Talk about a small local farm that utilizes their property and time!
Nikki Noble is an artist who works with steel cuts, which makes sense since the 36-year-old Bright’s Grove resident is a welder by trade. Then there is her family farm, Huron Farm, that Nikki runs with her husband Terry and with the help of their five-year-old daughter, Maeve. If that wasn’t keeping Nikki busy, she is also the Coordinator and Professor of Welding at Lambton College.
Before establishing Huron Farm in 2015, it was first called Nikki’s Country Cuts. “I would create hand-cut and sculpted art, and create pieces from all sorts of materials including steel, glass, driftwood, feathers, beach glass, utensils, sand, barn board, skulls, bones, and more. And then I would process meat for food cuts.” Nikki has a passion for art and says she has been selling pieces since around 2004. “A very popular piece I create is the Great Lakes,” Nikki says. “I sell out every year including a wait list.” With three different sizes and a variety of backing options, Nikki is able to create a custom focal piece for your home.
She and Terry work non-stop at their full-time jobs, the farm, the business, and raising their daughter. A common question they’re asked is “When do you sleep?” says Nikki chuckling as she is wearing headphones while doing her chores during this interview. “Our tagline at Huron Farm is Wholesome Food, Handcrafted Art,” Nikki says. “We are a small production farm and we focus on quality, not quantity. Everything has a purpose, the animals are treated respectfully, humanly, and ethically. The food that goes into the animals is wholesome to create wholesome food. We built something that we wanted for our own home, and it’s grown from there.”
Nikki and Terry currently raise cattle, chickens, rabbits, quails, and produce maple syrup. They plan to expand and raise sheep, pigs and produce honey. “We also have geese, Johnny and June, who protect the chickens, while Ayla, the mini pig, is the farm's mascot and composter,” Nikki says. “Once our fencing turnover is completed, we will be welcoming peafowl and guinea fowl as well.” While Nikki and Terry raise some meat animals, they also sell chicken and quail eggs for eating, baby bunnies for adoption, along with selling fertilized eggs and chicks for others looking to begin raising their own animals.
Terry was raised on a farm and Nikki was raised with small livestock, so it is no surprise that they decided to carry on the tradition. “Terry was born and raised in the St. Thomas area and has spent most of his life working or living on a farm,” Nikki says. “Farming is our passion and we plan to continue to produce the best ethically raised food we can for our local community. We appreciate the compliments from customers enjoying the scenic view.”
For sales, you can contact Nikki through texting at 519-902-2588, visit Huronfarm.ca, and/or follow them on Facebook/Instagram. All orders are per appointment only with contactless pickup and e transfer. Nikki and her family are hoping to re-open their farm store with an expansion to cater to social distancing and to display more items. Future items will include baked goods, pre-made meals, apparel, decor, and accessories all made from the farm.
Granfondo means big bike ride in Italian. With 1,000 participants from Canada, the United States and Mexico challenged to ride 50, 100 or 150 kilometers, the Bluewater International Granfondo (BIG) certainly lives up to its name. Since the inaugural event in 2016, over $80,000 has been raised in support.
The Brain Injury Association of Sarnia-Lambton (BIASL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those living with the effects of an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). An ABI is damage to the brain as a result of a traumatic injury, seizure, tumor, or toxic exposure. There are 1.5 million Canadian
Tammy Vandenheuvel admits that even now, some 25 years after she and her husband Gary first opened the doors to Preferred Towing, the ringing of a phone at the company's Indian Road South headquarters comes with a sense of uncertainty. "We never really know what's on the other end of the phone, but
Marsha Kalakay and Joyce Nolin-Capman believe their Rotary District 6330 Passport Club may be the future of Rotary. Rather than relying on in-person gatherings like traditional Rotary Clubs, Passport's members hook up online. It is, they insist, so much more convenient. Many of us left Rotary or
Admittedly, running a health food store was not Natalie Holmes' original plan, but there is no denying it has become her passion. Natalie's mother, Inge Englehart, and her partner Eldon Tomlinson were interested in opening a business, and in 1992 The Water Bug Health Food Store came to be. Sadly,
The Tsaprailis family has been in the restaurant business for over thirty years. Their first restaurant, The Valley House on Vidal Street, was a busy spot serving eggs, sandwiches and burgers. In 1992, they bought the Old Country Steak House on London Line and renamed it The Brigantine. Five years a
When he first established Coffee Lodge, Leo Stathakis was inspired by trips he had made to small coffee houses in Seattle, Vancouver and Michigan. I've always loved coffee and coffee houses. I would often venture out in Detroit to visit all the old coffee houses. I loved the coffee and the atmo
Duffy Simon thought his uncle was yanking his chain. "I was taking business marketing in college and an uncle of mine said there was a need for embroidery in the area," Duffy recalls. "I chuckled because at that point only my grandma did embroidery. But it turns out he was being serious. We were"