CO-OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY: CAWSTON, BC – Snowy Mountain Organics

FARM INVESTORS WANTED

Farm investors wanted to make Snowy Mountain Organics (near Cawston, BC) a cooperatively-owned farm, with the finances to bring the farm up to its true potential as a demonstration farm for organic techniques and as a gene bank of tree fruit and berry varieties.

At this stage, the terms and structure of this opportunity are open to discussion. Please contact Lauren to discuss your ideas: 

Email:  snowymtnfarm@gmail.com        Farm Phone (We are rarely in house)  250-499-5715

Farm goals:

• continue to produce organic food for the people of B.C.
• build a demonstration farm that identifies, practices, and teaches the most advanced organic growing techniques
• create a gene bank of all viable tree fruits, berries, and herbs that can grow in our  bio-region.

“I, Lauren, the current farm owner, feel so passionately about food diversity and food security that I would prefer not to sell my farm to the highest bidding winery without trying to keep the farm growing food organically and selling food collectively.”

In the Okanagan & Similkameen valleys countless acres of food producing land are being converted into wine grapes, often for export.

Let us secure good healthy food to go with B.C’s wonderful wines.

“I realize I can’t bring the farm towards her true potential with out some financial investors and many hands to help.”

About the Farm

Snowy Mountain Organics farms in the unique micro climate on the west side of southernmost and sunniest part the Similkameen river in Chopaka, BC, roughly halfway between Keremeos and Osoyoos B.C.  Classified as agricultural zone 7A, ALR #1 grape growing land, the 25+ acre property lies at the very northern tip of the Sonoran desert, combining the semi-desert’s perfect growing sunshine with nutrient-dense mountain soil and living mountain creek irrigation water.

Celebrating diversity, farmer Lauren Sellars grows over 100 varieties of tree fruits and berries on just 12 acres of current plantings.  The farm has room to expand this living collection of plantings and to greatly improve the productivity of the planted acres.

“Moving towards food security and promoting genetic diversity in a time of climate extremes is an intelligent step.  Having multiple varieties during a late frost can mean the difference of some crop or none. Likewise with a deep freeze in winter many fruit trees can die. We need live seed banks including bud wood collections in several locations across the country.”The present collection on Snowy Mountain Farm includes:

• Cherries: early Titons, Chelan’s, Vans and many big sweet Bings, Rainiers, Lapins, Staccato, and 3 kinds of tart pie cherries too, Danube, Morello, and Mystery.
• Apricots: Goldbar, Gold strike, Tiltons, Skahas, Sundrops and Perfections.
• Peaches:  Start with Rising Star and Early Red Havens, Suncrest, Raritan Rose, Red Globe, Red Star, Starfire, White Champagne, Coconut Ice, Blazing Star, Red Havens, Harbrites, O’Henry’s and PF1/5B &15.
• Plums include Queen Victoria, Shiro, President, Austrian Sugar Plums, Santa Rosa’s, Satsuma, Green Gage, Red Hearts, Elephant Hearts, Satsuma and the mysterious Dragons egg, Damson,  & Purple Midnight, Simka, Bradshaw, Yakima, Stanely, and  Ialian prune plums.  Our nectarines are Crimson Gold.
• Apples start with Transparents,  Imperial  Royal Gala, Macs, a few Cinta’s & Tarty KiS, There are  Johny Golds, Johny go Reds, Honeycrisp, Spartans, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Granny Smith,  Smoothies and Golden Supreme, Tasty Wine Saps, Zesty Northern Spy,  Mustsu /Crispin and a Mystery Beauty we call Wild Thing and  German Quince is our furry mother of apples.
• In Pears we have A-Ri-Rang, Chojuro, 20th century, Flemish, Concord, Comice, Cascade, Golden Russet, Golden Beauty Bosc, Red Cascade, Red D Anjou. & Green Anjou, Red Flash/clapp.
• Berries include raspberries, sea buckthorn, goji, & goose berries, currants a plenty for pucker berry jam from black to white blush and red ones too. Saskatoon & elderberry grow wild here.
• There are walnuts and hazelnuts, juniper, pines, aspen, maples, and a giant ash and the beautiful wisteria.

The combination of premium agricultural land, collective direct marketing to organic consumers, and large number of established varieties can profitably grow in several directions:

Helping to facilitate the shift from Elder farmers to Young Agrarians underlies all of this.  If we want BC Organics to grow and thrive, we have to help young farmers succeed.

Contact Information