About Ground Up Ranch

About Us

Mrs. Ground Up grew up on the family dairy farm in Embrun, ONT. As soon as she could walk and get dressed on her own at 2 years of age, she was heading to the barn every opportunity she had. Her love of animals transferred to horses where she obtained her riding instructor certification with Equine Canada. Until this day, she is still teaching riding lessons. Mrs. Ground Up obtained her bachelor degree in Animal Science from McGill University and then also pursued her certification as a school teacher from Ottawa University. Her teaching degree led her to move to Calgary, Alberta in 2009 leaving the family farm for 15 years not knowing if she would ever move back.

Mr. Ground Up grew up on the opposite side of the country in Calgary, Alberta and the prairies absolutely consumed his heart. His love for the West is unquestionable. His favourite activity is by far hunting with his Alberta Hunting Crew. As he had obtained his Red Seal Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic certification at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Mr. Ground Up opened his own HVAC company. Leaving his business was not an easy decision but Mr. Ground Up decided to make the leap for his family’s future. Even though Mr. Ground Up had vowed to never leave his beautiful prairies, the opportunity to farm gave him a change of heart.

How the story started

Destiny was written in the stars for Mr. and Mrs. Ground Up as they met at the very iconic Ranchman’s in Calgary. Fun fact, it is also showcased in the funny movie, Cool Runnings. Their love story began and they had the privilege to get married on the family farm in Embrun, Ontario a few years later. It was the most magical day ever. At that time, both Mr. and Mrs. Ground Up never thought they would ever come back to the homestead and become owners.

They had children of their own, two beautiful boys and this is what started the whole transition for the Ground Up family. When Mrs.Ground Up’s parents came up with a plan for us to take over the homestead, Mr.Ground Up took the opportunity to make a huge life change. Years into the making, this finally became possible in 2024.

A long life dream that became reality for the Ground Up family!

Why the name Ground Up Ranch?

There are many reasons why we chose that name. The first being that our wedding song was “From the Ground Up” by Dan + Shay. We actually came up with the name while relistening to our wonderful first dance song. We both immediately fell in love with that name that had such an emotional meaning for us as we had gotten married on the homestead.

Secondly, we are starting from the ground up as everything related to animals was auctioned off in 2009 when Mamie and Papi got out of the milking business. At that time, no one would have ever predicted that the Ground Up family would be back on the homestead. Just to paint the picture, there are no paddocks left, no water to the barn, no gates, no fences and the list goes on. We actually flew back to the homestead in May 2024 to seed pastures in order for our first animals to have luscious grass to munch on. The name Ground Up Ranch has a significant meaning to our family who is working endlessly to bring life to this once highly functioning dairy operation.

As we venture down the regenerative agriculture path, starting with soil health is a must. So we are focusing a lot of effort on healing the ground, which will produce healthier plants, animals and humans. Our farming philosophy is literally, from the ground up.

Mrs. Ground Up also has her riding equestrian business, Ground Up Equestrian. She is a strong believer that ground work is the stepping stone in order to become a great horsewoman. It is also necessary that you need to start from the ground in order to work your way up to jumping in the equestrian world.

Lastly, we want to raise quality beef! Mr. Ground Up has an absolute passion for beef and that made it extremely easy to agree that the name was perfect for us!

So here we are, we are Ground Up Ranch and we want to ethically raise regenerative pastured grazing animals that will have the best care possible. The possibilities are endless but at the moment, we are venturing into poultry, beef and sheep. We hope to also introduce honeybees in the next few years. Our goal is to bring the best quality whole foods to your household while giving back to our biodiversity. We care about your family’s health and wellness.