THE DOGS RUN FARM
Colin & Katie McInnes
Colin and Katie met in 2012 and moved from Winnipeg to their first farm in 2013.
They rented farm land for two years, while setting up their small farm dream. They began with pigs, sheep, chickens, laying hens, geese, and a garden.
They had provided food for their earliest customers by the fall of 2013.
Since then they have purchased land of their own near Clearwater, Manitoba, where they continue to grow their farm and create relationships with their customers. Their son Reuben was born in 2021 - he is a happy addition to their life on the farm, and brings a spark of curiosity and imagination to their world.
They are both first generation farmers, which means that neither of them grew up on a farm or comes from a farming background. Their farm experience comes from many sources, including apprenticeships, WWOOFing, farm tours, and educational classes, friends and mentors, as well as their years of farming as a partnership together.
They acknowledge the support they have received from family, friends, neighbours and organizations. They acknowledge the deep honour of stewarding the land, and that their place in Treaty One Territory is one of privilege that carries the responsibilities of working towards equity and justice for all peoples. They are committed to the ongoing work of learning about our place in the future of food justice and all that it intersects.
They are conscientious, careful people, who strive to live with integrity and others with warmth, decency and humour. They care deeply about the wellbeing of our community, our animals, our customers, and all visitors to the farm.
Colin McInnes knew from a young age that he wanted to work with his hands in the natural world. A personal commitment to environmental stewardship and his goal to learn to grow and raise his own food, learn carpentry, and acquire homesteading skills took him to many farms across Canada and Central America. He completed work placements and internships on farms in Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and in Belize.
Colin has a bachelors degree in Geography, from the University of Winnipeg, and has worked as a carpenter, tree-planter and fishing guide.
Katie McInnes grew up secretly fantasizing about life on a ranch, with big dogs and big horses.
Her path did not appear at first to lead in that direction; she spent her teens and twenties studying art, film, and theatre, and obtaining her degree in Fine Arts, Honours, from the University of Manitoba.
When she met Colin, she knew that she had stumbled upon her dream, but also that she had better catch up in the skills department. She completed an internship at Room to Grow, an organic greenhouse near Boissevain, MB, at the same time that she and Colin were establishing their first farm. She has worked as a photographer and graphic designer, in childcare, and in restaurants.
Katie enjoys soapmaking, and the process of starting their garden seeds, growing vegetables, and learning to grow new varieties of flowers.
