Malecki Farms in Ontario: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Malecki Farms is a family farm on Pleasant Ridge Road near Brantford, Ontario, run by brothers Blaine and Brent Malecki. A 2025 Grant Haven Media profile says it grows 85 to 100 acres of ginseng under shade, plus corn, soybeans, wheat, rye and a broiler barn of 20,000 birds.
| Location | Pleasant Ridge Road, near Brantford, Brant County, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family moved to the current farm in 1950; ginseng first sold in 1995 (as published) |
| Sectors | Ginseng; corn, soybeans, wheat, rye; broiler poultry |
| Scale | 85 to 100 acres of ginseng under shade; 20,000 broilers (Grant Haven Media) |
| Why it is notable | Multi-generation farm that moved from tobacco to a specialty crop with an export market |
| Ownership | Blaine and Brent Malecki, with their father Richard and mother Peggy involved |
| Official website | Grant Haven Media profile of Malecki Farms |
History of Malecki Farms
The family's farming history began with great-grandfather John Malecki, who emigrated from Poland, and Teofil Malecki moved to the current Brant County farm in 1950. Tobacco expanded to 250 acres by the late 1980s and was phased out by the early 2000s.
A trial ginseng planting went in during 1992 and the first crop was sold in 1995. A new ginseng cooler was built in 2008. The farm later obtained poultry quota and added a one-floor barn for 20,000 Cobb broilers.
What Malecki Farms Grows and Raises
The farm plants 20 to 25 acres of ginseng each year and harvests a similar amount, so that 85 to 100 acres are in production under shade at any time. Roots are washed, graded, dried and packaged, and berries are harvested as seed.
Corn, soybeans, wheat and rye are also grown, and rye straw is used as ginseng bedding. Labour includes five Mexican workers from April to November, two of whom have worked on the farm for 20 years, plus five more hired each autumn for harvest and processing.
How Malecki Farms Makes Money
Ginseng roots
Ginseng is the primary crop. The profile says China buys the bulk of Ontario's ginseng, so export demand shapes the business.
Ginseng seed
Berries are harvested as seed, a second product from the same crop.
Grain and poultry
Grain crops diversify income and supply straw for ginseng beds, and the broiler barn adds a supply-managed poultry enterprise.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Malecki Farms
Moving from tobacco to ginseng shows how a family can change crops without leaving the farm. Ginseng takes years to mature, so planting every year keeps income steady.
Combining a specialty crop with grain and a quota enterprise spreads risk, and the straw from rye ties the crops together.
Ginseng takes years to grow and then goes to the other side of the world, which is more patience than most of us show waiting for a toaster, and farm.FM admires it. Farm satire usually shies away from roots that expensive, but we will make an exception. Farm humor says the shade structures make the field look like a very organized picnic, and ranch humor admits the ginseng never wanders off. These farm jokes are affectionate toward a family that outlasted tobacco.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Malecki Farms
Website: https://granthaven.com/post/ginseng-stays-as-the-consistent-crop-at-malecki-farms
No official farm website or direct business contact details were found in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any enquiry directly with the operation.
Malecki Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Grant Haven Media: Malecki Farms profile - Independent news profile.
- Better Farming: Ontario ginseng growers - Farm press coverage of the Ontario ginseng market.
- FarmFood360: ginseng news release - Industry release on Ontario ginseng.
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance - Official Census of Agriculture figures on Canadian farms, including Ontario sectors.
- Foodland Ontario - Provincial program promoting Ontario-grown food and farm stories.
Malecki Farms FAQ
Where is Malecki Farms?
On Pleasant Ridge Road near Brantford, in Brant County, Ontario.
How much ginseng does it grow?
85 to 100 acres under shade, with 20 to 25 acres planted each year.
What else does it produce?
Corn, soybeans, wheat, rye and broiler chickens.
When did the farm start growing ginseng?
A trial planting went in during 1992 and the first crop was sold in 1995.
Malecki Farms shows how a family can move from tobacco to a specialty export crop and keep diversifying. For the programs and markets that matter to Ontario specialty growers, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.