absorbing nutrients that would otherwise infiltrate local lakes and streams and preventing harmful erosion. Our perennial grass and legume pastures are harvested by our animals, not machines, greatly reducing the need for fossil fuels. All of this adds up to a grass-fed system on our farm that exemplifies sustainable agriculture.
At McDonald Farm we have taken steps to preserve native prairie grasses and found effective fencing techniques to protect our fragile wetlands and other riparian areas. We are dedicated environmentalists who aim to sustainably raise great tasting meat in a healthy ecosystem.
