Our Farm's Story
As fifth and sixth generation farmers, Ralph and Sheila Schlatter, along with their son Kyle, and grandchildren own and operate Canal Junction Farm and Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese located in Paulding County, Ohio. Utilizing rotational grazing, we produce grassfed meats and cheeses.
We started our grass based, diversified livestock farm located in Northwest Ohio in 1999. Canal Junction Farm is located along the Junction of the historic Miami Erie and Wabash Erie Canals. On our farm we produce and direct market grassfed beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkeys, brown eggs, raw milk cheeses, and raw milk. We are an environmentally friendly, family owned and operated small farm.
Farming Practices
The beef animals are 100% grassfed from start to finish. In the winter season they are fed hay out on pasture. Our 100% grass-fed beef and grass-finished beef are raised on our nutrient dense pastures. No grains, no hormones, and no GMO's.
The broiler chickens are raised from May through October. They are started as day old chicks under the brooder for two weeks. They are then moved out to pasture in floorless, moveable pens. They are moved once a day to fresh forages. They are supplemented with a grain mixture as they need the added protein and energy to survive. They are supplemented with a non GMO grain mixture.
In 2007 we started Canal Junction Farmstead Cheeses LLC. These award winning cheeses are made right here on the farm. The milk comes from our beautiful herd of Normande cows that graze our mineral rich pastures. Our cheeses have their own unique flavors because of the terroir in which they are produced.
The pigs are raised outside where they can root, romp, forage, and assimilate the sunshine into Vitamin D which we then consume through their fat. They squeal with delight in getting curds and whey from the cheese plant, and excess milk products. They are also given some non-GMO grain.
The lambs are 100% grassfed. We do not raise lambs during the winter months, so we try to stock our freezer well in the fall.
The laying hens are probably the most challenging species. They need about 14 hours of light in a day to optomize their egg production. Therefore, the summer months are the only time they can really be out in the pasture. We have invested in a 100 ft long greenhouse to house our hens. This allows us to have lights on them during the months there is not enough sunlight. This summer we developed a run where they can come out of the greenhouse and forage. During the cold months they spend a lot of their energy just trying to maintain their body heat. We feel that with the greenhouse blocking the wind, and on sunny days allowing some extra warmth, they maintain farily well during the winter. Their production does drop some, but not as it used to.
