AUGUST 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
37 Business smarts needed for farm success
Planning is more than intuition
by RONDA PAYNE
SURREY – New farmers face a lot of hurdles. Besides securing land, they must also choose the right crop(s) and understand how to run a farm business. Garry Fehr, director at the
Agriculture Centre of Excellence at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), taught the fourth and final workshop in a spring series on small-scale organic production at the John Volken Academy in Surrey that helped give farmers the tools necessary for success. Fehr, who organized the
series, said farmers are growers so they can usually figure out how to produce a crop. But actually managing the farm business is another story. “It’s the business side they need help with,” he says. “You can be the best farmer in the world but if you can’t sell your product, you’re bankrupt.” Fehr’s workshop discussed
value-added activities, high- value crops and niche market opportunities. Workshop participant
Martinique Rutherford launched a small-scale Langley farm operation out of a desire for her kids to learn about food. When she was growing up, vegetables came out of a can. She wants her kids to have a different relationship to their food. “I’m really passionate about
food,” she says. “My four-year- old saves his seeds. That’s a
Garry Fehr taught one of the small farm workshops offered by the University of the Fraser Valley this spring. RONDA PAYNE PHOTO
win as a parent.” Crop options
The workshop led off with a discussion of agri-tourism activities to benefit farmers and possible niche crops. “Farmers need to keep their
eyes open and ears to the ground to ensure that they can continue to provide the food and experiences that customers are looking for,” notes Fehr. “This list of potential value-added opportunities and niche crops
is in continual flux.” Fraser Valley agri-tourism examples include harvest- time activities at the Taves Family Farms Applebarn and Chilliwack Corn Maze. There’s also the EcoDairy, Tanglebank Gardens and BC Hop Fest. Plus, wine and spirits producers like Roots and Wings Distillery and Singletree Winery are naturally geared towards having visitors and farmgate sales.
When it comes to high-
value or niche crops, Fehr says many are already being grown in limited quantities in the Fraser Valley. These include bay laurel, lavender, garlic and Chinese greens such as gai lan. “The crops that we identified by talking to producers and wholesalers are
all being produced by somebody in the region,” he says. “But it was felt that there was still room in the marketplace and an opportunity for someone to be profitable.” It isn’t enough to just grow
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