Tag Archives: transition toolkit

Transition Case Story: GOOD EARTH FARM

Posted by Darcy Smith on March 08, 2021 5 Comments

COMMUNITY LENDING at GOOD EARTH FARM, Gabriola Island, B.C. What are you to do when you want to buy the farm but don’t qualify for a traditional mortgage? This is a story about how relationships and community can come together to support the next generation to buy the farm through private lending. Located on Gabriola Island, just off the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Good Earth Farm produces mixed vegetables on about three acres using regenerative growing practices. The original farmers, Rosheen Holland and Bob Shields, founded the farm in 1993 and ran it together for 22 years until … Continue reading Transition Case Story: GOOD EARTH FARM →

NEW B.C. TRANSITION TOOLKIT FOR NON-FAMILY FARM TRANSFER

Posted by Michalina Hunter on November 09, 2020

It’s here! We are very excited to release the Young Agrarians B.C. Transition Toolkit for Non-Family Farm Transfer. It’s a resource kit for anyone curious about – or neck-deep in – alternative ways to transition land and farms from one generation to the next. Accessing land for farming can be challenging to say the least. Over the last seven years that we’ve been offering land access support, we’ve heard stories from seasoned farmers struggling to see a way to pass their farm on to the next generation, and from the next generation struggling to find a way into agriculture. Fortunately … Continue reading *NEW* B.C. TRANSITION TOOLKIT FOR NON-FAMILY FARM TRANSFER →

LAND FORUM NOV 9-19, 2020 – ONLINE!

Posted by Michalina Hunter on October 16, 2020 5 Comments

Every fall, our land matchers look forward to our Land Linking Workshops, where we gather land seekers and landholders to network and talk land access. While we’re not meeting in person this year, we’re excited to offer our first annual online Land Forum! WHEN: November 9 -19th, 2020 WHERE: Online on unceded Indigenous territories across what is today known as B.C. Join us from the comfort of your couch, office, tractor, compost heap – wherever you find yourself able to tune in! RSVP: Register for the Land Forum and you’ll get access to links for all the webinars. Register for … Continue reading LAND FORUM NOV 9-19, 2020 – ONLINE! →

Transition Case Story: CLAREMONT RANCH ORGANICS

Posted by Darcy Smith on October 06, 2020

VENDOR TAKE-BACK MORTGAGE – CLAREMONT RANCH ORGANICS Qualifying for a mortgage in order to purchase land for farming through a traditional lending institution can be a daunting barrier to many new farmers. This is a story about how two generations of farmers can work together to transfer land through creative financing solutions. Claremont Ranch Organics is a 7.75-acre mixed-fruit organic orchard located in Lake Country, B.C. Bob McCoubrey, who had wanted to farm since university, bought the farm in 1974 with his wife Sharon. He became discouraged with conventional agriculture, as he began to see the impact of chemical use on … Continue reading Transition Case Story: CLAREMONT RANCH ORGANICS →

Transition Case Story: Horse Lake Farm Co-op

Posted by Darcy Smith on October 05, 2020 1 Comment

TURNING A FARM INTO A CO-OP – HORSE LAKE FARM CO-OPERATIVE For current farmers who value the community they’ve built on their land, the thought of selling the farm may be out of question. Turning a farm business into a co-operative, especially one that will eventually own the land, can be a way to formalize the community approach to farming and ensure the land will be available for future generations of farmers. This is a story about how co-operative structures can provide a long-term sustainable solution to transition. This story begins in the 1970’s with a group of folks active … Continue reading Transition Case Story: Horse Lake Farm Co-op →

Transition Case Story: Madrona Farm

Posted by Darcy Smith on October 05, 2020

PUTTING FARMLAND INTO TRUST – MADRONA FARM It’s easy to say that farmland should be preserved for future generations – and a whole other thing to make that happen! This story is an example of how community support can bridge the divide between an altruistic vision to preserve farmland and a family’s realistic financial needs. Madrona Farm produces ecologically grown vegetables and works towards natural ecosystem restoration of the land, which is on unceded territory of the Songhees First Nation in the Blenkinsop Valley on Southern Vancouver Island’s Saanich peninsula. The land had been owned by the Chambers family since … Continue reading Transition Case Story: Madrona Farm →

Farm Legacy Letters: Linda and Tim Ewert, Wildwood Farm

Posted by Alex on October 05, 2020 2 Comments

To future generations, We came to the Peace River region (near Pouce Coupe) with our baby and toddler in 1974. We took on an agricultural lease, which required us to clear land, and prepare fields for seeding before we were able to purchase the land. We are still here on our 160-acre farm with fields, forest, hand-built buildings, fences, ponds etc. We have worked over the years to realize our dream of using draft horses for as much of the mechanized work as possible. We have used our horses for cutting, raking and hauling hay; field preparation; ploughing, discing, harrowing, … Continue reading Farm Legacy Letters: Linda and Tim Ewert, Wildwood Farm →

Farm Legacy Letters: Pete Amyoony

Posted by Alex on October 05, 2020 6 Comments

To future generations: My farm is 10 acres in the hamlet of Dunster, B.C., on the north side of the valley on a bench above the Fraser River with amazing southern exposure. In the short days of winter here at the 54th parallel, our side of the valley gets more than double the amount of sun from the other side. This is such a help with starting crops earlier in the spring and growing later into the fall months. Even though our high latitude only has 90-100 frost free days some years, on the long summer days when we receive … Continue reading Farm Legacy Letters: Pete Amyoony →