Image of the Thorne Family submitted by the author. by David Jonah, Pleasant Vale, Albert County Writer
Throughout history, it has taken a farm to raise a family, sustain a community, and secure a productive future for all three.
In Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, the Thorne family embodies this timeless connection at Orchard Lane Family Farm.
Nestled on Route 114 in historic Hopewell Cape (2021 population est., 597), approximately halfway between Hillsborough and Riverside Albert, this farm operates from a stately farmhouse with deep community roots dating back to 1845, when the hamlet served as the former Shiretown of Albert County.
Ryan is a teacher and his wife Nancy is a school librarian and administrative assistant. The couple run the farm alongside their three children: Oscar (14), George (12), and Pearl (10). Together with occasional help from extended family, they're building more than just a business—they're cultivating a sustainable legacy.
Throughout history, it has taken a farm to raise a family, sustain a community, and secure a productive future for all three.
In Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, the Thorne family embodies this timeless connection at Orchard Lane Family Farm.
Nestled on Route 114 in historic Hopewell Cape (2021 population est., 597), approximately halfway between Hillsborough and Riverside Albert, this farm operates from a stately farmhouse with deep community roots dating back to 1845, when the hamlet served as the former Shiretown of Albert County.
Ryan is a teacher and his wife Nancy is a school librarian and administrative assistant. The couple run the farm alongside their three children: Oscar (14), George (12), and Pearl (10). Together with occasional help from extended family, they're building more than just a business—they're cultivating a sustainable legacy.
Image of the Thorne Family at a Riverview Market by the author. A Family Vision Takes Root
"We're trying to achieve a business fit between what the farm market consumer wants and what our soil development and unpredictable weather will provide," explains Ryan.
Since purchasing their 46-acre property in 2022 (six acres of which are open field for production), the Thornes have implemented a strategic development plan: seven intensive management plots, each containing seven 50 x 50 ft gardens for crop experimentation and rotation with an additional garden for flowers.
What makes this farm remarkable isn't just their agricultural approach but the family's unified commitment.
Nancy and Ryan express surprise and pride that their children willingly set aside digital devices after school to help with farm chores—from securing fencing for their free-spirited pig to tending the chicken coops, which house egg-laying heritage breed hens, and now pending fourteen new incubator chicks as of May.
The farm's offerings currently include seasonal flowers, kitchen vegetables, and eggs, with plans for a permanent roadside stand as production increases.
They've already established “The Sunflower Cottage,” an Airbnb rental on the property, with additional on-farm visitor experiences in development.
The main house itself has historical significance as the former Randall Family drive-by viewing attraction, once a popular roadside enterprise for tourists traveling Route 114 to The Rocks and Fundy National Park in the 1940s-50s.
Soil First: The Foundation of Sustainability
For the Thornes, everything begins with the soil. Their shared mission centers on investing in soil health as the economic engine for farm sustainability.
"Right now, we're figuring out specific types of plants and vegetables that can thrive on each plot as we try low-impact, non-chemical solutions to sweeten our acidic garden plot soils to a pH balance," Ryan says. They currently have two garden plots on which they are using no-till methods and five that they continue to till for now.
Their greatest challenge has been revitalizing tired, naturally acidic Albert County soil into a balanced growing medium. Rather than turning to chemical solutions, the family employs natural amendments such as:
"It is challenging to condition the soil without tilling, and time-consuming to avoid chemical applications," Ryan acknowledges, "but we hope to eventually get to no-till management status for all our garden plots."
Adapting to Climate Change
The Thornes have become acute observers of environmental shifts affecting their land.
"We are noticing how we can continue production for sunflowers and dahlias late into the fall season before killer frosts end our growth season," Ryan explains. "The amount of climate change we experience is unsettling. Especially when, as a child, I recall having Halloween with a costume over my snow suit.”
To manage water resources responsibly while adapting to more extreme weather patterns, they've deployed four 1000-liter water tanks around the garden area, capturing rainwater from their garage roof. "This allows us to apply retained rainwater directly to the gardens when temperatures dry out the soil and threaten production," Ryan says.
Looking toward future climate resilience, Ryan is exploring how their predominantly forested property might serve as a CO2 carbon sink, implementing emerging best practices in this field of environmental impact management.
From Farm to Community
To connect with customers, the Thornes participate in popular summer pop-up markets in nearby communities, including Riverside-Albert, and Nancy's hometown of Riverview. Ryan's background was influenced on a Petitcodiac family dairy farm, which helped inspire their shared vision of living a farm production focused life.
