From Germany to Canada: Family makes the move to Middle Musquodoboit, N.S., for farm dream

Tractors are pictured at Lindsay Lake Farms in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

A global search of the perfect farm brought the Teerling family from Germany to an unexpected place: Atlantic Canada.

“I think we didn't plan to come to Nova Scotia,” says Christiane Teerling, CEO of Lindsay Lake Farms. “I think the farm that we are now living on found us.”

Originally, the family had their sights set on New Zealand. Canada wasn’t even on their radar, that is until Christiane’s husband, Jan, found a posting for a place in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. in January 2019.

“We hadn’t looked at Canada, but this farm seemed to tick most of the boxes.”

Christiane and Jan, and their two sons, Ian and Cedric, flew to Nova Scotia a few months later to see the property in person. The trip solidified their decision to make the move in March 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Moving 12 shipping containers over the ocean during a pandemic is not an easy thing. There was the intention just to be here for two weeks to unload the container that we had shipped from Germany and fly back to Germany, but we landed here on the first day of lockdown and so there was no way of going back for six months.”

Life in Germany

Their oldest son, Ian, stayed in Germany to care for the farm there. The family would fly back and forth between the two countries, when they could, for a year-and-a-half.

The Teerling family is pictured at Lindsay Lake Farms in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

“Within this time, we shipped 12 containers, 15 tractors and trailers, and finally in July 2021 we finished the move.”

The 2,000-acre property, which used to raise Herefords cattle, is located an hour outside of Halifax.

“We have a lake in the middle of our property,” explains Teerling. “We have a lot of land and forest that surrounds us, and the farm is in the middle. We were looking for a farm where we could do a lot of things that we were always doing in Germany, and this was the most iconic spot we could think of.”

Lindsay Lake in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

In Germany, the entrepreneurs owned a deer farm with 250 red deer, but were looking for more space.

“We did the slaughtering ourselves. We did the catering ourselves,” adds Teerling, who started in the farming and forestry business in 1997. “We basically started from scratch again.”

Bison Herd

A big attraction is the 50 or so bison that came from Ontario. There are bison herds at a handful of farms in Nova Scotia, but they’re not open to the public.

“This was the animal we wanted to have because cattle, everybody has cattle, or we didn't want to go into competition with other farmers like that. We always looked for something different and that's also what makes us unique.”

Getting the bison was “kind of a headache” she admits, which included passing provincial requirements.

Bison are pictured at Lindsay Lake Farms in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

“We had to build a fence, we had to build a whole road. We moved 46,000 tons of gravel around the farm to get a road so we can have access to the whole fence line, and also being able to do farm tours around the fence. So this took us almost a year to build that. Then, the bison had to be tested and transported.”

The work has finally paid off. Four years after the family first moved to the country, they started farm tours in July, officially opening Lindsay Lake Farm to the public.

Sustainable farming destination

Since purchasing the property and moving to the farm four years ago, the family has been working on not only making it functional, but also turning it into a tourism destination, which includes tours and a place to stay.

“We now have the bison herd that arrived. We do rent a cottage that we renovated. It was an old farmhouse from another farm we bought as well, which is attached to the main farm,” says Teerling. “So we are basically trying to make this a destination for people that want to enjoy real nature, authentic farm life, and leave the hustle and bustle of city life behind them for a couple of days.”

Bison are pictured at Lindsay Lake Farms in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

A big focus for the farm is to be as “sustainable as possible.”

“That starts from using our own lumber. So we have our own forestry equipment where we can cut the trees. And we bring in European forest practices, so no clear cuts. We just take the trees that need to go. Then we have our own sawmill where we produce the lumber that we need for building purposes. We heat our own buildings with our own firewood and wood chips. We have wild blueberries here on the farm as well. So we try to have as much value within the farm as possible.”

The eldest son, 22-year-old Ian, works on the farm full-time, while 15-year-old Cedric attends school and helps during his free time. Lindsay Lake also hired an employee to help with farm photography that’s showcased on social media.

“We are getting booked now and it's starting to make the word around that there's something new to Nova Scotia,” says Teerling.

Continuing to grow

The next step for the family farm is to open a butchery, store and kitchen by summer 2025.

Work on the Lindsay Lake Farms future butchery is pictured. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

“So some delicacies from Germany, some decorations from Germany, maybe or even from local artisans here in the province,” Teerling says.

She hopes guests take away memories and a better understanding of the importance of sustainable farming.

“We are just trying to give back as much as we can because we are so happy that we are able to live here and to enjoy the beauty of this nature that surrounds us.”

Open Farm Day

The facility is also one of 16 Nova Scotia farms participating in Atlantic Canada’s 24th annual Open Farm Day on Sunday. The annual event gives visitors the opportunity to visit working farms, learn about their operations, and where their food comes from.

A tractor is pictured at Lindsay Lake Farms in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. (Source: Facebook/Lindsay Lake Farms)

“It’s about making something different, but trying to keep as much value within the farm, but also share this beautiful property with other people so they can enjoy as well," Teerling says.

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