ARBUTUS MEADOWS - life on the farm

by Kait Burgan

While life on a working farm provides only small moments of reprieve from a myriad of chores, with Spring comes new energy, new ideas and refreshed love for what farm life has to offer.

For Rob and Samantha Bau, it’s a life that has evolved over two decades when they first moved to the family-owned Arbutus Meadows to help out for a while. They lived in Whistler and back then, the farm’s main focus was equestrian activities.

Today, Arbutus Meadows Farm is home to a Lavender Shop with a wide range of products made from the more than 600 Big Time Blue lavender plants, a low-growing variety that blooms earlier than others. Families are invited to visit The Happy Animal Village that is home to turkeys, chickens, ducks, peacocks, geese, sheep, cows, pigs and horses that get to roam free. There are luxury picnic experiences, hay wagon rides, outdoor markets, skydiving activities, equestrian competitions and a wide range of Special Events.

One of the first things Rob and Samantha did when stepping into daily management and operations, was change the zoning to allow non-farm activity.

“That’s really helped just to sustain the property and allow the actual farming to happen here because it’s not subsidized,” Rob explains. “Farming is a struggle for most properties and farms, and so expanding what we’re able to do.”

The Lavender Shop got its start when Samantha was making soap as a hobby.

She started incorporating some of the Big Time Blue products and then expanded to other body products. From there, proper labelling was a logical next step and after that, they began selling at the Qualicum Beach Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. The Lavender Shop has become an integral part of an immersive agro-tourism farm experience for all who visit Arbutus Meadows Farm.

“When you come to a farm, it’s outside of the box for a lot of people,” Samantha says. “Arbutus Meadows is a space for people to bring their kids and walk around. We have a wonderful skydiving business that lands here. People can get a coffee or a gelato and watch the skydivers land. We’re carving our little path here, and we love to share it with people.”

Rob and Samantha were young parents when they began to focus on the farm fulltime, and Samantha admits that a certain degree of naivety has made the property what it is today.

“The first decade that we lived here was definitely full of sharp learning curves,” she says. “It’s baptism by fire and a lot of flying by the seat of your pants, but we do have a lot of ingenuity, and we pivot really well. If a door is shut, we try to open another one. We also feel really privileged to be here because there’s a lot of opportunity, and it’ s a beautiful land to be on.”

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Rob, Samantha, and their two daughters primarily run things at Arbutus Meadows Farm. They bring in seasonal staff and extra support to help with events. They are excited about the future and the opportunity to create better experiences for visitors and themselves as farmers and business owners. They take a few months off each winter to regroup, boost inventory and plan for the next season.

While they both love life on the farm, they do have their favourite components. For Rob, it’s the Scottish Highland cattle. “They’re very docile and easy keepers. I wouldn’t say we’re new farmers now, but I’m quite new to cattle, and I’ve been enjoying it very much. We just got a new bull this past fall, and we’re getting that breeding program going. I’ m excited about it.”

Rob adds that he loves the creative, entrepreneurial side of the work, using machines to maximize building use and taking time to visualize what’s possible.

“Driving the tractor around the fields in circles, doing the hay. I actually enjoy that time seeing all the birds. The eagles circle to see what’s happening and what they can scavenge. It’s early morning or sunset nights and I like that very much.”

For Samantha, creativity is also a favourite component of making Arbutus Meadows Farm what it is today. “I love creating interesting spaces out of ordinary things,” she says. “I love developing a new theme every year, getting some new furniture, designing the shop for the upcoming season. I love seeing people enjoy it. We develop relationships with our visitors and have quite a few interesting regulars here. We have all sorts of people who are artists, designers, musicians, and everybody’s got a story.”

Despite having accomplished so much over the last two decades, there are many things still on the “wish list” for Rob and Samantha—landscaping, a large garden and greenhouses and a tea house. The property has show stabling for 160 horses, and the portable stalls have seen better days. Rob wants to see more cattle and is working on growing the herd. They both emphasize wanting more foundational improvements to support the smooth operation of the property.

“We’re excited about the future and what we’re doing here.”

The 2023 season at Arbutus Meadows Farm began in April and runs through December. For more information, visit arbutusmeadows.com