Green innovation saves local farm

By Geoff Agombar

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Environment Minister Mark Parent and Economic Development Minister Angus MacIsaac visited Annapolis Royal, August 25 to promote the link between environmental innovation and business success. According to MacIsaac, thinking green is not just about doing the right thing, “it also makes good business sense.”

The event was dubbed “Green Power Hour” and was chaired by Peter Newton, chairman of the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency which hosted the packed event at the Legion.

Brickton-Lawrencetown farmer Luke den Haan was on hand to offer evidence of just such a link. He told the story of how sustainable thinking not only saved his family’s business, but continues to blaze a trail to greener pastures.

When the den Haans built their 3.5 acre greenhouse nearly a decade ago (visible from Highway 101 near Lawrencetown) they chose to pay a premium for construction materials, irrigation/recovery systems, and architectural features which reduced waste, minimized water usage, and improved health and safety conditions for workers.

However, with oil holding steady at a now-enviable $30/barrell, they chose to stick with cheap fossil fuels to heat the new building. As the price of oil tripled in subsequent years, the family watched their heating costs balloon from a manageable 18 per cent to an untenable 40 per cent of total expenses. Their investments in the new building, indeed the whole business, were in jeopardy.

The den Haans responded to this financial crisis by greening their operations. After researching various alternative fuels, the family imported a biomass boiler from Ontario and began burning wood chips produced from waste wood purchased in Annapolis and Kings counties.

“We would not be here today without it,” says den Haan to describe the importance of switching to the biomass boiler. Moving to a locally produced, carbon-neutral fuel eliminated 50 per cent of heating costs and made it possible to once again predict the cost of producing a winter crop.

Den Haan is particularly proud that his energy dollars are now spent locally. He currently requires 2000 cord per year, all of which would have rotted on the forest floor. With expansion, he foresees demand reaching as high as 11,000 cord per year, contributing to the monetization of a new product for local wood producers and encouraging new jobs in the forestry sector.

Having escaped the upward spiral of fossil fuel costs, den Haan sees even greater potential in further expansion toward sustainable fuels. Next year he will partner with Pyramid Farms of Ontario to plant five acres of a promising new source of biomass fuel, and a potential new crop for Valley farmers.

Miscanthus is a grass similar to bamboo which shows incredible potential. The species is drought tolerant, requires little to no fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticide to produce maximum yields, and produces greater energy output at lower costs than wood. It can be cultivated in marginal land and is machine-harvested easily. Compared to corn-derived biomass or ethanol, Miscanthus has the potential to double, possibly quadruple, energy output. This means that Miscanthus could diminish the practice of converting food to fuel, while also decreasing the amount of agricultural land devoted to fuel production. For example, den Haan would need as much as 500 acres of corn biomass to keep his 3.5 acre greenhouse warm throughout a Valley winter, compared to as little as 115 acres of Miscanthus.

“There are exciting times ahead,” Den Haan concluded. “Changing, adapting, evolving and trying new things … will help us make a greener, predictable, and profitable future for everyone.”

Den Haan Greenhouses produces approximately two million pounds of tomatoes per year, which it distributes only to the Maritime Provinces to minimize “food miles” (a measure of the distance traveled from the field to the dinner plate).

For more information, go to www.denhaansgreenhouses.com