McQuail named 'Steward of the Herd' with Organic Council award
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
Meeting Place Organic Farm near Lucknow is home to a variety of livestock, and farmer Katrina McQuail takes the well-being of each one seriously. Her careful, hands-on approach to animal care and land stewardship has earned her the Organic Council of Ontario’s 2025 Organic Champions Steward of the Herd Award, in recognition of her leadership in organic livestock management and her commitment to sustainable farming.
McQuail’s approach to organic farming is focused on both official certification and practical philosophy. “We are committed to organic certification, but it’s also about recreating natural systems. The way we graze our cattle emulates herd grazing in the wild - a large group in a smaller space for a short time before moving on. We use the manure our animals produce to fertilize our fields, so we don’t need commercial inputs,” she told The Citizen. “We take animal health seriously, so we focus on preventative care through housing, diet and stress management. We don’t need antibiotics or chemical treatments because our systems support their health…. It’s about creating a place that’s safe for wildlife, livestock and people, and good for the soil, air and water.”
McQuail’s philosophy of care guides daily life on the farm. “In some sense, yes, I own this property and these animals,” she explained, “but the way I approach it is that I have the honour of caring for them. It’s a responsibility. Our livestock’s well-being is a priority.”
For McQuail, proper stewardship also means striving for consistency. “If I’m sick, those animals still have to be cared for,” she pointed out. “If the weather’s miserable, they still need to be looked after. Sometimes that means putting yourself in an unpleasant situation to get them into a better one. It really is about the privilege of taking care of these creatures and stewarding their lives.”
Among the practices she’s most proud of are her herd’s living conditions and her approach to grazing. “We don’t bring our cattle into the barn except for vet checks or shipping,” McQuail asserted. “They live outside 99.9 per cent of the time, year-round. We feed them hay outside all winter, make sure they have water, and that’s it. It’s so much better for herd health, calving and even our own health. Our rotational grazing lets us get more grazing passes and animal units off the same land, because our pastures are healthier. It’s been transformative.”
Katrina is the second McQuail generation to run Meeting Place. Her parents, Tony and Fran McQuail, came to Lucknow in 1973, spending decades transforming a conventional farming operation into Meeting Place Organic Farm - one of the first certified-organic farming operations in the area. They raised grass-fed and finished cattle, pastured pork and poultry, tended apple orchards and vegetable gardens, and worked the farm with draft horses. In 2016, the McQuails passed the operation on to Katrina, though they are still very much involved with life on the farm.
Katrina’s work continues her family’s legacy of integrating ecological, social and economic sustainability. “It’s easy to do what you already know - I grew up with it. It just makes sense to me,” she declared. “I see the results of what we do - in how our animal management impacts the quality of the soil, the wildlife and our lives. It works for us. I wouldn’t even know how to start being conventional, and I have no cause to.”
Currently, the family farm has become a community hub for locally-produced organic food from both Meeting Place and neighbouring farms. “The beauty of Huron County is the diversity of farming,” Katrina pointed out. “As much as I think organics is the way to go, I know it’s a lot to expect farmers to transition without support. Farming is already full of risk: weather, markets, everything. So, expecting people to go organic and take on more risk without help isn’t fair. What’s beautiful here is that you’ve got small-scale Amish farms, farms like ours, that are small-scale and organic, and larger-scale conventional farms. Everyone’s respectful. There’s no hostility; it’s all hard work, and everyone knows it.”
Born and raised on the farm, McQuail left at 16 and spent about a decade away, studying, travelling and working before returning to help her parents. “I committed to being here for five to seven years, and if it became clear the farm was bad for me or I was bad for the farm, it would be a no-fault exit,” she recalled. “But here we are, over a decade later.”
Being recognized as one of the OCO’s 2025 Organic Champions has been both humbling and affirming for Katrina. “It’s cool. I definitely have imposter syndrome - I feel like I’ll never be what Mom and Dad were,” she admitted. “So it’s kind of wild to be noticed, and have someone think what I’m doing is noteworthy. Being recognized helps me realize that what I’m doing is interesting and worthwhile - it’s easy to feel like it’s just what one does, but it’s nice to have that acknowledgement.”
Organic farming has its challenges, but the rewards are clear. “Feet on the ground, hands in the dirt - I get to spend my life outside with animals. It’s exercise, stress reduction, connection,” she explained. “I don’t have to worry about what’s been sprayed or if it’s safe to walk in a field. It feels safe here. Aside from the electric fences, of course.”
Katrina feels that soil health and biodiversity are paramount to a healthy organic farm. “We want to add to and complement biodiversity - planting trees every year, creating habitats for pollinators, snakes, turtles, birds, and bats,” she said. “The more diversity, the better. Being organic means we aren’t killing the insects the birds feed on, so the whole ecosystem can exist and thrive. We stopped doing tillage to keep our soil intact. We’re always adding fertility and diversifying our seed mixes. Without healthy soil, you won’t have nutritious forage, and without that, your livestock won’t thrive. It’s all connected. When I plant trees, I take 10 of every type the conservation authority offers - I don’t know which will survive in 20 years. Diversity, diversity, diversity.”
As for the future of organic farming, Katrina remains hopeful. “We’ve gone from almost no organic farms to a solid number that are well recognized,” she noted. “My hope is that as farms change generationally, more people make that shift - especially as climate change and soil health become bigger conversations. I have no doubt that every farmer in Huron County is farming with their heart, doing the best they can in their situation. Farmers do it because they love it - their animals, their land, their community. As funding and programs come in to support transitions, I hope farms can take those steps sustainably, at their own pace. Change doesn’t have to be fast to be meaningful.”