Project Made Possible: Boden Farm’s Major Potato Harvest

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October 22, 2018

As Hay River residents filled their dinner plates with carved turkey and all the fixings over the Thanksgiving weekend, many were scooping up delicious and locally-grown and harvested potatoes. 

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Boden Farms harvested roughly 1,800 kilograms of Russets, Red Norlands and Yukon Golds from their property just outside of Hay River.

While the family-run business has grown and sold produce on a small scale for a number of years, the 2018 growing season marked a significant shift in their operations - one where they emerged as a commercial enterprise.

“In 2016, we purchased 48 acres of land and we always talked about what we could do with it and how we could make the land pay for itself,” says Anne Boden, who runs Boden Farms with her husband Peter. “We had it partially cleared in 2017 and by 2018 we just said ‘let’s do this, let’s farm’”. 

Unfortunately, the Boden’s initial business plan, with its new equipment and ideal production facility, proved unrealistic in the short term.

“Farming is an expensive enterprise.  We had to scale it back a bit. We purchased used equipment, got thrifty – and ultimately we came up with a business plan that fit within the scope of what we could access from the Canadian Agriculture Partnership,” Anne says.

The Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Partnership) is a suite of programs and funding delivered in the NWT by the GNWT’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It exists to help the NWT agriculture sector respond to future opportunities and become a productive and profitable sector of the Canadian economy.

Working with their regional Business Development Officer, the Bodens were able to combine Partnership funding with other sources to pay for a portion of their land clearing, the purchase of seed potatoes, packaging and labelling materials, a greenhouse and some used equipment including a tractor, breaking disc and a five-bottom plow.   

“Thanks to that equipment and that set-up, we’re now on track to get next year’s crop in on schedule,” nne says. “We’ll be doing potatoes again and likely corn and sunflowers as well.”

It’s a lot of hard work but the Bodens are excited about the direction they’re headed.

“Ultimately, our goal is to have our produce available in grocery stores in Hay River and in the NWT. Farming provides our family with an income but it’s more than that. We want people in the north to be able to buy fresh, local produce. In our communities we’re buying produce from Mexico and South America and by the time we bring it home, it only lasts a week because it has taken so long to get here,” Anne says. “All NWT residents should have the comfort and security of access to locally grown, delicious produce.”  

Project Made Possible is an ongoing blog series celebrating the achievements of NWT residents and businesses. ITI offers many programs and services to support economic development and growth. This series shares the many faces, stories and achievements that reflect their success.