With the resurgence of buying local and the importance of local farming more prevalent than ever, it was time to revisit Hope Farm Organics to discuss what it’s taken to survive extreme events like drought and fire over the years, and what’s been learned about achieving sustainability well into the future.
Andrew Adams and his partner Janie bought a 150-acre farm located east of Eaglet Lake, about 40 km from Prince George, in 2012 and began growing vegetables.
“We used to do farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and we would grow about seven acres of vegetables. Then, when the pandemic hit, we had to shift our sales model quickly,” Adams said. He has a BSc in agriculture and conservation.
“So, we increased our CSA model, which is something we had done in the past, essentially offering vegetable boxes, and that worked out OK. The farm shifted to more wholesale.”
They moved away from the vegetable boxes because they were so challenging to manage, said Adams, a B.C. agricultural land commissioner.
“We were growing 50 different types of vegetables, which is what’s needed for a CSA or a farmers’ market.”
“Then we focused on tomatoes,” Adams said.
“So, we invested in a large greenhouse and got rid of many of our smaller ones. Our big greenhouse allowed us to produce the same output as we could with all those acres of vegetables, but in just the greenhouse.”
This allowed them to reduce their labour force, which included nine part-time workers, Adams explained.
They only needed one full-time and one part-time person to run the greenhouse.
“So, that was extremely efficient, still certified organic, and production increased significantly,” Adams said. “We did that for a few years, and then we had a fire on the property that burned down our walk-in cooler building, my office, and melted the tractor.”
That occurred in September 2022.
Insurance covered the tractor, he added. However, due to an error in their insurance paperwork, the burned building was classified as personal instead of business, and they ended up losing about $60,000.
“So, that set us back a little,” Adams said.
“We had to slow down production because we couldn’t store anything, so we had to sell things right off the plant.”
This meant selling wholesale on a smaller scale, mostly in case lot sales, he added.
“In this whole big change, as a result of the fire, I started thinking about how I could make the farm more resilient — for myself, for the climate, and for income, because we got knocked off our feet,” Adams said.
One of the limiting factors for the farm is water, due to a few years of drought in the region.
“A giant pond was engineered to provide the farm with water for all of its needs for the next 70 years,” Adams said.
“We were trying to address problems we saw coming in the future before we ramped up production again. So, we built this pond, and all the fields we had previously in vegetable production have been switched over to orchards and fruit.”
While making the change, Adams said they put copious amounts of sawdust and compost into the soil to build organic matter, making the fields even more resilient to drought and improving drainage and fertility.
“We’re going to be the first farm to produce sweet cherries in the area, and it looks like we can do it this year,” Adams said.
Adams is always looking at what other farmers are doing globally and has noticed a trend developing most recently.
“We’ve seen a lot of people turning to protected culture or greenhouse production of tree fruits because you can increase the quality, you can increase the volume, and you have protection from weather events, like rain, extreme cold, or any other challenges that we might see,” Adams said.
“So, we started planting trees in the greenhouses, and as far as we know, we’re the first ones to have done it here. By doing so, we’ve essentially removed the fossil fuel aspect from our big greenhouse through heat curtains we’ve built and the greenhouse structure itself. The yields we expect to generate will equal the same income we were getting from our tomatoes. We are reducing fuel, reducing labour, and that makes us more resilient.”
When growing tomatoes, the soil has to be prepared each year, and then hundreds are planted.
“The work is never-ending, but once you plant trees, there’s a lot less work,” Adams explained.
On Hope Farm Organics' grow list are cherries, blueberries, specialty apples (since B.C. has a lot of apples), plums, haskaps, and strawberries.
“In the past, we’ve grown strawberries and outproduced most growers. The strawberry field has been rotated out of production but will now be put back into production — more fruit!” Adams exclaimed.
Years ago, Adams took on the challenge of growing a noir melon because he loves cantaloupe. Since 2015, he conditioned the seed to grow outside in Prince George and had a lot of success with it. During that time, the farm provided food boxes to the local community, including the cantaloupe, and he encouraged people to plant the seeds and report back to him about their results.
Fast forward to when, unfortunately, Adams’ original non-hybrid, non-GMO seed was lost in the fire.
“But we had given so many people the seed that we’ve gotten it back, and there are growers throughout the province now producing it and selling it through seed companies, so our genetics live on,” Adams laughed.
“That seed we got back, we will grow this year because it’s been a while since we did that. We’re excited to bring it back and get it out to the public.”
The cantaloupe, however, does not have a long shelf life, he warned.
“When those cantaloupes are ready, they’ve got to go,” Adams said. “They’ve got to be cut and eaten. When it’s ripe, it needs to be eaten in two days — taste that sunshine while it’s there.”
Adams and his wife Jane have two sons, aged six and three, and he said the focus on sustainability has become even more important in recent years.
“When you have kids, it makes you think about the future,” Adams said.
“Life has to change significantly when you have children — I’m not allowed to work 18-hour days anymore — it just doesn’t work. I don’t have the energy to do that anymore. Now it’s work smarter, not harder. So, we’ve made these decisions, and we’re looking into the future long-term.”
This year is all about experimentation for Hope Farm Organics, so the irrigation pond will be stocked with trout.
“We’ve got all the permitting in place, and we’ve got stock coming from a hatchery. We’re going to be doing a ‘you-fish’ kind of thing,” Adams said.
“If somebody wants to pay to catch a couple of fish, that’s fine. If they don’t want to pay, that’s fine too. If somebody wants to bring their kid, who’s never experienced fishing, to a stocked pond, they’re going to have success. They’re probably going to be happy, and hey, look — there’s berries all around the farm. Go eat some.”
Because that’s how Adams grew up.
“And I remember how much I enjoyed that. Having a wife who’s a teacher, and who sees people who’ve never had the opportunity to do something like that but would like to, why not give them the opportunity?” Adams said.
“It’s going to be fun for us too. I’m a fisherman, and we’re looking forward to all of it.”
For more information about Hope Farm Organics, visit hopefarmorganics.com.
