Farm management (3 years+) - I was a head grower of ornamental and spring annuals at a grower/retail company called West Coast Floral in Surrey, BC. I was also part of the management team in charge of human resources and purchasing. I was at the company for over 10 years.
Do you have a business plan?
Yes - Supplying local garden centers, distributors and the UFG Co-op auction with spring annuals and ornamentals as well as farm gate sales of the same products.
Do you have financial resources available to start your farm?
Yes - On top of 600,000K in the equity of my home I have another 50K in savings
Do you have access to other financial resources (such as a financial partner, loan, etc.) to start your farm?'
Yes - I would be making use of government loans and subsidies as much as possible. For example, the program where the government loans money for operating and material costs.
Project
Farm Name
Benson Gardens
Farm Project Description
Focused mostly on spring annuals and perennials with ornamentals in the off season. Once established I would move on to some food crops like greenhouse grown peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes and out door blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. Livestock ie. chickens and some agri-tourism in the long term.
Preferred Arrangement
Registered Lease on Title -
MOU -
Transfer / Succession -
Sale of Land -
Duration of the desired agreement
Ideally I would enter into a MOU/lease to own or a lease with the option to buy. Long term agreement.
Ideal date to obtain land by
Given the cyclical nature of this business the ideal time to obtain possession would be November or December.
Participant in BC Land Matching Program
Yes - This farmer is registered in the BC Land Matching Program. For more information, contact azja@youngagrarians.org
Land & Features Desired
Total Land Size (acres)
5-50 acres
Wooded Area (acres)
Yes - It's ok if some of the property is wooded.
Cultivable Area (acres)
5-10 acres
Possibility to expand area currently available (acres)
Yes - Building more greenhouses eventually would be the goal.
Zoning
Either
Preferred current state of the surface of the cultivable area
Ready for use.
Open to landowner residing on property
Yes - If it's possible to have multiple residences on the lot then it's acceptable.
Need farm buildings
No
Need fenced land
No
Need farm machinery and tools
No
Need established water source and infrastructure
City water is best. Well water is acceptable if the quality is decent and consistent.
Need on-site housing
Yes - Unless I can live really close by I would need to live on property.
Production type
Vegetable - Greenhouse grown peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Livestock - Eventually some chickens
Orchard/Fruit - Blueberries, Strawberries and Raspberries
