Take 5 With a Farmer. Shanna Armstrong of Pinnacle Haven Farm.

What is your favourite aspect of farming?  

My favourite aspect of farming is being completely in control of our food and getting to grow and care for our animals throughout their lives

Who is the person who has had the biggest impact on your farming journey thus far? 

My parents. They were master sheep farmers and had genetics and efficiencies figured out long before many. We are still benefitting from things like feeders my dad built 40 years ago.

How/When did you get into farming?

I was raised on a sheep farm, but Tyler (my husband) and I bought our own farm and started sheep farming in 2010.

What are you most passionate about when it comes to farming? 

I have a couple of answers for this.  I am so passionate about raising animals and growing healthy food for ourselves and our community, but I also love getting to share our story about farming and its’ importance while building relationships with our customers.

What is one misconception that you hope to change in the industry? 

The biggest misconception  for ruminant animal agriculture (cows and sheep) I am trying to help change is how negatively they impact climate change. The complex issue has so many sides and research is really hard to understand what was considered. But animals grazing on land that would otherwise be waste land, managed with rotational grazing, where soil quality and pastures are noticeably improved year over year and animals never travel more than 200 kms from farm to plate, I struggle to see how that is more negative to the environment than thousands of acres of monoculture being shipped all over the world and transformed many times over before arriving on a grocery store shelf.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the agriculture industry? 

I would say don’t give up! Where there’s a will, there’s a way! There are many opportunities out there and a lot of times you’ll need to think outside the box, but I have seen many people (including ourselves) get into farming all on their own and the hard work is so satisfying when you look back and see what you’ve accomplished.

Be sure to check out fresh local options near you on G’day !

G'day Staff
Author: G'day Staff

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