[ farmers ]
their parents • Frank Curtis : I enjoy the farm work, being outdoors and the freedom The Ottawa native says he and Heim chose the farm in Ayer's Cliff after travelling through Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, looking for a place to live and for a piece of land to grow organic vegetables on. Living in a small town and working in a speciality field has its benefits, says Scott. "We're part of an organic vegetable growers co-op in Vermont (we live about five miles from the border), so I'd say that we sell about 90 per cent of our products in the United States." He is also the president of Ayer's Cliff Farmers' Market, a local market located about 15 minutes from his farm. "The whole organic marketplace is really changing," he says. "It's becoming much
found a niche in selling directly to the consumer, something that doesn't occur as frequently in conventional farming. "But I'm hoping it becomes more of a trend. I'd like to see a new generation of organic farmers taking the reins fi¡om their parents."
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N THE FARMING WORLD, Frank Curtis, ADA 78, is considered a bit of a late bloomer. He worked as a stonemason and bricklayer for years before his brother-in-law convinced him to give agriculture a try. " I just fell in love with it," he says. "I
enjoy the farm work, being outdoors, the variety and the freedom." Curtis worked as a farmer for several years before enrolling at OAC as a mature student. His wife, Linda, is also a U of G graduate, earning a BA in 1978. They moved to British Columbia after Frank Curtis was offered a job with Ritchie Smith Feeds Inc. in Abbotsford, a city of about 130,000. ''I'm an animal husbandry person," he says. "My job is to help farmers learn to farm." Most of his clients are pig farmers. When Curtis first came to B.C. in 1980,
more voluminous. There's more respect for -and a whole lot more cash in - the industry now. I think people are generally becoming more sensitive to health issues, and there have been some high-profi le issues in agriculture that have caused people to stop, think, act and eat more carefully." Scott's community is made up mostly of dairy operations and some small mixed farms. In the more traditional agricultural industries, there's been a lot of change, including more large farms and fewer family-run operations, but he's seen some positive changes as well. "We've had some traditional farmers convert to organic farming. It's neat to see that happen. These farmers end up being even stronger spokespeople for organic farming because they are well-known in their community and have a history there, unlike many organic farmers." He adds that most organic farmers have
Frank Curtis works at a local feed mill to help support the small British Columbia farm that he operates with his wife linda. They love the farm environment and say it provided a good foundation for their children, Emily and lan.
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