LAND OPPORTUNITY: Space for Market Gardens and Pastured Small Livestock on an Established Horse Farm – Nanaimo, BC

We always have new land opportunities coming into our inventory, some of which aren’t on our blog yet! Get in touch with a Land Matcher at bclmp@youngagrarians.org to learn about the latest opportunities and to access free B.C. Land Matching Program services in your region.

ABOUT THE LAND

Over a century ago, this 25-acre property was developed as a commercial turkey and sheep farm. The current landholder now uses the large, rolling fields to support their horse boarding business, and is especially passionate about sustainable pasture management. In addition to the horses, the landholder currently has a herd of goats, a small flock of ducks, three large gardens, a small orchard, and more space than they can manage!

As such, this landholder would love to connect with experienced, conscientious farmers who are interested in taking on or expanding the existing garden space on the property. Small livestock producers (particularly sheep farmers) who employ rotational grazing practices would also be welcome.

This property is composed of a combination of open pasture and forested land, as well as established gardens. The land is mostly flat, with some gentle hills in the pasture, and the soil is well-drained but rocky. The perimeter of the property is fenced for livestock, and additional deer fencing could be installed in the garden areas. This property has access to municipal water, as well as a dugout and a well.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

There are three large garden spaces on the property, two of which are currently being used by the landholder to produce vegetables on a homestead scale, but would be made available to an incoming farmer. One of these garden spaces has a greenhouse that the incoming farmer could share with the landholder. The third garden space is not currently in use, but has raised beds and access to water through an established irrigation system.

While the landholder would like to prioritize the gardens being used by an incoming farmer, there are also a couple of options for pasture access on this property. The first is shared access to an 8-acre pasture, which is currently used as the main grazing pasture for the landholder’s horse boarding business. The second option is a 1.5-acre pasture that a farmer could have exclusive access to for grazing. The third option is a partially forested ~0.25-acre paddock, which includes fencing and poultry housing.

While there is currently no housing on the property, a farmer could bring a tiny house or RV onto the land, in order to live on-site.

ABOUT THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate for this opportunity would be a market gardener who is interested in integrating some small-scale pastured livestock into their operation. This landholder is especially interested in connecting with farmers who raise sheep and/or poultry and employ rotational grazing practices as a cornerstone of their approach to pasture management. As the garden spaces are close to the residences on the property and some of the pastureland would be shared with the landholder, it is important that the incoming farmer is collaborative and conscientious about shared space.

GET IN TOUCH!

This land is available through the B.C. Land Matching Program. If you are interested in this land opportunity, please contact the Vancouver Island Land Matcher, Ari Westhaver, at ari@youngagrarians.org with the link to this post any relevant photos, and a paragraph or two on each of the following:

• About you
• Your farming experience
• Your plans for the land

For more details about this opportunity, check out the UMAP Listing for this property.

For more land opportunities, and to learn about the B.C. Land Matching Program, please visit youngagrarians.org/land.

The B.C. Land Matching Program is funded on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, with additional support from Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.