Meet Jeff Lundberg of Babé Farms! Jeff’s favorite thing about farming is the variety, he says no two days are alike. Learn what he’s up to and what his advice is to future farmers!

CA GROWN: What are you doing today?

Jeff: I’ve been traveling; we were at the CPMA Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show last week. So I’m playing catch up today. I went around to all of my guys this morning and then been in the office since 9 this morning. I’m catching up on what’s on my desk and gathering myself from being gone last week.

CA GROWN: What’s your favorite thing about farming?

Jeff: My favorite thing is the fact that no two days are alike, I never do the same thing two days in a row. I’m either in a field, behind a desk or in a meeting. I like the variety of farming. If I had to do the same thing everyday from 9 to 5 I would go crazy.

CA GROWN: How do you give back to the community?

Jeff: Babé is very active, there is always an event happening in need of product and we will donate. We donate a lot to youth fundraising events. We are always giving product away. It’s too hard to be perfect with the volumes coming in the plant; we’d rather donate instead of wasting it. When we have extra product we give it away to food banks. We always donate where we can.

CA GROWN: What drew you into the farming profession?

Jeff: I grew up on the farm. I actually lived on a farm as a kid. We moved off the farm, but we never really lived in the city. I enjoy the rural side of it, I like being outside on the farm. My dad was a farmer, my grandfather was a farmer, my parents were farmers, I grew up in the fields and was always around it.

CA GROWN: What are your hobbies or pastimes when you’re not farming?

Jeff: I like to play with my kids. My daughter plays golf and my son plays soccer and football. I like to enjoy as much time with them as I can because they’re growing up fast. They’re both in 4H raising pigs. My son and I also work on a Camaro as a project on the weekends. We’re very involved in all of that. It keeps us busy for sure.

CA GROWN: What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a farmer?

Jeff: The only advice I would give is you have to love farming to be in it. The farming part is the easy part. Growing the crops and the people you work with, those are the easy part. You have to love farming because there are a lot of hurdles in front of you everyday. With all the different agencies that regulate water run off and make sure you follow the rules, you have to make sure you stay ahead of them. I have a full time crew to stay ahead of all the stuff that comes at you. It’s a full time job for sure. Farmers enjoy working with the land and like being outside. I think farmers are a special breed, they enjoy it, they are very proud. Farmers are stewards of the land.