JANUARY 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
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OYF winners show a willingness to innovate Winners feast on award-winning BC produce at gala
by DAVID SCHMIDT
PENTICTON – Anyone concerned about the future of Canadian agriculture need only have attended the Canadian Outstanding Young Farmer finals in Penticton, December 1-2, to have those concerns wiped out. The national finals of the
OYF program not only bring together the seven regional winners to sort out the top two Young (under 40) Farmers in the country, but surround them with dozens of national and regional winners from previous competitions. Past winners are there to encourage, congratulate and even mentor the young farmers. Not that they need mentorship. All seven finalists showed they have the skills to be mentors themselves. The finals showed farmers do not need to be born with silver spoons in their mouths nor do they have to be big to be successful. What they do need are energy, passion and a willingness to innovate and that is something all seven finalists had in spades. BC’s finalists, Gary and
Marie Baars of TNT Hay & Cattle Sales in Chilliwack, did not win the competition but they typify today’s outstanding young farmers. Although they did not grow up on the farm, they were surrounded by farmers and developed a passion for agriculture early on. While still in his teens, Gary became a relief milker and took jobs unloading hay. That led to him forming TNT Agricultural Services in 2008, focusing on hay and cattle sales. After marrying Marie in 2010, the young couple convinced bankers to lend them enough money to begin a dairy farm with 14 kg of quota and 16 cows, quickly increasing the herd to 40 cows. A few years later, they began managing Marie’s grandparents’ 150 head herd, eventually merging the two, and recently added a second dairy farm in Manitoba, managed by their partners. At the same time, Gary continues his cattle sales business, bringing liner loads of dairy cattle across the border from Washington on a near-weekly basis.
Good company
Like the rest of the finalists, the Baars’ career is marked by hard work, determination and a willingness to take calculated risks. Earning the designation of
Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2017 were Veronique Bouchard and Francois Handfield of Aux
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Petits Oignons in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and Derek and Tannis Axten of Axten Farms in Minton, Saskatchewan. The two couples
represent opposite ends of the agricultural spectrum. Bouchard and Handfield are first- generation organic vegetable farmers. Their farm is only about four hectares, yet employs over 20 people and fills a large CSA (community supported agriculture) box program. While an average CSA program distributes 33 weekly baskets per distribution point, Aux Petit Oignons distributes almost 600 baskets at three distribution points. In contrast, the Axtens are third-generation farmers
rebuild the soil nutrient base and increase its water retention capacity. “You have shown us small is beautiful,” head judge Meeru Dhalwala, manager of Vancouver’s Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants, told Bouchard and Handfield. “By going to the Soil
GARY AND MARIE BAARS
growing several thousand acres of grain. Rather than simply carry on the style of farming Derek’s parents and grandparents have been practicing for close to 100 years, the younger Axtens have focused on using no-till drills, stripper headers, cover crops, extensive crop rotation, GPS technology and other tools to reduce compaction,
Web, you have turned your farm on its head,” she said to the Axtens.
The seven finalists showed
that every type of agriculture can be outstanding. The other four finalists included two dairy farms, a turkey grower and an international small fruit and vegetable propagator/grower.
Good food
The COYF finals celebrated much more than just the
seven regional finalists. To ensure attendees recognized how much young talent there is in BC agriculture, OYF finals chair Sara Harker of Harker’s Organics and Rustic Roots Winery, who won the 2013 BC Outstanding Young Farmer together with her husband Troy, incorporated foodstuffs from recent BC OYF winners (Harkers, Kevin and Annemarie Klippenstein, Lydia Ryall) and other young farmers from across the province. For the Saturday night gala dinner, she gave those ingredients to five under-40 chefs from the Okanagan, who each created unique dishes. Each dish was paired with a local wine produced by an under-40 winemaker. It was a gala close to a memorable weekend and a great celebration of young and outstanding in BC agriculture.
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