A fully working farm with a dolled-up little barn.
That’s the very accurate slogan for Stonefields Farm, a Douro rescue farm with big plans — and potential — to become a visitor attraction with a cozy gathering barn and one of few places in the region with Highland cattle, a hardy breed originating in Scotland that’s easily recognizable with its long horns and shaggy coat.
Just a few weeks ago, the 100 acres of farmland set the backdrop for what has become an annual holiday market full of local artisans and crafters. With an outdoor fire, opportunity to interact with the cows, birds, pigs, and horses that call the land home, the market was visited by nearly 900 people over the course of just a few hours.
“It was amazing just to stand in the barn door and see everybody enjoying the land, with people feeding the cows and pigs and playing the outdoor games,” says the farm’s owner Erica Dillon. “It warmed my heart, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.”
Erica has lived on the property since 2012, though even prior to that she spent almost all her life living on a farm while growing up in Millbrook. With Stonefields located just a few lines over from her family’s beef farm, Erica explains that farm life runs in her blood.
“I just love being out here and outdoors enjoying the property,” she says, adding that she often makes use of the farm’s trail access on her four-wheeler. “You can go out and do whatever you like on the property.”
Erica, who also works full-time as a nurse, is not the only one who enjoys life on the farm. Her four-year-old son Gavin — who Erica labels as the “mini boss” — is just as actively engaged in its upkeep.
“He’s hands-on for everything,” she says. “I think because he’s grown up here, he’s always in the barn and he knows the routine. Every morning and every night he goes down to the barn to feed the animals. He takes the initiative for sure.”
Erica has been welcoming rescued animals to Stonefields Farm since the day she moved in, beginning with a white draft cross horse named Quinn.
“I always boarded horses or had horses on the farm that weren’t mine, so when I moved out here it was my main goal to get a horse right away,” she says. “And then the farm grew.”
Ringo, a miniature horse and Quinn’s “best bud,” came not long after. When Erica first brought the abused animal to the farm, he wouldn’t approach anybody or let anyone come near him. But after years of nurturing, he is “very friendly” and has an “incredible bond” with Gavin.
“Every time we’re in the barn, he comes over and Gavin can do whatever he wants to him,” says Erica. “It’s pretty incredible that he (Ringo) came from not even wanting to be handled to that bond.”
Though she’s had no formal training, Erica has wealth of knowledge to care for her animals through years spent on farms and by connecting with others, including fellow farmers, sanctuary owners, and veterinarians. It might not seem an easy job to care for rescued farm animals, but Erica knows what it takes.
“It’s just about creating that bond with the animals so that they can respect you and trust you,” says Erica. “It was successful with Ringo.”
Through her network of connections in the region, Erica has spent the years welcoming more animals to her barn.
Four years ago, through Havelock not-for-profit organization The Pearly Acre Pig Rescue, Erica took in a few pot-bellied pigs that were being mistreated on a farm.
Though she originally agreed to take in two, she couldn’t resist taking all four: Bi, Matilda, Georgia, and the late Opal, who passed away last year.
Today, Erica and Gavin also have five ducks who walk with them to the barn each morning, a couple of mother-daughter peahens from Warkworth’s Foster Farm Animal Sanctuary, several ducklings, and, of course, the Highland cows.
“They were my main goal, for sure,” Erica says, adding that it was her dream to have them since she was a child. “How can you not love them? They’re so adorable. They come running through the field when I call them.”
Running through her field are one bull, four cows, and five calves born as recently as just three months ago.
As Erica continues to connect with other sanctuaries in the region, she hopes to eventually get the opportunity to take in alpacas and donkeys — all rescued, of course.
“There are so many animals that are needing homes and we’re not creating any more farmland,” she says. “If I’m able to provide a home where they can be safe, fed, cared for, and loved, then why not do that? And I’m obsessed with animals.”
While Stonefields Farm is not yet open for daily scheduled farm visits, Erica is eager to host anyone who would like to come through, interact with cows, feed the animals, and take a look at the stunning “classic rustic” barn where not only the animals have their stalls, but where she hosts her annual holiday markets.
“It’s magical when you walk upstairs after seeing all the animals and stalls downstairs, and see what has been done in this same space,” she notes, assuring with a laugh that there are no lingering smells from the stalls.
The idea for using the barn for the market came after Erica had renovated the whole space to host her brother’s wedding and reception.
“I didn’t want it to go to waste and not be able to enjoy the beautiful space that we created,” she says. “It’s nice that I can bring people to the community where I live and that we’re able to show them how beautiful it is out here. We want to invite people to visit Lakefield and see there’s lots of things that they can enjoy.”
Prior to her first holiday market, Erica had already turned a maternity leave and pandemic hobby into a small business by selling macrame plant holders and shelves called Farmhouse Knots. With the growing business, she felt the market was a great opportunity to not only share the unique barn with others, but to support local small businesses.
“It’s pretty amazing and the vendors have been here for repeat years,” she says. “People love the animals, so it’s nice that I get to provide not only the market, but the animals for everyone to come and visit with.”
As she works on scheduling and permits to offer day tours, Erica is opening the farm to more public access, with the plan to host more workshops and photography shoots. Among others, Wild Lace Photography has regularly used and staged the barn for branding and family photos. The barn has even been recently used as a place for a couple’s engagement.
“From an engagement to my brother’s wedding to the markets and photography, these are all opportunities for people that I never thought my barn would be able to allow,” says Erica. “It’s pretty insane.”
To see more animals or schedule a visit with the animals, follow Stonefields Farm on Instagram @stonefieldsfarm or contact Erica at stonefieldsfarm@outlook.com. You can also follow Farmhouse Knots on Instagram at @farmhouseknots.