The farm's membership in Foods of the Fundy Valley provides marketing support and connects them to a broader network of sustainable local producers.
Growing into the Future
All five members of the energetic Thorne family continue implementing their development plan season by season, guided by what their customers want and what nature teaches them.
Their approach represents a harmonious balance between traditional farming wisdom and adaptive responses to today's environmental challenges.
As they nurture their soil toward health, they're simultaneously cultivating a sustainable model for family farming in Albert County—one that honours the region's agricultural heritage while embracing innovative practices for an uncertain climate future.
"We're trying to achieve a business fit between what the farm market consumer wants and what our soil development and unpredictable weather will provide," explains Ryan.
Since purchasing their 46-acre property in 2022 (six acres of which are open field for production), the Thornes have implemented a strategic development plan: seven intensive management plots, each containing seven 50 x 50 ft gardens for crop experimentation and rotation with an additional garden for flowers.
What makes this farm remarkable isn't just their agricultural approach but the family's unified commitment.
Nancy and Ryan express surprise and pride that their children willingly set aside digital devices after school to help with farm chores—from securing fencing for their free-spirited pig to tending the chicken coops, which house egg-laying heritage breed hens, and now pending fourteen new incubator chicks as of May.
The farm's offerings currently include seasonal flowers, kitchen vegetables, and eggs, with plans for a permanent roadside stand as production increases.
They've already established “The Sunflower Cottage,” an Airbnb rental on the property, with additional on-farm visitor experiences in development.
The main house itself has historical significance as the former Randall Family drive-by viewing attraction, once a popular roadside enterprise for tourists traveling Route 114 to The Rocks and Fundy National Park in the 1940s-50s.
Soil First: The Foundation of Sustainability
For the Thornes, everything begins with the soil. Their shared mission centers on investing in soil health as the economic engine for farm sustainability.
"Right now, we're figuring out specific types of plants and vegetables that can thrive on each plot as we try low-impact, non-chemical solutions to sweeten our acidic garden plot soils to a pH balance," Ryan says. They currently have two garden plots on which they are using no-till methods and five that they continue to till for now.
Their greatest challenge has been revitalizing tired, naturally acidic Albert County soil into a balanced growing medium. Rather than turning to chemical solutions, the family employs natural amendments such as:
- Homemade compost and animal manure to boost organic matter.
- Leaf mulch harvested from the property's hardwood trees.
- Chopped hay and aged chicken manure.
- Wood ash from their home heating system (which uses windfall trees from their forest).
- Wood chips for pathway management between plots.
"It is challenging to condition the soil without tilling, and time-consuming to avoid chemical applications," Ryan acknowledges, "but we hope to eventually get to no-till management status for all our garden plots."
Adapting to Climate Change
The Thornes have become acute observers of environmental shifts affecting their land.
"We are noticing how we can continue production for sunflowers and dahlias late into the fall season before killer frosts end our growth season," Ryan explains. "The amount of climate change we experience is unsettling. Especially when, as a child, I recall having Halloween with a costume over my snow suit.”
To manage water resources responsibly while adapting to more extreme weather patterns, they've deployed four 1000-liter water tanks around the garden area, capturing rainwater from their garage roof. "This allows us to apply retained rainwater directly to the gardens when temperatures dry out the soil and threaten production," Ryan says.
Looking toward future climate resilience, Ryan is exploring how their predominantly forested property might serve as a CO2 carbon sink, implementing emerging best practices in this field of environmental impact management.
From Farm to Community
To connect with customers, the Thornes participate in popular summer pop-up markets in nearby communities, including Riverside-Albert, and Nancy's hometown of Riverview. Ryan's background was influenced on a Petitcodiac family dairy farm, which helped inspire their shared vision of living a farm production focused life.
The farm's membership in Foods of the Fundy Valley provides marketing support and connects them to a broader network of sustainable local producers.
Growing into the Future
All five members of the energetic Thorne family continue implementing their development plan season by season, guided by what their customers want and what nature teaches them.
Their approach represents a harmonious balance between traditional farming wisdom and adaptive responses to today's environmental challenges.
As they nurture their soil toward health, they're simultaneously cultivating a sustainable model for family farming in Albert County—one that honours the region's agricultural heritage while embracing innovative practices for an uncertain climate future.
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