News

One Earth Farms spring operations in full force

June 2010

On March 26th, 2009, One Earth Farms was officially launched in Saskatoon with start up money from Sprott Resources, an investment fund headquartered in Toronto. The idea behind One Earth Farms (OEF) was that by bringing together large amounts of agricultural lands we would create a size of farming operation that could be consistently profitable. Investors from Sprott Resources first became aware of this opportunity while touring First Nations in Saskatchewan. They were impressed with the large blocks of land and believed in the potential to bring them together in a sustainable company that would employ First Nations people, and provide fair lease values to the communities' whose land was being farmed. OEF started small, seeding approximately 13,000 acres in 2009 with Muskowekwan First Nation, Little Black Bear First Nation and Thunderchild First Nation as our first partners. Harvest was late due to the weather, but by November of that year, everything was off the fields and in the bin.

Much has changed since November 2009. Seeding has officially begun in One Earth Farms' (OEF) second year of operations. This year more than 60,000 acres of First Nations soil in Western Canada will be planted by OEF machinery and crews. In addition, to grain lands, OEF is testing the profitability of a cattle operation with a herd of almost 2,000 cows that are more than 70% finished calving. The herd is centered around approximately 12,000 acres of pasture and yardsite at Thunderchild First Nations' White Buffalo Ranch. This year OEF's First Nations partners have grown to include: Muskowekwan First Nation, Little Black Bear First Nation, Thunderchild First Nation, Yellow Quill First Nation, Fishing Lake First Nation, Star Blanket First Nation and Kawacatoose First Nation. We are already in discussions with additional First Nations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba regarding land for 2011.

When our discussions begin with First Nations, we are often asked why OEF is any different from the individuals who are currently leasing First Nation lands. There are four things that we believe sets One Earth apart from many of the Nations' current tenants:

  1. We will employ skilled people from the Nation to operate equipment, drive semi's and assist in cattle operations. We will also continue to train our employees so that they can take on greater levels of responsibility if they are interested;
  2. We are actively involved in making training available to ensure that band members have access to training in agricultural operations;
  3. We will conduct a fair value assessment of the land based on the condition of the land and the market rental rate for similar quality land in the area. Lease rates will be comparable to those for non-First Nations land in the area, and;
  4. OEF provides our partner Nations with opportunities to gain equity in the company through formulas that provide per acre equity for extended lease terms. We believe it is important that our success is shared with the people and organizations who have conributed to it.

One Earth Farms has consciously chosen to focus first on farming in Canada. Often referred to as the 'bread basket' of the Canada, the Prairies are an obvious place to start. However, we believe that there are great opportunities in agricultural in many parts of the world. Once we have refined the way we operate in Canada, One Earth Farms will continue to look at agricultural operations in the United States of America, South America and other parts of the world that will enhance our current operations. In order to accomlish this we are using leading edge equipment that is equipped with GPS monitors and the ability to gather information about all of the operations of the equipment.

With one year of significant growth behind us and looking towards a much larger operation in 2011, the OEF team has grown significantly from around 6 people in March 2009 to more than 80 employees in May 2010. More than 40% of the OEF team are First Nations people from across Saskatchewan and into Alberta. These team members represent all sectors of One Earth operations from equipment operations to finance and business development to human resources. As we continue to grow so will career opportunities and training opportunities for OEF employees and members of our partner Nations interested in jobs in the agriculture industry. At One Earth Farms we believe that in order to keep our team at the top of their game, we need to be constantly learning about new technology, new opportunities, new crops and new ways of doing business. One Earth is currently hiring, if you are interested please contact Wendy Noonan at 403.464.8444.

Spring is always an uplifting time of year as it signals a new lifecycle. This spring season is particularly exciting for One Earth Farms and our First Nations partners as it brings new opportunities, new partnerships and new growth. For any questions or inquiries, please contact the One Earth Farms office at 306.979.8055.