Education and mentorship important to new farmer

By Geoff Dale

March 01, 2010

TATAMAGOUCHE, N.S. – Education and learning from an established farmer/mentor were keys to the success of second year farmer Cammie Harbottle.

While the 28-year-old British Columbia native hadn’t even considered farming until she was a 20-year-old university student, she says the decision was clearly the right choice, adding “it just made sense to me to grow food for people and to be outdoors.”

Currently in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia on six acres of a 100-acre farm, part of which is devoted to green manures, the organic vegetable grower sells at the Halifax Farmers Market, started a small mid-week market in the her home town and runs a small CSA. She also supplies another local market and fills occasional orders for caterers.

“I would also like to add more perennial fruits and vegetables, work on more efficiency and this year I hope to build a better packing and washing facility, a walk-in cooler and proper storage rooms.

“I would like to keep it going through the winter by growing winter greens in the greenhouse, along with adding different storage crops.”

While she says university studies didn’t appear to be particularly practical for her, she found the Linnaea Farm Ecological Gardening Programme in B.C. ideal for her new found interest in farming, ultimately giving her a solid base in ecological agriculture.

Founded in 1987, the program offers a thorough grounding in organic gardening and small-scale farming through a full growing season (March-October). It is a residential eight-month long program with participants learning through a hands-on approach.

Those taking the program are immersed in an operating example of alternatives in food production, marketing and other aspects of horticulture with experienced instructors drawing upon a wide range of ideas and techniques from bio-dynamics, permaculture, natural farming and biointensive farming.

The program combines the practical style of an apprenticeship with two classroom sessions each week, an opportunity to plan and manage an individual garden plot and short units on topics of interest. All students participate in a permaculture design course, resulting in a design certificate.

More information on the program can be found online at http://www.linnaeafarm.org/.

Cammie says she also learned a great deal from working for five years on the organic vegetable operation in B.C. called Wild Flight Farm, owned and operated by Hermann and Louise Brums.

“I learned so much from them and I would recommend to any new farmers, hooking up with established farmers first,” she adds. “After that I moved to Nova Scotia where farming land is more affordable. I don’t own the land but have a long term lease on the property I work.

“Financing can be pretty tricky but I got a good loan in the beginning to invest in my greenhouses, tractor trailer and to get some other things into place. I also ended up getting loans from family but it can be hard to get started. Family support is very important for young farmers.”

Now into her second season, she joined the National Farmers Union about two and half years ago. Currently the NFU vice-president, she says it is an organization that provides her with a national network and a prospective on how other young farmers are doing.

“You get to watch and learn from other young farmers all over the country,” she explains. “You learn from their struggles and how they cope and you share valuable information. It is a helpful resource with good support and a vital network for us.

“I think farming is still very much a viable industry for young people. It is and is becoming even more important with all the global issues, so you have to keep on top of these matters and be aware of what is going on in the world. It can be a very exciting and gratifying industry to be involved in.”