Hippies, Hedgerows, and Happy Sheep

On Amherst Island, where the winds off Lake Ontario ripple through the grass, Topsy Farms is showing that farming and sustainability can grow together. What began in 1972 with a “boatload of peace-loving, draft-dodging hippies” has evolved into a 400-acre (plus 300 rented acres) working sheep farm, deeply rooted in Canada’s wool industry and equally committed to protecting the land that sustains it.

Today, under the stewardship of Rachel Hawkshaw, Jake Murray and the team, Topsy Farms carries forward its founders’ vision: build something worth preserving- and preserve it for the generations to come.

 

 

From Commune to Community

It was New Year’s Eve, 1971, when five friends Alice, Bill, David, Ian, and Randi, took ownership of a patch of land with a goal to establish the ‘Headlands Community’; a place to step away from the grind and live differently. Their original plan: demolish the derelict barn, build a geodesic dome, sell the farmhouse, and pay off the mortgage. However, a well-meaning municipal official convinced them to keep the barn- and the rest is Topsy history. Thus began a slippery slope into farming: heifers, goats, pigs, chickens, and eventually a flock of sheep became the heart of the operation.

By the mid-1970s, the original commune had gone its separate ways, but three founding members stayed on, joined by others determined to keep the farm going. In 1977, the bank delivered an ultimatum: choose cattle or sheep. Sheep won. The first 50 ewes had arrived just a few years earlier, and over time the flock flourished. By 2017, Topsy Farms was home to 1,100 breeding ewes, guarded by loyal dogs and grazing within sight and sound of Lake Ontario’s shores.

 

The founders of Topsy Farms in 1972 - David, Dylan, Dick, Joanne, Alice, Marilyn, Randi, Ian and Ross

 

Balancing Productivity and Regeneration

Not forgetting their hippie roots, today Topsy Farms embraces a philosophy that farms with nature, not against it.

“As a farm, we've committed to keeping our woods and our wild spaces completely intact. And beyond that, we've made efforts to reinstitute wild spaces. We are environmentalists as much as we are farmers,” says Rachel.

“Some of the misconceptions about sustainability in agriculture is that you have to trade one to be successful in the other; and at Topsy, we've found that's simply not true. Although it takes us a little more time and intention, at the end of the day it has greater generational benefit to the farm”.

Rachel Hawkshaw

Topsy’s approach echoes broader research showing that regenerative practices can boost resilience while supporting food production. A 2024 case study in Animal Frontiers highlights that considering biodiversity in livestock production can yield win-win outcomes and emphasizes the importance of incentivizing landowners to foster biodiversity alongside production. Likewise, the 2022 paper Beyond Agroecology in Agricultural Systems suggests that evolving livestock systems to better integrate ecological processes could offer new opportunities for balancing productivity with long-term sustainability.

For Topsy, sustainability is not just about conserving what exists, it’s about restoring what’s been lost. They’ve embraced rewilding, reintroducing wild spaces into the farm’s working landscape. Their hedgerow planting program is a cornerstone of this effort.

An acre of fenced pasture, once reserved for grazing, has been replanted with over 500 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and an intricate watering system. These hedgerows shelter pastures from harsh west winds, reduce soil erosion, enhance water retention, and provide corridors for wildlife. They also create natural forage for the flock, bridging the gap between farming and habitat restoration.

The Topsy team have also committed to keeping its 100 acres of forest intact; spaces that remain sanctuaries for both wildlife and people.

 

Grazing with Intention

That deep regard for balance extends to how Topsy’s flock grazes. Their flock, currently about 500 ewes, roam pastures once sized for twice that number. That imbalance meant large, underutilized paddocks where weeds like burdock began to take root. The solution wasn’t more sheep, but more intentional grazing.

By subdividing pastures and adopting rotational grazing, the farm is seeing results. “The more intensively we graze, the healthier our pastures are becoming,” Rachel explains. Smaller paddocks allow the team to move sheep at a pace that protects pasture health and disrupts parasite cycles, keeping animals stronger with less intervention. Denser forage growth is feeding healthier sheep, while subdivided paddocks created by electric fencing also improve predator protection, working in harmony with their guardian dogs.

 

Educating to Inspire Stewardship

At Topsy Farms, there’s a simple belief: people protect what they love, and they love what they know. That’s why the gates are open to the public through the Connect to the Land program, welcoming visitors to wander the woodlands, follow quiet trails, and see the farm’s wilder spaces up close. By making these areas accessible, the team hopes to spark a lasting appreciation for the landscapes that sustain both wildlife and agriculture.

School groups, families, and aspiring farmers are regular guests, discovering firsthand how healthy pastures and productive farming can work together. As an OSCIA-recognized demonstration site, Topsy also shares its expertise with other producers, hosting hands-on workshops in rotational grazing and pasture management- practical lessons in how to get the best from the land.

 

Looking Forward: A Living Legacy

Topsy Farms is more than a working sheep farm. It’s a place where productive agriculture and care for the land naturally go hand in hand. Here, sustainable practices, healthy flocks, and a strong sense of community all grow together.

Jake Murray

For Jake, the measure of success isn’t just in healthy sheep or a bustling farm shop, it’s in the landscapes that will outlast him. “What inspires me,” he says, “is keeping this land green, wild, and biodiverse. I want this space in a hundred years, in 500 years, to essentially look the way it does right now.”

“If I could leave a legacy,” Jake reflects, “it’s planting trees that I’m not going to be able to enjoy the shade of, but maybe my great-grandchildren, or the great-grandchildren of my neighbours, are going to be able to enjoy. That’s a legacy I can hang my hat on.”