Westham Island Herd Farm

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Sharon Ellis

Westham Island Herb Farm

“It gets in your blood, this farming” said Janet Ellis. “I can’t think of anything else we would prefer to do”. “One good thing is we don’t have to face traffic every day to get to work and although we work hard, we are outside in the open air a lot of the time”.
The Ellis’ farm about 130 acres on Westham Island and the land has been in the family since 1916. Sharon Ellis is the main operator of Westham Island Herb Farm which is the direct marketing member of this larger farm. The herb part of the operation has about two acres. Gordon has another three acres in strawberries and they also farm potatoes, pumpkins and hay. Although they used to have more beef cattle, they have now reduced to about 10.
“We use integrated pest management practices” said Janet. “This is important for reducing the amount of chemicals needed to control pests” “It really works well” she said. The Ellis’ spend a lot of their time farming and in related activities. Although slowing down somewhat, Gordon is still very active with the Delta Agricultural Society and working with organizations and groups involved with agriculture in the area.