Fraserland Organics Inc.
Delta, BC Canada
Together we are Fraserland Organics
When we first started to explore organic agriculture in the early 90s we assumed that we would have to find organic inputs to substitute for chemical inputs. We soon learned that organic production was much more than that. On our farms, organic agriculture means building a diverse ecosystem of healthy soils, beneficial insects, plants and micro-organisms. We seek to use farming practices from before the advent of modern chemical agriculture and marry them with the latest equipment and technologies.
Bow Chong Family
Harris Family
Dhaliwal Family
Danny Chong is a third generation Delta farmer. Danny’s grandparents started with a five acre farm producing a variety of vegetables. His dad, Bow Chong, expanded into root crops in the 1960s. In the early 1990s, Danny took over the family farm and soon after began the transition to organic farming.
The Harris family are fifth generation farmers. The family began farming in Delta in 1896. The current generation started farming organically in 1993 with 20 acres of organic corn destined for processing. After the success of that first organic corn crop, Brent Harris of Fraserland Farms and his childhood friend, Danny Chong, of Bow Chong Farms decided to combine the strengths of each farm to grow organic potatoes. Fraserland had the tractor power and Bow Chong had the grading facilities. Their cooperative approach was a success and over time the they transitioned more land into organic production and expanded beyond potatoes. In 1999, as market opportunities for organic vegetables increased, Ab Singh of Dhaliwal Farms joined their grower group and they formed Fraserland Organics Inc. to sell their organic produce under one label.
We believe in the strength and the passion of the family farm. Fraserland Organics is a small trio of certified organic family farms working co-operatively to provide great tasting organic crops.
Ab was born and raised in Delta, the third generation of a Delta farming family. His grandfather came to Canada in 1906 to work as a farm labourer. He returned to India in 1934 and brought back Ab's father, Banta to join him. Ab's mother arrived in 1950 and his parents were able to buy their first eight acre farm. As a child, Ab grew up doing typical farming chores like milking cows, cleaning barns, picking potatoes and driving tractors. Over time the family bought additional acreage, and in 1969, Ab and his father established Dhaliwal Farms Ltd. on Westham Island. Still his home base on Westham Island, today Ab farms 450 acres of potatoes, green beans, barley and silage corn.
The Harris family now has the sixth generation working on the farm, bringing new ideas and expanding their organic practices and farming capabilities.
The Harris family photo was finally updated ! It only took 15 years but they did it.
