Switch to Veggies Proves Profitable

REGINA - Mar 22/04 - SNS -- Downsizing their 1,500 acres grain farm to 250 and switching to fresh vegetables has allowed the Plummer farm near Saskatoon to turn its first good profit in many years.

Ken Plummer and his son Kevin claim they only broke even after six years of grain farming, while their decision to switch to vegetables on 50 acres of irrigated land turned a profit in the first year.

Although 2000 was their first year for growing vegetables, Ken was no horticulture neophyte. Born on the land his father bought in 1919, he and his family grew potatoes and carrots and delivered them by horse and dray to Saskatoon stores and restaurants during the years when these vegetables were worth more than grain.

But the long hours of manual labor dissuaded Ken from continuing to grow vegetables and, when it was time for him to make his way in the world, he not only grain-farmed and raised cattle from the home quarter, he established a kitchen cabinet store in Saskatoon.

"After 25 years, I sold the kitchen cabinet store and, because I enjoyed farming and I wasn't ready to retire, Kevin and I decided to make the farm bigger and do it right. We owned 80 acres, rented 1,250 acres, and bought all the equipment necessary to carry out farming in a big way. But some of the rented land was as far away as 25 kilometers, so seeding and harvesting was a real chore. And we weren't making much money. So, four years ago, we downsized by letting go of most of the rented land."

It was the right move at the right time: not only did they have more hours with which to try something new, the potato industry was beginning to expand again. They started with 10 acres of potatoes, supplemented by one acre of other vegetables for selling at a roadside stand. Today they have 15 acres of potatoes, two and a half acres of vegetables, and a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse with supplemental heat to start their tomatoes, bell peppers and English cucumbers. Production has improved every year.

"We started with a quarter acre of corn, but now we have an entire acre with staggered plantings so we can offer fresh corn over an extended period. This has worked out well for us. Last year was our first year for cantaloupe, and they really produced. We let them ripen on the vine so they're much sweeter: last year, for example, a couple driving through to Calgary bought two or three cantaloupe and, after driving on about 35 kilometers, turned around and came back for six more. They taste that good.

"Pickling cucumbers were big producers for us last year too. In fact, we were so sick of picking them, we finally ripped out the vines. We made $2,000 from our half acre of pumpkins last year," says Plummer.

Not only does mechanization make vegetable farming more appealing today, he says, there's no need for the root cellar of his childhood. All the potatoes are contracted before seeding, and all the vegetables are sold at the roadside stand. Of the latter, Plummer credits "Location, location, location," which is on the busy Valley Road and includes neighbours such as The Berry Barn and the Moon Lake Golf Course.

The Plummer family's success is due to quality as well as location, however. Moon Lake Farm entered its Dark Red Norland potato in the 2003 Canadian Western Agribition potato competition, and took first prize in the red potato category as well as Reserve Grand Champion for Western Canada. The Grand Champion for Western Canada was a white potato from Courtenay, British Columbia.

Plummer says their successes are also due to research, publications and the "Demonstration of Improved Vegetable Production Techniques for Saskatchewan" at the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre at Outlook. Ken and Kevin Plummer have been active in several different irrigation organizations as well: Ken, for example, has been on the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (ICDC) board of directors for six years, was a founding member (1983) of the Moon Lake Irrigation District, and served as its chairman for many years. Kevin is now the chairman of the Moon Lake Irrigation District.

"We've been heavily involved in irrigation organizations because, without irrigation, we certainly wouldn't be growing potatoes. We have no regrets about downsizing and growing irrigated vegetables either. The returns are sure better than just breaking even," says Plummer.

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