About Us

Welcome to my website. Dickenson Farms is a family farm located on the Southeastern corner of Sarnia, ON and our new site between Oil Springs and Brigden, ON. We consist of 3 operations: Perchlane Farms (conventional dairy and cash crop), Dickenson Farms (conventional cash crop, hay and beef cow/calf and feedlot) and Barb's (conventional cash crop and sheep). We are proud supporters of the Junior Farmers' Association of Ontario, members of the Moore Agricultural Society and supporters and participants on the Locally Lambton map that showcases farmgate sales of food and attractions in Lambton County.

When you are looking to cut your environmental footprint, anything you can do to minimize transportation will help to that end. Our operations all run on the same principle: we produce all inputs except minerals. This enables us to control the quality of the feed that our animals consume and minimizes the trucking that happens from site to site. The beef operation is located 10 miles south of one abbatoir and 15 miles north of another. We deal with both of these abbatoirs and make our decision based on where the end consumer of the beef is. The beef operation uses extensive pasture management so that the beef herd (the cows and their calves) are not fed anything but well managed grass during the growing season until there is no grass available. This ensures Carbon sequestration, no fossil fuel usage for that feed and a natural, consistent approach. Our cattle are bred to produce enough milk to raise a calf and those calves will stay with their mom until they are almost a year old. Unlike industry standard, they are not fed creep feed and do not see grains until after they are weaned. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Joe Dickenson
Dickenson Farms

Farm Products

Dickenson Farms is a partnership of 3 farms operated with the same family. We sell a variety of meat products including sides of beef, lamb and veal. There are also packages available for the beef and individual cuts of all three types of meat are also for sale.

GET (Grain Extraction Tool) - This is not a Dickenson Farms product, but I am proud to support the Lambton County Farm Safety 4-H club by offering this free advertising space. Details are to follow, but this tool is ideally suited for Fire Departments to help extract people trapped in grain bins and wagons. For more information, or to order, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Beef - We have a number of steers that will be available within a month to 2 months time. Since 1998, Dickenson Farms has not used growth hormones in the beef herd. We also do not buy in any calves. We are strictly a self contained operation. Cows start calving in March and continue through until November. Calves remain with their cows until they are approximately 6 months old, during which time they only eat grass or hay and drink milk from their cows. It is not until they are weaned from their cows that they begin on corn. From when they are weaned until the time they are ready for market, they would not receive more than an average of 5 lbs of corn/day.

Veal - Perchlane Farms (my parents) is a family farm that has been in existence for 3 generations. The veal raised here come from the dairy farm, again, no new animals are purchased. The calves have a diet of corn, protein supplement and milk and do not receive any growth hormones. Like with the beef, no animals are treated unless they are ill.

Lamb - My sister, Barb has a flock of Oxford and Polypay sheep. Barb bought her first sheep 18yrs ago and has grown her flock each year since. Majority of the ewes lamb from January to June. Lambs are left with their mothers until they are 80 lbs and along with their mothers milk are fed a free choice pellet to supplement their diet. Ewes and lambs are allowed out on pasture whenever pasture is available. As well as the other operations these animals are given no supplemental hormones.

Beef

 Here's a picture of the cow herd taken in June 2011. Grazing is a very important part of their diet. They generally leave the barn in April or May and they return in late September to avoid their being mistaken for deer during the hunting season. Since 1998 there has been no growth hormones used on the herd. This is a closed herd of cattle, meaning that calves raised for beef come from the cows here. We do not buy in cattle from other sources and all the food is grown on land under our management. This enables us to ensure quality control of our beef. The beef calves are fed a forage heavy diet with some corn to help fatten them. Over the course of their lives, each calf will consume an average of about 5 lbs/day, substantially less than a corn fed ration. 

Veal

Veal - Perchlane Farms (my parents) is a family farm that has been in existence for 3 generations. The veal raised here come from the dairy farm, again, no new animals are purchased. The calves have a diet of corn, protein supplement and milk and do not receive any growth hormones. Like with the beef, no animals are treated unless they are ill.

Sheep

Lamb - My sister, Barb has a flock of Oxford and Polypay sheep. Barb bought her first sheep 18yrs ago and has grown her flock each year since. Majority of the ewes lamb from January to June. Lambs are left with their mothers until they are 80 lbs and along with their mothers milk are fed a free choice pellet to supplement their diet. Ewes and lambs are allowed out on pasture whenever pasture is available. As well as the other operations these animals are given no supplemental hormones.