165. Tim Livingstone on Building and Operating a Diversified Family Farm

What’s it like building a farm from the ground up in a foreign country? Today we’re hosting Tim Livingstone, Owner of Strawberry Hill Farm and President of Atlantic Certified Organic. Strawberry Hill Farm is an organic family farm serving the New Brunswick community with weekly boxes, online orders, and a small store on the farm. Raised in New Hampshire, Tim moved to New Brunswick in 1997, purchased a dilapidated farm in 2011, and has since transformed it into one of the largest organic farms in eastern Canada. They now grow over 60 types of vegetables and berries plus livestock on pasture. They believe that growing food without the use of chemicals is best, from the point of view of the health of their family, their team, the environment, and for the sake of the many customers who enjoy the fresh organic products they sell. Hear how Tim and his wife accomplished this feat!   You’ll hear:  What motivated Tim to move to Canada 1:46 What happened directly after purchasing the farm 4:06 About Strawberry Hill’s fertility program 13:51 What a typical week looks like for Tim 16:54 What the scale of the farm is 27:14 How Tim ensures that all the most vital tasks on the farm get completed 36:13 Who Tim’s mentors have been throughout his farming journey 41:22 What systems Tim would’ve put in place sooner given a magic reset button 45:33 Where Tim looks to find help for the farm 51:19 How Tim allocates tasks for his workers 53:55 How Tim makes sure the farm’s products get sold 1.06:13 What demographics typically buy from Strawberry Hill the most 1.10:13 What Tim sees as the biggest mistake newer farmers make 1.12:46 What encouraging piece of wisdom Tim would give to himself in the past when he was a new farmer 1.16:25 Tim’s favorite farming tool 1.17:04 Where you can learn more about Tim and Strawberry Hill Farm 1.19:28   About the Guest: Tim Livingstone owns Strawberry Hill Farm in New Brunswick, Canada along with his wife Kirsten. Tim grew up in New Hampshire and moved to Canada in 1997. He's spent most of his life in agriculture and around greenhouses and he’s studied compost, compost teas, and the Soil Foodweb in the early 2000s. He also worked in sales and consulting for biological agriculture for everything from tree care, to turf, to large scale agriculture.  In 2011, Tim and his wife bought a run down farm and have since turned it into one of the largest organic farms in Eastern Canada - raising over 50 crops, plus pasture raised beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. Tim and his wife were the recipients of the Gerrit Loo Memorial Achievement Award in 2013, and the Agricultural Leadership Award from the New Brunswick Institute of Agrologists in 2018. Tim currently sits on the board of the directors of the Organic Federation of Canada and is president of Atlantic Certified Organic. Tim loves growing things but also loves spending time near the ocean at their island camp in the Bay of Fundy.   Resources: Website -  www.strawberryhillfarm.ca Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StrawberryHillNB Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/strawberry_hill_farm/