Years after leaving his childhood farm to attend university, David Cozac has come back to his roots, successfully running both Big Sky Farm and True Food Organics in Fredericton with his partner, Debbie Russell.
David and Debbie began Big Sky Farm in 1993, in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick, and certify with the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA - NB). Their two and a half acres of production and one small greenhouse, turn out a whole range of vegetables - from asparagus to zucchini.According to David, their best are garlic and dried beans. “We try to grow some vegetables no one else grows,” he says, “like different types of beans. A lot of heirloom varieties. We try not to use any hybrid seeds.”
There is no livestock at Big Sky, except for the dozens of bird species in their gardens, Clancy, the dog, and Neddie, their horse. Neddie has just begun to be used for garden cultivation this year, and is also very useful during the maple syrup season, when David collects sap from their sugar bush.
Fresh produce from Big Sky is sold at the Fredericton Farmer’s Market and True Food Organics. The booth at the market usually starts in late July and keeps on until Thanksgiving. Customers at this busy market are loyal, eagerly awaiting the return of “their farmers”.
David concedes that every year is a challenge, especially in farming, because the weather is so unpredictable; however, he points out that, “There have been no major setbacks to make us want to stop either business. It’s our loyal customers that keep us going.”
David and Debbie have always been environmentalists, and their concern for the environment is what makes them want to grow their produce without synthetic fertilizers or chemicals.
True to their beliefs, David and Debbie live their whole lives as sustainably as possible - their work is in balance with the ecosystem and it supports the local economy; they are part of numerous environmental and social justice groups; even their home is completely powered with solar energy and built from local, sustainable timber. David and Debbie are farmers, entrepreneurs, and active community members - all in balance with Nature.
David and Debbie were the 2002 recipients of the Gerrit Loo Award.
