“For weeks, my father helped me work with the pony, and I felt more confident each day. I remember being so nervous about riding this pony alone, despite us having many horses,” Samantha recalls. “My Dad surprised us with our first pony. She often reflects on a valuable lesson her father taught many years ago. “Some would call it stubbornness, but Dad says it’s a learning opportunity,” Samantha says.Ī sheep waits for snacks as people visit the Lester’s Farm Chalet petting barn. John's, along with hurricane-force winds, all within 72 hours) avian flu, which saw all of the farm's poultry and pigs seized and then the lockdowns and restrictions that came along with COVID-19. 17-18, 2020, when over 90 centimetres of snow were dumped on St. In one year, the farm faced Snowmageddon (Jan. “Dad never let all the ups and downs deter him,” she remarks. Samantha says her parents are passionate agriculturalists who want to impart the importance of food production, environmental consciousness, and resource management to everyone they meet.īut this road to success came with challenging economic conditions. Jim Lester, driving a carriage with his two large, powerful Percheron horses, Mike and Molly, will be featured in a Christmas Hallmark movie later this year. Now that I see my three children doing the same, they share their knowledge and encourage people to look after our world, which makes me proud.” “I love taking kids from the community out on wagon rides and sharing the importance of food production, taking care of the land, and the environment," Jim says. The aquaponics food production system is one of the most advanced designs worldwide. "We operate an aquaculture site too, producing vegetables and fish that are provided with the nutrients from the vegetables.” "It comprises 4-H youth development experiences and pasture, and each year we grow mixed vegetables and berries," he says. The farm, which is about 100 acres, is quite diverse. Jim and Michelle Lester picking berries at their farm with their three children when they were small. But we had to clear trees, rocks, and everything in between for this land to be farmed.” "So, we are located just around the corner from the original land passed down through the generations for farming. “In 2001, we bought a piece of land from the government and private landowners," he said. The family had to get innovative to survive, acknowledges Jim. He opened our doors to the public, so everyone can taste farm life, which is an incredible feat.” Daily, he puts in hours and hours of thankless labour to keep the farm afloat and feed his family and community. “My father’s drive to build for future generations is unmatched. “My parents built, from the ground up, Lester’s Farm Chalet that caters to weddings, cocktail receptions, parties, including farm camps for young kids, and a petting barn,” Samantha says. The family has been farming since the 1800s, beginning with John Lester from Dorset, England. Jim Lester’s family describes him as “hardworking, borrowing the land for future generations, and committed to his community.” - Contributed “He’s generous, charismatic, and hardworking, one of those people you meet that puts you instantly at ease,” she says, adding that her parents are pioneers in agriculture. Samantha Lester, a seventh-generation farmer, says her father is the “perfect fit” for a family-orientated Hallmark movie. The backdrop is their family-run business, Lester’s Farm Chalet, located in St. Jim and Michelle Lester, who built a successful agritourism business - including the first tilapia-producing aquaponics farm in Newfoundland - will have to break out the popcorn with their three adult children when the new Hallmark Christmas movies arrive on television screens this fall.įeatured in the film is Jim on a carriage with his two large, powerful Percheron horses Mike and Molly, which he got for his 40th birthday.
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