Other experience/agricultural/business training - Horticulture diploma from Pacific Horticulture College
Do you have a business plan?
Yes - I am currently writing my business plan through a business course at Thompson Rivers University.
Do you have financial resources available to start your farm?
Yes - Yes, I have sufficient savings to start a farm.
Do you have access to other financial resources (such as a financial partner, loan, etc.) to start your farm?'
No - My current plan is to also bootstrap, but I will take advantage of government programs like BC's Tree Fruit Replant Program to help.
Project
Farm Name
Blustery Day Organic Farm
Farm Project Description
I would like to establish a [non-certified] organic CSA-program on the farm that would include vegetables and herbs, berries, and some flowers and/or lavender.
I have kept bees before (I currently have 3 hives), and would hope to place one or two hives on the land to also help with cross-pollination.
I have wanted to keep chickens, but likely would want to address that -- with the landowner's input -- in year 2, after I had established a routine.
To lengthen the CSA season, I would also hope to place one or two hoop houses on the farmland.
I have not completed my business plan yet, but I believe that I would deliver CSA boxes so that the landowner's privacy would be respected. People are increasingly becoming interested in where their food comes from, so if the landowner was open to periodic farm tours for CSA members, that may be an opportunity for everyone to learn. Again, if the landowner preferred privacy, that would be honoured.
Preferred Arrangement
Registered Lease on Title -
Lease -
Transfer / Succession -
Duration of the desired agreement
3 years, potentially extending if both parties happy
Ideal date to obtain land by
October 1, 2022 to plant cover crop
Land & Features Desired
Total Land Size (acres)
1.0 acre approximately
Wooded Area (acres)
No
Cultivable Area (acres)
1.0 acre approximately
Possibility to expand area currently available (acres)
Yes - Another 1.0 acre? It would depend on the land and the success of the CSA program.
Zoning
ALR
Preferred current state of the surface of the cultivable area
I intend to offer CSA members non-certified organic vegetables and berries, so I would hope to receive information about any herbicides and pesticides that had been used in the last 10 years. When being approached by potential customers, I would want to fully disclose what I was offering.
I would prefer land that has been cleared of blackberry, English ivy, and periwinkle, but equally realize these are ongoing battles.
Healthy, amended soil would be dreamy, but this too could become part of the to-do list. (I would do some soil testing to amend properly.)
Open to landowner residing on property
Yes
Need farm buildings
Yes - If I could keep some manual tools (shovels, rebar, kelp fertilizer) somewhere in a dry shed, I would appreciate it.
Need fenced land
Yes - Most areas have deer which would damage crops, so I would want to install deer-fencing if it wasn't already present.
Need farm machinery and tools
Yes - If the land wasn't cleared or it wasn't flat, using machinery at the outset could be helpful.
Need established water source and infrastructure
The volume of water required will be determined in the upcoming business plan. For infrastructure, I would hope to have access to a shed (or a place to put my own shed). I would also install one or two hoop houses, and a network of irrigation (if not currently present).
Need on-site housing
Yes - I have housing in town, but I might want to discuss storing my RV on-site with the landowner in case workdays on the land become very long.
Production type
Vegetable - for self and CSA program; salad greens, raspberries and strawberries, carrots, radishes, herbs, onions, rhubarb, peas, beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, zucchini squash, beets, Swiss chard, kale
Livestock - If I think I can add it on and the landowner would be agreeable, I would be interested in laying chickens and perhaps quail.
Flower - lavender and flowers to support bees (goldenrod, echinacea, etc)
Greenhouse - tomatoes, sweet peppers, and other vegetables that would benefit from that environment
Bees - I have three hives of my own, and have raised the more docile Italian bees. I would add two more hives if the environment could support them.
Mushroom - I would like to try growing gourmet mushrooms in pails, as seen on a few YouTube videos. If successful, I would add this to the CSA boxes.
