Raymond
Loo is one of a kind! To begin with, he grows dandelions, rabbit
food, has goals to be as carbon-neutral as possible, and thinks farming
is incredibly exciting as a career.
Raymond Loo
manages the 250-acre family farm in Springfield, PEI, with help from
his younger brother Ricky. Springwillow Farms is owned by their
mother Joyce, whose family has lived on the original farm since it was
homesteaded in 1841. When Gerrit Loo, Raymond’s father, emigrated from
the Netherlands in 1953 he bought the adjacent farm and married Joyce,
the girl next door. Of their seven children, 4 are involved
directly in farming, Gerrit and Joyce seem to have successfully passed
on the farming gene.
Springwillow Farms is truly a
mixed operation, with an array of animals and vegetable crops. There is
a herd of certified organic Aberdeen Angus cattle, poultry of all
sorts, and during the summer a few young pigs being raised for market.
There is the customary orchard with apples, plums, cherries and pears,
as well as a range of small fruit including currants, gooseberries and
raspberries. Not to forget a large market garden, and of course, lots
of varieties of potatoes.
Raymond is an avid nature
lover. This is reflected in all aspects of his farming decisions: Hay
cutting has to wait until the small birds have fledged from nests in
his fields. A pond in the back of the farm, dug many years ago for
watering cattle, has turned into a wildlife haven. To enhance this
pond, a corridor of tall grass is left between it and the woods nearby
so that small animals can safely reach the pond. Windbreaks are being
replanted in order to slow the wind and provide shelter and nesting
habitat. And in his fields, Raymond watches the plants for insects,
knowing that the beneficial insects must be protected and
encouraged. “It makes you feel good when you’re within nature,
working in harmony with it. As a farmer, you’re job is to grow or
at least that’s what I think we’re supposed to be doing. At some
point we got into the killing business, but I’m doing my best to stay
in the growing business,” says Raymond.
The
poultry and cattle found at Springwillow Farm are all free range, and
fencing is erected to keep them out of key areas rather than containing
them. Even the pigs get the chance to go outside and use their noses to
root up everything in their path.
Although most of
the marketing is directly to the customer, through two farmer’s markets
and restaurant sales, Raymond has also been an organic berry exporting
pioneer by setting up an export market for Island berry growers called
Anne’s Farm. In order to provide customers with the greatest
range of products, and to develop expertise in growing certain crops,
Raymond and Ricky work with two of their sisters, Joyce and Margie, who
also have certified organic farms on PEI. In fact, Raymond has
spent a lot of his farming career organizing other farmers in
cooperative efforts for marketing and growing, from participating in
his own family’s efforts (they have a combined market stall at the
Charlottetown Farmer’s Market called Island Sunshine) to encouraging
other PEI farmers to plant organic berries for the export market.
Although
potatoes have been a major focus of Springwillow Farms' operation for
many years, the acreage in potato production has never been
large. “My interest is in the specialty market,” says Raymond,
“and in finding cultivars especially suited to organic production in
our Maritime climate.” Berries have been his focus for the past
few years, but knowing Raymond, he’ll think of something new soon
enough.
For future plans, Raymond is excited to
investigate and practice horse-farming to achieve his goals of
carbon-neutrality and will continue to explore different crops for the
Maritime region. A true organic farming enthusiast, Raymond has
inspired many Island farmers to consider more sustainable methods of
agriculture.
