2-5 acres
About
Message- Opportunity available:
- On-farm employment
- Mentoring
- Lease
- Available facilities and equipment:
- Housing
- Irrigation capacity
- Irrigation equipment
- Greenhouse
- Fencing
- Agricultural machinery
- Cold storage
- Processing facilities
- Other
- Preferred arrangement model:
- Lease
- Available acreage:
- 2-5 acres
- Soil type on farm:
- Loam
- Current farming practices:
- Ecological production, but not certified
- Current land use:
- Market garden
- Vegetables
- Preferred farming experience for farmer:
- Practical farming experience (including work as a farm intern or employee)
- Current or past farm business owner
- Desired farming practices by a new farmer:
- Ecological production but not certified
- Agricultural products I am interested being cultivated on my property:
- Vegetables
- Years experience of new farmer:
Farm description
ABOUT THE LAND: We are a successful organic market garden farm (certification ended July 2020) operating for 9 seasons growing food on about 1 acre of land and keeping .5 acres in cover crop. Our soil is gravely red loam. Our farm is located about 7 mins driving distance from the town of Qualicum Beach. The farm is fully fenced and the growing areas have deer fencing as well with a beautiful view of Mount Arrowsmith. We have a small apple orchid that is only a few years old with 18 trees. We live on the land as well.
Farm opportunity
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY: We never went into this with a farming background, and we have had a lot to learn during this journey but after 9 seasons we are proud successful farmers. We want the next potential farmers of this land to continue making this a successful market garden growing amazing food and feeding a great community. We have put forth the money required to start and operate a farm, therefore you have little start up expenses and only time to start getting dirty! Our growing beds are all on 5' centers, with about 4000 feet of ground cover for weed suppression. We also have -30x100' greenhouse with automated sides and fans, 12x50 ' starter greenhouse with a hot water heated germination table 4' x 42' also used for fall storage, built in 2019. - full irrigation systems, drip and overhead, lots of shade cloth, a full size walk in cooler (20'x8), farm store on the property, electric fencing, T-post trellising with steel pipes for bracing. - 50'x50' and 50'x120' fenced pens when we used to have pigs and chickens. - mobile 10x13 foot chicken coop if you so desire to have some chicken ladies. - gas powered BCS853, with 34" power harrow, 36" flail mower and a rotary plow as well as a 6x14' cargo trailer that we pack up for market (further discussion on use and maintenance needs to be agreed upon) - kick ass harvest area in our 44x48 foot barn organized and ready for washing and packing, as well as a 11x15' cold storage room. Accommodation on the farm can be discussed. Why would give this all up after all we put into it? We never planned on being farmers, but were just looking for a cool experience to live and work at our home and we did it and we became successful at it, so now we are continuing the way we like to live and looking for are next new adventures. Ideal candidates would be people that are like minded, respectful, energetic, adventurous, and who have love for the land and produce quality healthy food. You have experience planning and managing a farmers market, you are creative, observant and professional. We hope you would want to take over where we left off to satisfy all our customers and succeed in an established business. We want you to grow better not bigger, smarter not faster and also be able to enjoy your time doing it. You have most likely owned your own market garden farm, managed a farm for a few years or at least worked 3 years on a farm and you understand that farmers can make money farming efficiently, choosing right crops and keeping good records. We would want a minimum 1 year commitment and definitely open to discussing longer terms. Unfortunately, no pets as we already have two working dogs and three working cats on the property. We look forward to hearing from you, sharing stories, listening to your goals and excited to hear all about your visions!! :) If we cannot find a farmer to fully take over operations of the farm through a lease agreement, we may look to hire a farm manager to run the farm under our direction. If this offering is interesting to you, please be in touch as well.