Future Farmer Success Stories
Cearagh Vessey – Canoe Cove Honey
At Canoe Cove Honey, Cearagh Vessey is building a business that’s as sweet as it is innovative. With support from the Future Farmer Program, she invested in new honey processing equipment that boosted efficiency, quality, and overall capacity.
Those upgrades opened the door for growth. Canoe Cove Honey has been able to diversify its product line, increase bulk processing, and bring on additional staff to keep up with demand.
Most recently, with partial funding from the Future Farmer Program, Cearagh and her team seeded a large tract of farmland with a custom mix of perennial plants to support pollinators. From Black-eyed Susan and White and Yellow Clover to Borage, Joe-pye weed, Witch Hazel, and Sunflowers, the pasture is now full of colour and buzzing with life — and the bees responded with an extra-productive season.
For Cearagh, these improvements mean a stronger, more sustainable business. And for the Future Farmer Program, it’s another example of how Island producers can use smart investments to expand and diversify their operations.
"Future Farmer support helped us invest in equipment and pollinator pasture — boosting production capacity, improving quality, and creating a healthier environment for pollinators of all kinds."
Josh Dillman (pictured) and Andrew Maynard – Port Hill Milking Company
At Port Hill Milking Company, Josh Dillman and Andrew Maynard know that even small changes on the farm can have a big impact. With support from the Future Farmer Program, they were able to invest in a new skid steer. This upgrade has made a huge difference for both the herd and the people who care for it.
The farm’s old skid steer ran for hours each day inside the dairy barn. Not only was it inefficient on fuel, but it also left behind exhaust that made for poor air quality in the barn. By upgrading to a new model, improvements were immediately noticed: lower fuel consumption and a much cleaner environment inside the barn.
Those improvements translated into healthier, more comfortable conditions for livestock and staff alike, as well as greater productivity across the operation. For Josh and Andrew, it’s proof that the right investment can make daily chores easier while creating a better environment for everyone on the farm.
“Programming that gives the applicant the flexibility to choose a project or improvement that fits their specific operation is a great addition to the suite of benefits offered under the Future Farmer Program. It was great to receive help on a project that would benefit our animals and us."
Travis Cummiskey - Glen Lake Pasture Farm
Travis Cummiskey of Glen Lake Pasture Farm produces beef, pork, and poultry, and with help from the Future Farmer Program, he’s been able to maximize his land’s potential to meet the needs of his animals.
Through the program, Travis installed a water supply and electric fencing in his hay fields. These upgrades gave him the ability to stockpile forage: harvesting the first flush of spring growth as dry hay and haylage, then returning cattle to graze the regrowth later in the season. Instead of sitting idle after the first cut, those fields now provide extra feed, reducing the farm’s reliance on costly baled forage once perennial pastures are grazed.
The result has been lower input costs, stronger carrying capacity, and greater overall production, which is exactly the kind of innovation the Future Farmer Program is designed to support.
"The Future Farmer program was quite helpful in my first few years farming. From business planning to funding our first attempts at extended season grazing and rotational management, I got a lot out of the program and would definitely recommend it to another new entrant." - Travis Cummiskey