THE
DANDY
RANCHERS
MEET THE DANDYS
Hello there,
I'm Mandy (right) and he's Dan (left).
We've gone from high-tech to low-tech, moving from Ottawa, Ontario, seven years ago, to the tiny community just outside Amherst, Nova Scotia, to pursue the dream to run a successful pasture-to-plate, grass-fed beef ranch.
I guess our back story goes something like this:
Once upon a time, a chef and a computer consultant came to meet and decided city living wasn't for them. They packed up their belongings, having purchased a small 42-acre property in Barronsfield, Nova Scotia, and set out to build the dream of becoming cattle ranchers.
That sounds nice, doesn't it? :)
Well, it didn't really happen that way, sort of, but there were lots of hiccups along the way.
We'd originally set out to farm sheep, yet here we are ranching cattle.
We're currently running a 35-head herd of Lowline Angus cattle, with 2 regular-sized British Breed females (Egg Nog and Sous-Vide).
We have plans to grow the cattle herd, I think 100 is our number. I also have plans to incorporate Waygu into our Dandy Little genetic program. *(That's the chef in me... Heheh.)
We've added chickens to the farm in 2023. We are keeping a flock of layers now for egg production and pasture the birds following the cattle during the summer.
In the future, we hope to add sheep, ducks, and geese to the farm for food production.
Nothing about learning a new career/skill, (at 40 and 50 years of age even...) was easy, and I'm going to assume it's not going to get any easier, but as hard as it is, this lifestyle sure is rewarding.
I'm pretty biased, but I think we make the best beef I've ever eaten.
Wondering how you can support the Dandy Little Ranch?
For the local meat connoisseur, we will have farm gate beef available at certain times throughout the year. Please fill in the contact page to join our newsletter to keep yourself in the know about what's going on at the Dandy Little Ranch.
We also have a line of pet treats, made from the bits of the animals that we don't sell for human consumption. Our best seller is the dehydrated liver treats. Pretty much crack for dogs. Your four-legged friend will appreciate you for these. ;)
Most recently, we have developed a line of Dandy Little spices and seasonings.
We currently have four blends of spices, and a line of spicy salts, and are working on more.
Our shopping site is more of a "browse then message us" kind of site.
I've set up the products there, with the pricing, you just can't pay.
We can accept email money transfers (for our Canadian supporters), and I think we have a PayPal account. All in all, if you see something you fancy, get in touch with us. We will do what we can to make it happen.
I also enjoy telling stories, and, ranching provides me with a TON of writing fodder, so make sure to check out the soon-to-come blog.
*I know, I know... everything is SOON-TO-COME... Ugh, the story of my life as a rancher... I promise I'll work on getting things going as quickly as I can.
Keep checking in to follow our adventures, (and misadventures), as we navigate ourselves through "living the dream" on the Dandy Little Ranch.
Thanks for stopping by. :)
Mandy
