One farm couple makes a successful switch from tobacco to herbs

Sunday, December 4, 2011

by MIKE MULHERN

While there may be herb farmers out there who are keeping their light under a bushel, you can't say that about Tom and Deb Benner, owners of Heritage Line Herbs. What makes the Benners special is the range of things they do and the visibility of their business.

Ten years ago, they decided to stop growing tobacco on their 200-acre farm, east of Aylmer, and instead concentrate on culinary herbs. At first, they grew greenhouse herbs and sold them wholesale in pots. However, they found the competition was stiff and margins slim, so they gradually moved into agritourism and direct-to-consumer marketing. They dry and blend the herbs they grow and sell them in their own store on the farm and through outlets right across Ontario.

At the moment, they devote six acres to growing herbs, although Tom says they add a little more each year. They have an organic hay crop bordering their organically grown herb gardens and the rest of the land is rented out.

Mainly, they grow Scarborough Fair herbs – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme – but they also grow others including basil and several kinds of mint.

The greenhouses and bulk curing kilns are now used to grow and dry herbs and the curing kilns, where drying air is kept separate from combustion air, are well suited to herb drying. "Our herbs," he says, "tend to stay nice and green with a lot of aroma and flavour."

The Benners blend and bottle dry herbs for their retail market and bag them for sale online. Tom believes the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs herb demonstration garden at the Simcoe Research Station will benefit herb farmers like him.

"There's a lot of good potential with herbs. And with the research they are doing there that farmers typically don't have the time or resources to do, I think that's going to be good for everyone." BF