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Balance Nature Project
Transforming 34 acres of Kawartha countryside into a thriving, balanced ecosystem that supports community, food production, and wildlife.
Our Mission
The Balance Nature Project began as a three-day festival celebrating nature, the end of summer, and the birth of a farm and a tribe. A space where we can ground ourselves and grow — with good vibes, uplifting workshops, an abundance of nature, and a powerful soundtrack. The pandemic helped us all reassess our lives, and what became abundantly clear is that we all need to reconnect with nature. Balance Nature Project invites you to redefine what success means to you in a growth mindset atmosphere. Disconnect to connect.
What important truth is nobody talking about? We have roughly 60 harvests left before our monoculture farming system collapses. In that same period, we'll add 3 billion humans to a world population of 8 billion. A third of the planet is covered with monoculture farms that will no longer be able to feed us as their soil becomes devoid of life. We mask the problem today by increasing synthetic fertilizers and pesticides — pesticides that nearly triple in quantity every 20 years just to maintain current yields. Micro-organisms are killed by tilling that bakes them in the sun, releasing CO2 and degrading the soil further.
The overall mission for Straight Fin Farms is to raise awareness about this important truth and take concrete action to find a new path. We are building a biodiverse farm that helps raise awareness, regains skills we are losing, and promotes ethical growing practices. For any of this to matter, we also need to prove we can produce 10x more profit per acre compared to a monoculture farm — with tastier produce. We will document every step, celebrate every milestone with our tribe, and provide a blueprint for others who want to follow.
The good news is there is a better way, and the movement has already started. It's really simple — we've been doing it for over 10,000 years prior to World War 2. We need to Balance Nature: let natural ecosystems deal with pests, use permaculture practices to harness the power of nature, and move from monoculture to biodiverse so we have richness in our soil and a more profitable, tastier yield.
The Essence of What We're Doing
Three generations ago, half the population worked the land. Today, less than one percent of Canada is in agriculture — a massive loss in skills and our inner wisdom. Our work is guided by four core truths:
Reconnect with nature — Help our community and tribe regain the skills we are losing and rediscover the connection to the land that was essential to our being for thousands of years.
Heal the soil — By moving away from tilling, we can sequester 20% of our global CO2 emissions and store it underground where it belongs, instead of killing the micro-organisms that give soil its life.
Avoid a food crisis — Within 60 harvests, monoculture farms will deplete all life in their soil. They will no longer produce food if we don't change course.
Nature is fun — It helps us reshape our community, reconnect with each other, and rediscover our own nature. Come ground yourself and grow with us.
The Three Pillars
The Balance Nature Project is built on permaculture's three core ethics, which guide every aspect of our work on the farm.
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Earth Care
Rebuilding soil health, restoring native habitats, managing water systems, and increasing biodiversity across all 34 acres. We treat the land as a living system and aim to leave it healthier than we found it.
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People Care
Creating a welcoming space for learning, healing, and community. From our permaculture courses and volunteer programs to our vacation rentals, we invite people to experience life in balance with nature.
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Fair Share
Sharing our harvest, our knowledge, and our space. We work collaboratively with other local farmers and producers, host educational tours, and make our resources available to the broader community.
What We're Building
The Balance Nature Project is a holistic approach to land management that integrates food production, wildlife habitat, education, and community living into one interconnected system.
On our 34 acres you'll find regenerative market gardens, a developing food forest and orchard, mushroom cultivation areas, active beehives producing raw honey, restored wetlands and pond ecosystems, forest trails, and a growing tiny house community — all designed to work together as a single living system.
We also produce seasonal fruits and vegetables, berries, select gourmet mushrooms including lion's mane, oyster, and shiitake, free-range eggs, and raw honey — all grown using biodiverse permaculture practices that leverage nature's own cycles.
Our Vision & Roadmap
The Balance Nature Project is a long-term commitment to the land. Here's how our vision is unfolding across the property.
Phase 1
Foundation & Soil
Establish core garden systems, build healthy soil through composting and cover cropping, set up beehives, and begin mushroom cultivation. Create the first tiny house dwelling on the property.
Phase 2
Food Forest & Orchard
Plant the perennial food forest with fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and understory crops. Expand the orchard and integrate companion planting throughout the property.
Phase 3
Community & Education
Grow the tiny house community, launch the Permaculture Design Course, expand volunteer and educational programs, and open the farm for tours, workshops, and retreats.
Phase 4
Regenerative Model
Achieve a fully integrated, self-sustaining farm ecosystem that serves as a replicable model for regenerative land management. Share our methods, data, and lessons with the broader permaculture community.
