Providence Lane Homestead – Rocky View County, Alberta

Tara and Bob Klager raise Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) sheep at Providence Lane Homestead, a wool and fiber farm located in Rocky View County, Alberta.

Originally from a small town near Kitchener, Ontario, Tara and her husband Bob, founded Providence Lane Homestead with a focus on fiber and permaculture. Tara says, “I was eager to get started but the best piece of advice I ever got was ‘girl, slow down.’ So we’ve taken it slow and easy, done a lot of research, made somewhat fewer mistakes and here we are – inching along on our own very unique ag journey.”

Klager and her husband started the farm in 2015 with four heritage breed Border Leicester sheep, eventually growing their flock to include purebred Cotswolds. All of the sheep are shorn once a year around April or May, and the Klagers sell the fiber to hand spinners and fiber artists who will often come out and pick the fiber as it comes off the animal on shearing day.

The Klagers were thrilled to achieve Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW status for their sheep. “What I hope people think of when they come out to the farm – and they know that we’re Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW – is that we are doing everything we can to ensure that this fundamental resource, and these incredible animals, are safeguarded and husbanded, and loved and cared for, and provided for, so they never have to worry that the fiber they’re using came from an animal who suffered first,” Klager explained.

Tara said she started the research process in 2018 to find a certification that would “tick all the boxes” regarding quality of care and the values they wanted to uphold for themselves, their animals, and for the customers who purchase wool and woolen goods harvested and fashioned on the farm. “I wanted to find a process and a certification that I could have faith in,” she said. “It was going to be more than a rubber stamp, it had to be something meaningful.” Tara found the Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW had what she was looking for in a program and was the right fit for the farm.

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW fiber products from Providence Lane Homestead can be purchased direct from the farm. Visit providencelanehomestead.com for more information or email providencelanehomestead@gmail.com and follow Providence Lane Homestead on Facebook and Instagram.