How Tiffany and Stewart Yuill built a first generation egg farm in Nova Scotia

This is part of a series of profiles highlighting participants in our women in the egg industry program, a unique mutual mentorship program that brings together women egg farmers from across Canada to build leadership skills and facilitate knowledge transfer.

Tiffany Rudderham Yuill

Truro, Nova Scotia

When Tiffany Rudderham Yuill and her husband Stewart looked at where their young family was heading, they realized something important was missing from their lives. They both had good jobs with steady pay, stability and security, but the passion for how they earned their livelihoods wasn’t quite there.

So, they took a leap of faith and turned it into their future. In 2020, with two toddlers at home and twins on the way, they applied to Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia’s New Entrant Program. Just like that, Windy Bay Farm Ltd. was born: A first-generation egg farm carved out of determination, grit and a lot of love for farming.

Tiffany’s connection to farming began in her childhood, growing up in Cape Breton surrounded by beef, pigs and chickens, and with neighbours who ran a dairy farm. At Dalhousie University, where she studied agriculture and food science, she worked in the Atlantic Poultry Research Centre , taking part in research projects and caring for heritage breeds. Even when her career took a detour, leading her to spend eight years as a lab technician in water management, the pull of agriculture never left her.

“Farming was always where my heart was,” she says. “We wanted a lifestyle that mattered, something we could build for our kids.”

Today, Tiffany and Stewart’s farm is home to free run hens, dairy cows and four children under eight—three girls and a boy—with a rhythm that only teamwork can sustain. Tiffany runs the farm full-time while also pitching in at a neighbour’s dairy and working part-time at a vet clinic. “It’s a lot, but it’s flexible,” she says. “And I get to be where I want to be—on the farm and with the kids.”

While Windy Bay Farm is still young, its future is ambitious. The Yuills plan to build a new home powered by solar energy, invest in sustainability upgrades and keep expanding their operation. Stewart is a 2025 participant in Egg Farmers of Canada’s national young farmer program, while Tiffany is also deeply engaged beyond the barn, volunteering at her children’s school, speaking at expos and joining events where she speaks to the public about food and farming.

She believes women bring unique perspectives to the industry. “Women are expanding their roles in agriculture, and in the egg industry especially, we’re seeing more leadership programs that help make that possible,” she explains, pointing to initiatives like the women in the egg industry program, which she calls “100% the most valuable resource” for networking and leadership development.

She also wants her daughters and son to see a future in agriculture where opportunity isn’t defined by gender. “If any of our kids want to carry it on, we’d love that.”

For Tiffany, the decision to farm was about more than business. “We love what we do,” she says simply. “The passion, the lifestyle, the technology and the fact that we’re contributing to Canada’s food supply—that’s incredibly rewarding.

“Eggs are healthy, affordable and feed communities. Being part of that food supply is something to be proud of.”

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