New Entrants Infrastructure Support Program

Upland was contracted by the BC Ministry of Agriculture to investigate the possible components for a program that would support New Entrants in implementing infrastructure-based farm projects in order to grow their farm businesses. The report also includes templates for Applicant Eligibility, a Farm Growth Plan, and Project Eligibility.

The objective of this potential New Entrants program would be to provide new and emerging farms the support required to make significant strides in reaching or working towards commercial viability by investing in equipment and infrastructure.

Farm-Level Business Plans (various)

Upland Agricultural Consulting has worked closely dozens of new and experienced farmers to identify opportunities to grow their farm businesses. Upland has experience in developing business plans for a diversity of farm operations, including mixed-vegetable, berry, livestock, goat dairy, hops, seafood, flowers, mushrooms, and specialty crops (e.g. wasabi) as well as value-added products.

Ione Smith, Director of Upland, is a Qualified Business Consultant as conferred by the BC Ministry of Agriculture. If you choose to work with Ione you may be eligible for funding through the B.C. Agri-Business Planning Program.

Upland will work directly with you to ensure your farm business goals are met while providing a road-map on how to get you there.

Examples of business planning activities that Upland can provide are, but not limited to:
- Determining your business strategy including goals, vision and mission statements,
- Identifying consumer market trends, industry competition, and market gaps,
- Outlining the farm production plan for each farm activity and including best environmental practices of production,
- Performing a risk assessment using a strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats assessment (SWOT) and identifying a mitigation strategy for any identified risks,
- Providing financial analysis that includes assessing capital investment needs, operational expenditures, costs of production, cash flow analysis, and breakeven analysis, and,
- Forming an implementation strategy, including seeking funding opportunities, for how to set the business plan into motion.

Upland will provide you with a final report and an excel workbook which can be modified as your business changes and grows.

Alternatives to BC's Meat Inspection Program

Upland worked alongside AG Consulting to conduct a comprehensive review of the traditional BC Meat Inspection Program and to identify alternatives to the inspection model for the BC Ministry of Agriculture. The project involved a literature review and a jurisdictional scan of 14 jurisdictions to survey alternatives to traditional meat slaughter inspection. Interviews were conducted with key industry representatives. The final report analyzes results from the literature review, jurisdictional scan and stakeholder interviews to detail potential innovative alterative models to meat inspection that are cost effective while continuing to maintain high standards of food safety and animal welfare.

For more information regarding meat inspection in BC visit the Ministry of Agriculture website.

Local Food for Comox Valley K-12 Schools

This feasibility and business plan report provides a discussion and analysis of the supply and demand of local food for local K-12 school salad bars in the Comox Valley, along with breakeven analysis for three possible aggregation business models: Producer-run, School-run, and NGO-run. The analyses of the business models included an assessment of wholesale demand and supply for local food in the school system, business structures and government options, regulatory considerations and detailed business plans for each of the three business models. The work undertaken to complete this feasibility report involved establishing a project Steering Committee along with a Terms of Reference, a project methodology, and an engagement strategy. The research methodology included a review of existing literature and programs and an engagement strategy that involved interviews with over a dozen local food system stakeholders in order to provide input.

Upland completed this project for the BC Ministry of Agriculture and the LUSH Valley Food Action Society.

Increasing Local Food Inputs & Food Processing in Cowichan

This study contributes to the growing body of research to support the Cowichan food sector and assesses the opportunities for more local foods to be purchased by Cowichan food processors and institutional markets (in particular health centres, hospitals, and schools). The project objectives were to quantify the demand for local food inputs from food processors and the demand for local food products from institutional facilities. The results were used to assess governance and business development opportunities that could support shared equipment and infrastructure models. To achieve the objectives, research methods included conducting an online survey, one-on-one interviews with food processors and institutions and presenting preliminary findings to the Cowichan food sector as the 2020 Island Agriculture Show. Recommendations outline the market opportunities for increasing locally produced foods in local institutional facilities with a strong focus on building partnerships across all levels in the local food supply chain.

Upland worked alongside Farm Food Drink to produce this report for the Small Scale Food Processors Association (SSFPA) and Cowichan Green Communities.

Capital Region Food Security & Innovation Hub

The objective of the project was to develop a Feasibility Study and Business Plan for a Food Hub that would serve the food sector in the Capital Region (Southern Vancouver Island). The Feasibility Study assesses the gaps in the region and needs of local food producers and processors across sub-sectors of aggregation and distribution, storage, food safety, agri-food research, training, and business development support. The recommended Food Hub organizational and operational model strives to integrate systems and operations through an innovative collaboration between food rescue initiatives, food processing entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers and social innovators.

Upland worked alongside Farm Food Drink to produce this report for the Capital Region Food & Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (CR-FAIR) and the Mustard Seed Street Church Food Bank and Food Security Distribution Centre.