The Farm Startup Story Waiting To Be Told
Where new farmers will come from — backyards and vacant lots
Here’s the untold story in farming today: starting out urban and small greatly increases the chances of success. Stats? It’s too early yet, but over my 15 years of guiding farm startups, the anecdotal evidence is mounting.
The backyard and urban farmers I work with have always been clued in. Unlike the popular press that highlights the gloom and doom stories, they are making it all work by the two most important stats of all — how much money they’re making, and how long they are staying in business.
One example is Ryan Mason. His urban farm startup story is now a cliché: Well-traveled, university-educated idealist takes up pedal-powered farming to address society’s ills. But it had a twist — he also wanted to prove urban farming could be profitable, which led him to use the SPIN-Farming model. As he described it, “It’s a business with social and environmental goals.” What he’s accomplished is not well understood, and it illustrates what SPIN-Farming’s creator, Wally Satzewich, has been pioneering for over 15 years.
Following the SPIN-Farming guides, Ryan created Reclaim Urban Farm in Edmonton AB to shake up the status quo in 2014. Using Wally’s multi-locational model, Ryan and his project partner Cathryn Sprague amassed 15 plots including front and backyards totaling 20,000 sq. ft. (about a half acre). Media attention came easily —CBC News, TV News Edmonton, Global News.ca. Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Examiner, The Star. The following year Western Living named them 2015 Foodies of the Year.
Due to strong demand for local food by the community and savvy marketing, the business flourished, plots and new sales channels multiplied, and revenue steadily increased. “We were blown away by how much interest there was in sourcing locally,” Ryan says. Eventually he and Catherine expanded to an acre and added an indoor microgreens operation. In 2017 Reclaim Urban Farm grossed over $200k in revenue.
After surpassing the critical 5 years in business in 2019, Ryan was ready to reclaim his family’s 50 acre poultry farm, where he developed a 6 acre organic vegetable plot. The sales channels he established as an urban farmer continue to be serviced at a greater scale with the larger rural operation. They include multiple farmers markets, a CSA, 55 wholesale clients and spud.ca, one of the largest online grocery companies in Canada.
Ryan has traded his bike for a Hino truck and rebranded the business because he’s not urban any more. Reclaim Urban Farm has become Reclaim Organics. His values have stayed the same along with his farming practices. When asked which of his urban farming systems he transferred to his rural property, he says, “Every single one.” He’s still working his plots intensively. It’s just that there’s more of them now, and his revenue numbers are increasing by over $100k. Ryan’s gone from the rallying cry of “No more empty lots!” to managing payroll.
The irony? He had to leave his family farm to come back to save it. The lesson? Starting out urban, or multi-locational, or backyard-scale, doesn’t mean you have to stay that way. Of starting urban, Ryan says,” It allowed me to get lots of the steep learning curve out of my system. ”
Most importantly, it greatly increased his chances of success. Because once you master production on a small space, establish sales channels, and start making a little money, you greatly increase your odds of figuring out how to make even more.
Hear Ryan tell how he turned a school project into a 6 figure business here
SPIN stands for s-mall p-lot in-tensive.
SPIN Farming is a commercial production system designed specifically for growing spaces under an acre in size. It was developed in the mid-90’s by Canadian farmer Wally Satzewich. Those who practice it use gardens, community plots and vacant land to start and operate moneymaking farm businesses that serve the needs of local communities.
