Saskatoon Farm Tour

September 21, 2013 - Saskatoon Farm Tour

The Hamer family started the Saskatoon Farm in 1987 with a blank piece of land.  The second generation is now also part of the farm operation and son Sean a recent Olds College graduate showed us around the farm.

Saskatoon Farm Website Link

Their original orchard was planted on 20 acres in the river valley flood plain.  Saskatoons have done very well as they are a native species.  However, the Northline cultivar is the one they use the most and performs the best.  As per their web page, this cultivar is Paul Hamer's #1 choice:  "Northline has it all!  A nice habit of growth that's not too tall (8-10ft).  Absolutely superb fruit quality with a large berry size and that wonderful saskatoon flavour we all know and love.  Great yields even from small younger bushes."  It does well in the foothills where they experience many chinooks.  The fruit from this orchard is harvested mostly by machine now.

When the farm was first started they utilized rudimentary cold storage that was carved out of the side of the hill.

They have since planted another 20 acres of saskatoons at the top closer to their buildings that services the majority of their u-pick sector of the business.  Early on when the farm was started Paul created a dam and this is instrumental in the irrigation they do on their product.  Saskatoon maintenance includes spraying fungicides usually twice a year and pruning the trees.  Their work force includes Mexicans that come back year after year.

Deer are a huge problem and their orchard is fenced in accordingly.

They have expanded into other products such as sour cherries which is also part of their u-pick.  They also experiment with other plant material like grapes.

They have partnered with some Ukranians to start a vegetable product line but this portion is not u-pick.   In fact they are looking to start a full scale farmer's market right at the farm and will even partner with other farmer's to sell their products for them. They also have a mail order sector that provides saskatoons and seedlings that is still a good part of their business. They have many value added products lines as well of pies, jams, syrup, etc.  They are capitalizing on the health craze as saskatoons are a known antioxidant.

The cafe they have at the center of all their structures does a booming business and is open 7 days a week except for Christmas, Boxing and New Year's Day and 6 weeks in first part of the year.

They have an extensive gift shop that includes a wide variety of products.

They are also a desired destination for weddings and private parties with their magnificent view of the river valley.  Their cafe provides catering for these events.

Saskatoon Farm is an excellent example of how profitable the right 'Location, Location, Location' can be for an enterprise.  Paul who is also an Olds College graduate has done a great job of capitalizing on their close proximity to the high end Calgary market and evolving the business into a beehive of agritourism.