Cornwallis Farms in Port Williams: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Cornwallis Farms in Port Williams has been in the Newcombe family since 1761, when New England Planters received the original land grant, and it now combines laying hens, broilers, a purebred Holstein herd and an on-farm feed mill. It received the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists Distinguished Farm Award in 2016.
| Location | Port Williams, Kings County, Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1761, on part of an original land grant |
| Sectors | eggs; broilers; dairy; grain and forage; feed milling |
| Scale | 21,000-bird egg quota; about 1.6 million kg of broilers a year; 65 purebred Holsteins, per Canadian Poultry magazine |
| Why it is elite | Distinguished Farm Award 2016; integrated multi-sector family operation over many generations |
| Ownership | Newcombe family; Geneve and Craig Newcombe with Craig's brother Brian |
| Official website | Canadian Poultry magazine profile of Cornwallis Farms Ltd. |
History of Cornwallis Farms
Deacon John Newcomb received the land grant in 1761 as a New England Planter, and he and his sons began farming it. The family spells the name Newcombe today, and Canadian Poultry describes the farm as ninth or tenth generation depending on how the generations are counted.
The farm was honoured with the Distinguished Farm Award by the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists in 2016. The magazine profile names Geneve and Craig Newcombe in partnership with Craig's brother Brian, and their three children appear in the story.
What Cornwallis Farms Grows and Raises
Cornwallis Farms holds a laying hen quota of 21,000 birds and produces about 1.6 million kilograms of broilers a year. A herd of 65 purebred Holsteins has a fluid milk quota of 84 kilograms. Corn, wheat, soybeans and forages feed the animals, and the farm trialled fava beans to reduce purchased protein.
An on-farm feed mill produces about 3,500 tonnes of total mixed ration a year for dairy, layer and broiler feeds, and an extruder processes soybeans on site. Seven full-time employees work outside the family. Making feed on the farm is a cost and quality control strategy that few farms of this size attempt.
How Cornwallis Farms Makes Money
Supply-managed eggs and broilers
Eggs and chicken are produced under quota, giving predictable returns. The published quota and production figures show multiple income lines on one site.
Dairy
The purebred Holstein herd ships milk against a fluid milk quota. Dairy adds a second quota-based income stream and a use for the farm's forages.
Feed milling and crops
The farm grows corn, wheat, soybeans and forages and mills its own feed. This reduces purchased feed costs across all three livestock enterprises.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Cornwallis Farms
Integrate where margins are decided. With feed the largest cost in poultry and dairy, an on-farm mill and extruder let the Newcombes control quality and cost for three enterprises.
Test protein alternatives. Trialling fava beans shows a long-established farm still experimenting to cut off-farm purchases. Multi-generation farms succeed by pairing continuity with steady experiments.
A farm that has stayed in one family since 1761 has seen a few seasons and probably knows exactly which hen is plotting something. For farm satire with similar staying power, visit farm.FM, where the farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes are mixed fresh and never leave the feed mill short. In Port Williams, we imagine a very serious Holstein is judging the humor from the back row.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Cornwallis Farms
Website: https://www.canadianpoultrymag.com/cornwallis-farms-ltd-nova-scotia-15780/
No official farm website was found, so the link points to a published trade magazine profile. No phone, address or email was verified from an official source, so none is listed. Confirm before any visit or business inquiry.
Cornwallis Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Canadian Poultry: Cornwallis Farms Ltd. - Trade magazine profile of the Newcombe family operation
- NSIA Distinguished Farm Award - Recipient list including Cornwallis Farms Ltd. in 2016
- Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture: Kings County profile - 2021 Census of Agriculture data including poultry and egg farms
- Nova Scotia 2021 Census of Agriculture summary - Provincial statistics on farms and farm area
- Statistics Canada: Nova Scotia farming - 2021 Census of Agriculture highlight
Cornwallis Farms FAQ
How old is Cornwallis Farms?
The Newcombe family has farmed the land since 1761, after a New England Planter land grant.
What does it produce?
Eggs, broilers and milk, plus corn, wheat, soybeans and forages and its own feed.
What award did it win?
The Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists Distinguished Farm Award in 2016.
Can I contact it?
No official site was found; the trade profile is the best published source.
Cornwallis Farms shows how a family on the same land since 1761 keeps adapting through integrated production and on-farm feed. Read the Nova Scotia farms guide for provincial context, programs and the other profiled operations.