Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Keith Colwell, Nova Scotia Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, announced $600,000 in investments for two greenhouse businesses in Nova Scotia to position them for accelerated business growth.
Through Nova Scotia's Agriculture Business Advancer program, two greenhouse operations – den Haan's Greenhouses Ltd. and Forest Glen Greenhouses Ltd. – will receive $300,000 each to invest in their businesses. With its funding, den Haan's will be transitioning to year-round vegetable production by installing LED lighting technology. The new lighting is expected to enable the business to increase its total yield by 25 to 30 per cent, meeting the demand for local fresh produce in the winter, while reducing its overall carbon footprint.
Forest Glen is a local producer of spring, fall and Christmas plant material, with contracts with major grocery and home renovation chains to supply their garden centres in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Forest Glen plans a major expansion, adding a new 35,000 square foot gutter-connected greenhouse.
The Agriculture Business Advancer program is supported through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $37 million investment in strategic initiatives for Nova Scotian agriculture by the federal and provincial governments.
"Investments like these are win-win for our agricultural producers and our environment because they increase production of locally-sourced vegetables by using modern infrastructure. Our Government will continue collaborating with our provincial partners to help the sustainable development of agricultural businesses like these who make important contributions to our communities by providing jobs and supplying high-quality food", said The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
"Nova Scotia's Agriculture Business Advancer Program helps agri-businesses innovate and expand, enhancing rural economic development and increasing food security in our province. With our federal government partners, we congratulate the two Nova Scotian greenhouse operations who are the Advancer Program's 2020 funding recipients", Keith Colwell, Nova Scotia Minister of Agriculture added.
"This funding means we can now increase our production even through the winter months. Our business is growing, in more ways than one, thanks to this important investment from the two levels of government. I think it's good for us, our suppliers, our customers, and for the economy generally. Everybody wins", Luke den Haan, den Haan Greenhouses, Lawrencetown, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, commented.
For more information:
www.agr.gc.ca
novascotia.ca
denhaan.ca
www.forestglen.ca