Farmers invested in the health of the land, their animals and their family

Home-baked apple pies cooling on a windowsill, the bloom of pretty perennials, lying around in a hammock on a Sunday afternoon. These images of life on a family farm paint a picture of serenity and relaxation. But it’s also a lot of hard work.

For husband-and-wife team Michelle Schram and Troy Stozek, who founded Fresh Roots Farm in 2011, it’s also a lifestyle that allows them to live true to their motto of nourishing, protecting and regenerating with their values of maintaining and modelling a connection with the earth.

On land previously owned and farmed by Schram’s parents and grandparents near Cartwright in southwest Manitoba, the couple have put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make it to where they are today.

“We had on slightly rose-coloured glasses when we moved out here,” said Stozek, originally from Dauphin. “Your senses kind of take a respite from the craziness of the city, but then you find yourself with a different kind of stress … building a business out. It was especially hard in the early days.”