You’re invited to a Farm Tour at Wild Flight Farm in Mara, B.C. (just north of Enderby). If you’re curious about what land matching and sharing is all about and interested in learning more about this renowned farm, join us for the event!
Farm tours connect farmers and farmland holders, and set them up to receive ongoing support through the B.C. Land Matching Program. Both farmers seeking land and farmland holders thinking about sharing land are encouraged to attend.
During this event, we’ll tour the farm in small groups to allow for a deeper personal interaction with the current owners, and lots of questions! There will also be a facilitated chat about transitioning farmland, and how the B.C. Land Matching Program can help. We’ll round out the afternoon with a shared potluck meal, and informal time for networking and socialising.
Wild Flight Farm is looking for an experienced farmer(s) to lease the farm land and purchase the thriving, organic farm business from the current owners. There is housing available on-site, and this well-established business is a farming cornerstone in the local community. Farmers who have experience managing farm operations, and are business-savvy and enjoy managing a team of capable farmers would be well-suited to this opportunity. More information on this opportunity can be found below the event details.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 2023 • 2-6 pm PST
LOCATION: Secwépemc Territory. Meet at the farm: 205 Rosemond Lake Road, Mara, B.C., V0E 2K0
REGISTER: So that we can plan for tour and potluck, please register on Eventbrite.
Please register early, as attendance will be capped at 30 people. If the event is full, sign up for the waitlist. If you have a strong interest in the transition opportunity, send an email to pascale@youngagrarians.org
CARPOOL INFO: Carpooling is encouraged. If you are looking for or can offer a ride to or from the event, please post in the Facebook event to connect with others.
DIRECTIONS/PARKING: Mara is located about 20 minutes north of Enderby, B.C., via Highway 97A. If travelling from Salmon Arm, follow Highway 97B south until it merges with 97A, and then head north on 97A. After passing through Grindrod, continue north on 97A until you reach Riverside Road, then turn left (northwest). Follow Riverside Road until you reach Rosemond Lake Road, and turn right (northwest) and pass over the beautiful wooden bridge. Once you get to the other side, turn right again (north), and continue on Rosemond Lake Road for a few minutes until Wild Flight Farm appears on the right-hand side (you will see a little blue bungalow house at the entrance). Parking is available on-site.
SCHEDULE (times are approximate):
2:00-2:45pm: Arrival, Intro Circle & B.C. Land Matching Program overview
2:45-4:00pm: Tour & transition chat
4:00-5:30pm: Potluck & socialising
5:30-6:00pm: Clean-up & send-off
BRING: If you are able, please bring a dish to share potluck-style! Bring your own plate, cutlery, and cup for snacks/refreshments. Please include a little card with ingredients if you can for folks with food sensitivities. There will be a wash station available to clean plates, so please plan accordingly. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on (some seating will be provided), and weather and farm-appropriate clothing and footwear.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: Please stay home if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, OR if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are completing a period of self-isolation as mandated by public health, OR if you have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days. Refer to the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool for more information.
We welcome cancellations at any time – you can do so through Eventbrite, through the link in your registration confirmation email, or by contacting pascale@youngagrarians.org. Please let us know if you aren’t able to attend.
AVIAN FLU PROTOCOLS: To prevent the spread of the current avian flu, if you keep poultry or have visited a farm or household that does, please wash your boots before coming onto the property.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This event is free and open to everyone! Children are welcome but please leave furry friends at home.
SHARE: Planning on joining us? Invite your friends and share the Facebook event! Join our Young Agrarians Okanagan-Thompson Facebook Group to stay up to date with all events. Sign up for our e-newsletter to get events and opportunities for your region delivered straight to your inbox.
ABOUT WILD FLIGHT FARM
Wild Flight Farm is a certified organic, 20-acre vegetable farm along the Shuswap River, nestled in the beautiful Mara Valley, B.C. Established in 1993 by Hermann and Louise Bruns, the farm’s name reflects the many species of migrating and resident birds that are part of the natural environment.
The farm produces organic vegetables, culinary herbs, and has been certified organic by the North Okanagan Organic Association since its inception. Their mission is to provide high quality organic produce for the local community, while maintaining a business that supports their family and employees.
Their produce is sold year-round at farmers’ markets in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke. They also work with other local farms to supply Urban Harvest, an organic home delivery service in Kelowna. During the winter months they attend bi-weekly markets in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
After 30 years of successful organic farming on this heritage property, the Bruns family is seeking to pass on this business opportunity to the next generation of farmers.
Wild Flight Farm Ltd. was created as an operating company to make it easier for a new farmer to acquire an organic, market vegetable farming enterprise. The company owns all moveable assets necessary for successfully operating a thriving business and has secure lease terms for the fixed assets (land, buildings, house) on which the business is based.
The business operates year-round, producing and marketing a wide variety of vegetables with a team of 10-12 employees during the growing season and 4-5 staff throughout the winter months. The produce is sold at two year-round farmers’ markets, two local home delivery businesses, and occasional wholesale customers. Over the past three decades, Wild Flight Farm has grown into one of the leading organic, market vegetable farms in the B.C. interior.
The ideal candidate/candidates for this property is someone with extensive market vegetable farming experience, who has a mind for business and a knack for managing a busy team. Beyond day-to-day farming, this business requires someone who enjoys both the challenges of farming and managing a busy enterprise. They should have an innovative and solution-oriented mindset, and above all, a deep commitment to maintaining organic standards and improving soil quality.
This is a unique opportunity for someone with extensive market vegetable farming experience ready to commit to organic vegetable production as a career by purchasing an established, successful, income-generating business with an excellent reputation in the community.
This land opportunity is part of the B.C. Land Matching Program. If you are interested in this land opportunity, please contact pascale@youngagrarians.org.
Learn more about the land opportunity here.
Learn More About Wild Flight Farm
Website: wildflightfarm.ca/
Instagram: @wildflightfarm
Facebook: facebook.com/WildFlightFarm
GOT LAND? WANT LAND?
Through the B.C. Land Matching Program, Young Agrarians offers support to farmers looking for land for their farm business, and landholders looking for farmers to farm their land. We’ve made more than 275 matches on over 10,375 acres to date! The Thompson-Okanagan Land Matcher, Pascale, will be attending the event to answer any questions about the B.C. Land Matching Program. For those unable to join us, you can send a message to pascale@youngagrarians.org for more information.
The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded in the Thompson-Okanagan by the Province of British Columbia, with support from the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
