I am so honoured that author Hugh Locke has included Farm One Forty in his upcoming book, Whole Earth Farming. Here is the draft of what he came up with to say about our farm.
Farm One Forty | a profile from Canada
Prairie Regeneration Just Minutes from the City
Just fifteen minutes outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where the Canadian prairie stretches toward distant horizons, Arlie and Brett Laroche are proving that regenerative agriculture can thrive within reach of urban markets. Their operation, Farm One Forty, demonstrates how holistic land management can restore degraded farmland while building a diversified business that connects city dwellers directly with the sources of their food.
The farm’s name comes the actual size of the farm: 140 acres. In addition to being practical, the name was chosen to challenge the prevailing assumption that this was too small a parcel of land to be practical. The Laroches wanted to show that scale mattered less than their philosophy centered on observation, patience, and working with natural systems rather than against them. For Arlie and Brett, farming is less about controlling nature and more about understanding and guiding the complex relationships that make ecosystems productive.
Their journey toward regenerative agriculture reflects a growing recognition across the Canadian prairies that conventional farming’s reliance on tillage, synthetic inputs, and large scale monocultures is degrading the very foundation that makes agriculture possible. The Laroches describe their approach as offering hope for a vibrant, diverse, and robust future: agriculture that restores both the land and the people who work it.
The farm produces an impressive diversity of products that would be unthinkable in conventional operations of similar size. Grass-fed beef and lamb form the core of their livestock program, raised entirely on pasture using adaptive multi-paddock grazing systems that mimic natural herd movements. Pasture-raised pork adds another protein source, with pigs enjoying free-range lives on healthy diets that yield what the Laroches consider the highest-quality meat possible. Beyond livestock, the farm produces eggs, honey, vegetables, fruits, berries, grains, pulses, and even lambskins, creating a truly integrated agricultural system where each element supports the others.
This diversity is not merely about offering variety to customers. It represents a fundamental shift in how the Laroches understand their role as farmers. In conventional agriculture, specialization is the norm where farmers grow one or two crops or raise a single type of livestock to maximize efficiency and scale. The regenerative approach inverts this logic, recognizing that diversity creates resilience, reduces risk, and enables farms to function more like natural ecosystems where multiple species interact to create stable, productive systems.
The livestock management at Farm One Forty exemplifies this systems thinking. Rather than confining animals in permanent pastures, the Laroches practice adaptive multi-paddock grazing, moving cattle and sheep through a series of paddocks in carefully timed rotations. This approach allows forage plants to recover fully between grazing events, maintains vegetative cover that protects soil, and distributes manure evenly across the landscape.
The results of these practices have been measurable and impressive. The farm has documented increased biodiversity in both flora and fauna, with native plant species returning to pastures and wildlife populations expanding as habitat quality improves. Water infiltration rates have increased significantly as soil structure has improved, meaning that rainfall penetrates the ground rather than running off and carrying topsoil with it. Soil aggregation and microbiology have shown marked improvement, creating the living soil that makes chemical inputs unnecessary. Forage production has increased even as synthetic fertilizer use has been eliminated. Perhaps most tellingly, animal health has improved to the point where veterinary interventions have become rare.
The Laroches emphasize observation as one of their most important farming tools. As Arlie writes on the farm blog, when going about daily work, she is always looking, feeling, smelling, and listening for clues. Nature serves as the greatest teacher, and paying attention reveals answers to questions farmers might be asking. This observational approach represents a profound shift from industrial agriculture’s reliance on predetermined schedules and standardized protocols. Instead of following a calendar that dictates when to plant, fertilize, or harvest, the Laroches read their land constantly, adjusting management based on what they observe happening in real time.
This attention to detail extends to their approach to soil management. The farm employs multiple strategies to minimize soil disturbance while maintaining productivity. No-till and minimum-till practices preserve soil structure and the biological communities that make soil fertile. Permanent grassland areas provide continuous habitat for beneficial organisms. Cover crops protect bare soil between cash crops while adding organic matter and fixing nitrogen. Organic mulch further enhances soil protection. These practices work together to build the soil resource rather than deplete it.
Water management receives similar careful attention. The farm implements rainwater harvesting to capture precipitation, water conservation measures to use this resource efficiently, and wetland restoration to enhance the landscape’s capacity to store and filter water. These practices have transformed the farm’s hydrology, with previously dry areas now maintaining moisture longer into the season and water quality improving as restored wetlands filter runoff.
The integration of trees and perennial plants into the farming system creates additional benefits. Windbreaks protect crops and livestock from harsh prairie winds while providing habitat for birds and beneficial insects. Trees are planted as buffers along streams to prevent erosion while enhancing water quality. Perennial crops add stability to the system, maintaining root systems year-round that hold soil and support mycorrhizal networks.
What makes Farm One Forty particularly significant is how it bridges the gap between production agriculture and direct consumer relationships. The farm operates its own online store where customers can purchase meat, eggs, and other products for pickup or delivery in Saskatoon. A farm store on the property welcomes visitors by appointment, allowing people to see where their food comes from and understand the practices that produced it. Local retailers in Saskatoon and the surrounding region carry Farm One Forty products, extending their reach while sharing the story of regenerative production that distinguishes their meat and other products from conventional alternatives.
The farm’s connection to local food culture extends even further through restaurant partnerships throughout the Saskatoon area. Multiple establishments feature Farm One Forty products on their menus, creating opportunities for diners to experience regeneratively produced food in chef-prepared dishes. The Laroches even helped to launch a restaurant that features products from their farm, creating a complete farm-to-table system where they are an integral part of the entire chain from soil to plate.
The event venue that the Laroches have developed on their property adds another dimension to their work. They host farm dinners and gatherings throughout the summer months, creating opportunities for people to experience the farm directly while enjoying professionally catered meals featuring products from the land around them. A Kids Farm Camp draws youth aged 7 – 13 who come each day for a week at a time during July and August to learn about regenerative agriculture and connect with nature; everything from farm chores to games and crafts. Events and education all designed to build community around local food and regenerative agriculture.
The farm’s blog reveals the depth of thinking that informs their practices. Posts explore topics ranging from the nutritional superiority of nutrient-dense foods to practical cooking advice for using products like lard and liver—traditional foods that industrial agriculture largely abandoned but that regenerative farming is helping to restore. This educational dimension reflects the Laroches’ understanding that reconnecting people with real food requires not just producing quality products but also helping consumers understand how to use and appreciate them.
The recognition Farm One Forty has received from Regeneration Canada, which features the farm in its network of regenerative operations, validates the significance of what the Laroches have built. Their inclusion in this network places them among the leading regenerative farms in Canada, demonstrating that their approach achieves outcomes that meet rigorous standards for soil health, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship.
The farm’s success demonstrates that regenerative agriculture can function as a viable business model even in the challenging climate of the Canadian prairies. By diversifying production, building direct relationships with customers, creating value-added opportunities through events and restaurant connections, and focusing relentlessly on quality, they have built an operation that serves both ecological and economic goals.
As consumers increasingly seek connections to their food sources and understanding of how their purchases impact the environment, Farm One Forty offers a model that delivers on multiple levels. Customers receive exceptional products raised according to the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. The land improves measurably year after year. The local food economy strengthens as dollars circulate within the region rather than flowing to distant corporations. And the example set encourages other farmers to consider whether regenerative approaches might work for their own operations.
The prairie landscape surrounding Saskatoon is being transformed, one carefully managed paddock at a time, into something that offers hope for agriculture’s future. In the Laroches’ work at Farm One Forty, we see proof that regenerative principles can guide profitable farming while restoring the land and building community around real food produced with respect for both animals and environment.