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Nova Scotia greenhouses each receive $300,000 to grow businesses

Two Nova Scotia greenhouses will be receiving joint federal and provincial support to grow their businesses.

Through Nova Scotia’s Agriculture Business Advancer program, den Haan’s Greenhouses Ltd. and Forest Glen Greenhouses Ltd. will each receive $300,000.

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.

“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,” says Luke den Haan, of den Haan Greenhouses.

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. The program helps farms acquire new technologies, processes or specialized equipment to grow their business. Applicants to the Agriculture Business Advancer Program can apply for 30 per cent assistance to a maximum of $300,000.