Organic farmers get start-up help -
The program is geared towards those seeking to launch a market garden or small acreage initiative

By Peter Reschke, Ontario Farmer staff, June 27, 2006

An initiative to help small-scale organic farmers get a start in agriculture is accepting its first applicants.

The program, named FarmStart, is the brainchild of Kurtis Andrews and Christie Young, who wanted to help and encourage new farmers to start building a career in agriculture. The idea was to offer these budding producers a combination of production and marketing expertise as well as limited financial assistance.

With funding still somewhat of a question mark, according to Andrews, the pair decided to launch its 2007 Incubator Farms Program on a limited scale. What's being offered is 12 acres of certified organic land, fertilized and ready to plant. Because it's geared towards those seeking to start a small-scale market garden or similar enterprise, that acreage should accommodate about a half a dozen applicants, Andrews says.

Those who are accepted will get a 20 per cent reduction in their land rental, storage and greenhouse rental space for the initial three years, Andrews says. The land they'll be able to rent is part of a 250-acre parcel of certified organic land that's been set aside for the program at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre near Guelph, Andrews says. The land will have been planted to cover crops and have compost applied prior to the 2007 growing season. "We will absorb the cost of that," Andrews says.

After the first three years, the hope is that the enterprise will be self-supporting and participants must pay the full market rate, he adds.

Participants will also be provided with access to resource people and farm "mentors" to help them overcome some of the practical challenges of the business. All other input costs will be the responsibility of the participants.
Initially the goal was to provide greater financial assistance for inputs but Andrews says that plan has been pushed back. Funding so far has come from the CarrotCache Foundation and the Laidlaw Foundation, as well as the Ontario Natural Food Co-op. Andrews and Young have been trying to attract additional funding from groups like Ontario 4-H, the Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario, the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario and the organic agriculture department of the University of Guelph. All have expressed their support but Andrews says everyone wants to see some concrete examples of the program in action before pulling out the chequebook.

He is hopeful that the program will continue to expand in future years.
For now, interested applicants are asked to contact Andrews at 519-645-1445 or by email at kurtis@farmstart.ca.

OACC gratefully acknowledges Ontario Farmer for permission to post this article on our website. November, 2006