Written by: Olivia Avotins
The fibres in wool are a bit like tree rings. Whether they are wound in the base of a wilting magnolia tree or woven through the threads of a blanket, these markers tell the story of life, spinning a tale through their molecular compositions. When investigating woollen fibres, you can see the environment from which it was produced, whether it bloomed in a harsh Canadian winter or a hot, smoky season, how long it was able to grow before it was sheared, and then carefully woven into that pair of stockings you pull on during a biting February day. Wool is a notoriously hardy fibre, delicate in feeling but with robust longevity. It lives, and breathes, and spins a story, one that starts with its initial growth and is shaped by every pair of hands it passes through.
This story of wool is ever-present at Topsy Farms, where quality fibre and the quality of life for their animals are inseparable. Situated on the northwest corner of Amherst Island, Topsy Farms began in 1972 when Leah Murray’s parents and three others purchased the land as a hippie commune, hoping to create a better life for themselves and their children by raising their own food in a classic back-to-the-land story. The farm initially produced organic vegetables, later adding livestock, which soon became the farm’s focus. Since the mid-70s, Topsy Farms has concentrated almost entirely on sheep, raising them in outdoor pastures with rotational grazing and a single lambing season each year. As Leah explains, “We have always been committed to making sure our sheep are living their best lives, and that we are stewarding the land as best as humanly possible.”
This philosophy is guided by the Five Freedoms of animal welfare, established in 1979 by the Farm Animal Welfare Council. These freedoms include access to fresh water and a proper diet, comfort through a safe environment and resting area, prevention or quick treatment of pain, injury, and disease, the ability to express natural behaviors with space and social contact, and freedom from fear and distress through conditions that avoid mental suffering. At Topsy Farms, these freedoms are not abstract principles but daily practices. They believe that animals deserve the chance to live comfortably rather than being reduced to a means to an end, as is too often the case on farms focused solely on production and profit. Their mission is to uphold these freedoms while also producing goods to share with the wider community, proving that ethical care and sustainable farming go hand in hand.
The wool that comes from this care finds its way into a range of one-of-a-kind products sold through their farm and their Wool Shop. The Shoreline Blanket is a particular point of pride, reflecting the same attention and intention that shapes their animal care. Designed specifically for Topsy by a master weaver, its palette was inspired by their time on the farm: the green of the fields, the purple of the Scottish thistle, the grey of the sky, and the blue of the lake. “The Shoreline Blanket is completely unique to Topsy,” Leah says. Just like their commitment to the sheep, the blanket embodies the land, the people, and the values that sustain the farm. A true labor of love, it weaves the Topsy story into every stitch.
Topsy’s mission extends beyond products. Protecting the land itself is central, and one of the ways they do this is by opening it to others. As Leah describes, “The whole endgame for us is doing whatever we can to hang onto the land. It is a really spectacularly beautiful place, and we have hundreds and hundreds of feet of pristine shoreline. So, for us, we really just want to keep the land, and the way we have decided to do that is to share it, to create spaces.” Visitors are invited to experience the farm through lamb visits, nature walks, hands-on classes, and more. These opportunities are not simply about tourism, but about fostering connection to the animals, the land, and the slower rhythm of farm life. Leah explains, “All of us grew up here, and went away, and decided to come back and be all in with farming. But we also decided that sharing it, in addition to being the best way for us to keep it, was a way to give people who may not otherwise have the opportunity the chance to come and see a working farm. To create a space for people to get out of the city and be in nature, without it being excessively cost prohibitive.”
Caring for the sheep at Topsy Farms extends beyond the animals themselves; it becomes a lesson in how humans might also care for one another and for the land we share. When visitors step onto the pastures, they are reminded of a slower rhythm. Watching a flock graze peacefully or cradling a newborn lamb places people back into an ancient dialogue with the natural world, a dialogue many have forgotten. Just as each fibre of wool carries the memory of the season it grew in, each moment at Topsy holds the imprint of care, balance, and respect. In prioritizing animal welfare and quality production, Topsy Farms is not only raising sheep, they are preserving stories in every strand of wool, inviting us all to remember our roots even as our tree rings expand.