Recent News

Interested in supporting local agriculture? Haliburton Community Organic Farm Society’s annual general meeting will take place at the farm on Tuesday April 24 at 5pm. Membership, still only $30, supports the farm’s work in agricultural education as we nurture new crops of organic farmers. All are welcome!

News flash – we have extended the application deadline for this opportunity to line up with the one recently posted. Both farming opportunities now have an application deadline of March 30, 2018.

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As you may know, our farmers lease their plots at Haliburton Farm for fixed terms of 4 years, with an option to extend by another 4 years. The idea is that by the end of their term these farmers have acquired the confidence and farming & business skills to move on to run their organic farming businesses on their own land.

Sadly for us, but happily for the farmers, this is what’s happened, and so two more farm plots are about to come open, effective 2019. Here’s the first opportunity; the second will follow soon.

To apply, you’ll need to have either farming experience, farming education or a combination of farming education and experience. There is a potential opportunity to work with the current farmer over the transition year.

Click here to view the RFP, land use plan, asset list and application form.

Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2018.

As mentioned in a previous post, the lease on a second plot at Haliburton Community Organic Farm will become available starting January 2019, with a possibility of working alongside the current lease-holder this year.

For full details of the land and the terms, please read the RFP here, which includes the Request for Proposal, Land Use Plan and Application Form for rental unit 6. It explains that the current farmer can provide more information about assets.

The Addendum is a map showing the lease boundaries; units 3 and 6 are the ones currently coming available.

Interested? Please contact us at the farm’s email address. Application deadline is March 30, 2018.

We’re looking for new farmers wanting to learn to run a certified organic farming business at Haliburton Community Organic Farm in Saanich!

You’ll be working in a community of farmers on your own parcel of certified organic farm land for a four year term (renewable once), developing the skills needed to run your own business.

Community participation includes contributing to Haliburton’s food box program, farm stand, Moss Street Market stall and enhancing biodiversity on the farm. The community model is intended to help new farmers learn from established ones, in keeping with Haliburton’s ALR status as a Demonstration Farm.

Please click here to download our RFP which tells you more about the land currently available. Click here for the application form. Applications to be emailed to us by the deadline of November 30, 2017.

Please note that this is

If this opportunity isn’t right for you, please watch this space as we’ll be posting others in the next few weeks.

More questions? Email us here.

Want to run a certified organic farming business in beautiful Saanich BC, or need assets for one? Have we got an opportunity for you!

Deadline is March 15, so get your application in as soon as possible!

Opportunity 1: Rent 1 acre organic land for a farm business
We are looking for a farm business to make full use of Rental Unit #4 of Haliburton Community Organic Farm, under a 4 year (with possibility of extension for an additional 4 years) agreement beginning January 2018. The farm business is to focus on produce (includes local heritage crops and seedlings) production for sales at Farm stand and other local sales.

Opportunity 2: Purchase of hard assets at Rental Unit #4
The hard assets of Rental Unit 4 (greenhouses, irrigation system, storage shed, power system, greenhouse heating systems and more! See Addendum A) are for sale. Any purchasers who also wish to establish a farm business on Rental Unit #4, must also apply to, and be approved by HCOFS. Purchaser must pay a deposit of 30% for the assets they wish to purchase. Remainder due on transition of lease. The assets will be available for purchase for the beginning of 2018, or in consultation with the current farm business. Here’s the asset list.

Opportunity 3: Employment with outgoing farmer at Rental Unit #4
During the 2017 season, the approved lessee of Rental Unit #4 can be employed by the current farm business, in order to transition the new farmer into the Halliburton community and to orient the new farmer with the existing growing methods and agricultural infrastructure. Wages and hours to be discussed with the current farm business.

How to respond to this RFP (Request for Proposal)?

Full details on all the above are right here: HCOFS Rental Unit 4 RFP 2017. And here’s the application form.

All at Hali are all thrilled to have been named finalists in this year’s Eco-Star Awards, together with dozens of excellent organizations from all over Vancouver Island. We’re in the  Food Security category, alongside Blue Roots Farm and LifeCycles Project Society. Wish us luck and/or come along to cheer us on at the awards ceremony on November 10 at the Laurel Point Inn.