Maple Meadow Farms in Ontario: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Maple Meadow Farms is a century-old sheep and crop farm in Osgoode, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa, run by Colleen Acres and Dwayne Bazinet. Sheep Canada magazine reports about 500 owned acres, 370 commercial ewes, several registered flocks and about 1,000 lambs born a year.
| Location | Osgoode, Ontario, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa |
|---|---|
| Founded | Purchased in 1923 by George William Acres (Sheep Canada) |
| Sectors | Sheep (commercial and registered); grain corn, soybeans, barley, hay; beef and seasonal poultry |
| Scale | 500 owned acres plus 20 rented; 370 commercial ewes; about 1,000 lambs a year (Sheep Canada) |
| Why it is notable | Four-plus generations; registered Rideau Arcott, Hampshire, Suffolk and Polled Dorset flocks |
| Ownership | Colleen Acres and Dwayne Bazinet, with sons Mitchell, Taylor and Kieran |
| Official website | Sheep Canada producer profile of Maple Meadow Farms |
History of Maple Meadow Farms
George William Acres bought the farm in 1923 as one of four 100-acre lots for his sons. Colleen Acres and Dwayne Bazinet began farming in 1995 on a 55-acre parcel and bought the home farm in 2007. Colleen's parents, Dwayne and Laura Acres, remain involved, and the couple's sons Mitchell, Taylor and Kieran work in the business.
The farm has changed enterprises over time. It once raised Southdown and Cheviot sheep, several breeds of swine and a dairy herd, which was switched to beef in 2001. Family members have also held industry roles, including Dwayne Acres as chair of the Canadian Sheep Breeders' Association and Canada Sheep Council and Colleen as a past director of Ontario Sheep Farmers.
What Maple Meadow Farms Grows and Raises
The flock includes 370 commercial ewes, mostly Suffolk and Rideau cross with some Polled Dorset cross, plus registered flocks of about 90 Rideau Arcott, 20 Hampshire, 25 Suffolk and 15 Polled Dorset ewes. The farm believes its Hampshire flock is the longest continuous registered Hampshire flock in Canada. About 1,000 lambs are born each year.
The farm also grows grain corn, soybeans, barley and hay, keeps about 20 head of beef cattle and raises seasonal poultry. Crops and hay support the flock and add sales of their own.
How Maple Meadow Farms Makes Money
Market lambs
Lambs are sold direct to local provincially inspected processors and retail butcher shops, with some freezer lamb sales.
Breeding stock
The farm sells commercial crossbred and registered breeding stock, and the profile notes interest from U.S. producers.
4-H, wool and crops
It supplies ewes and market lambs for 4-H, ships wool to the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers in Carleton Place, and sells corn, soybeans, barley and hay.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Maple Meadow Farms
Running both commercial and registered flocks lets a sheep farm sell to the meat market and the breeding market at once. Keeping a long-running registered flock builds a reputation buyers can trust.
Diversifying into crops and a small beef herd uses the same land and labour, and local processors and butcher shops shorten the path from pasture to customer.
A hundred years on one farm and a Hampshire flock that may be the longest running in the country is the kind of continuity that farm.FM finds quietly moving. Farm satire about sheep usually involves counting them badly, but this farm counts about 1,000 lambs a year correctly. Farm humor says a good ewe never loses her patience, and ranch humor concedes that herding sheep is its own art form. These farm jokes are meant as a salute to Osgoode.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Maple Meadow Farms
Website: https://sheepcanada.com/producer-profile-maple-meadow-farms-a-century-of-farming-in-osgoode-ontario/
The profile mentions a farm website but does not print its address, and no direct business contact details were found in the sources used, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any enquiry directly with the operation.
Maple Meadow Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sheep Canada: Maple Meadow Farms profile - Independent producer profile.
- Sheep Canada magazine - National sheep industry magazine.
- Farmtario: optimism for sheep farmers - Ontario farm press editorial on the sector.
- Ontario government: sheep farming - Provincial overview of sheep farming in Ontario.
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance - Official Census of Agriculture figures on Canadian farms, including Ontario sectors.
Maple Meadow Farms FAQ
Where is Maple Meadow Farms?
In Osgoode, Ontario, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa.
How old is the farm?
Sheep Canada says George William Acres bought it in 1923.
How many sheep does it keep?
About 370 commercial ewes plus registered Rideau Arcott, Hampshire, Suffolk and Polled Dorset ewes.
Who runs Maple Meadow Farms?
Colleen Acres and Dwayne Bazinet, with their sons.
Maple Meadow Farms shows how a century farm can reinvent its enterprise mix while keeping a registered breeding reputation. For the programs, processors and markets that matter to Ontario sheep producers, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.