Starting a farm: How a vision became reality

4.5 min read

Roger Lobb didn’t grow up on a farm. But in his 40s, he bought a small parcel of dryland near Medicine Hat, Alta. It was the first step in what would become Sand Box Farms. Starting with no agricultural background, Roger built his farm through mentorship, strategic planning and a collaborative, entrepreneurial mindset. His journey shows how curiosity, clear direction and a commitment to lifelong learning can turn an unconventional beginning into a successful, forward-looking farm.

Breaking ground

I started farming in 2008 while still working full time as a pastor, buying a quarter-section near town and learning from a retired farmer who became a mentor. He had a lot of knowledge and did much of the early work because I was still working full time. Over the years, I bought equipment and added land, and when I retired from ministry in 2016, I was able to focus on the farm. Purchasing irrigated land became the turning point for growth.

Today, Sand Box Farms includes about 2,500 acres of irrigated land. Our focus is timothy hay for export. We also have an organic division, which we pursue because there’s a niche market that offers strong returns and we target higher value, specialized markets. We recently formed a joint venture with two other farms. Now we’re producing organic potatoes and organic hemp, and those two crops generate strong revenue for the organic side.

Collaboration over competition

Mindset was critical for me. A big part of it is how you view your neighbours – whether you see them as competitors or as collaborators. I saw both models around me. One key relationship early on was with a neighbour who always shared what he learned, like rotation tips and which crops produce well. I remember thanking him, and he said, “Make sure it goes both ways, otherwise it stops.” That shaped me. I surround myself with people like that. There are people out there who are willing to share. Instead of trying to compete with neighbours, we compete together.

I definitely call myself an entrepreneur. I’m always seeking new opportunities, looking for new markets and figuring out how to create more value from the land I have. I love innovating, developing something new and finding business ideas.

Planning, spreadsheets and smart risk

A solid business plan is how I manage risk while still following curiosity and growth.

A solid business plan is how I manage risk while still following curiosity and growth. When I started farming, I immediately began writing down the basics: if I grow wheat, here’s the yield, here’s the cost, here’s the return. Every year, I run the numbers. If it won’t make money, I look for something else. You can’t understand risk if you don’t know your cost of production.

The three of us in the potato joint venture already collaborated informally for years. Writing a business plan together outlined our mission and core values and set out a clear structure for the formal collaboration. We are governing directors, and I’m the operational director. I handle hiring and buying of equipment, but I answer to the board. That clarity helps employees know exactly who they report to.

Drafting a plan forces vision. It establishes one-, two-, and five-year goals. For example, we knew we eventually wanted to increase potato production, so when an opportunity came up to buy a second planter, we jumped on it. We didn’t need it yet, but the long-term plan said we would.

The business plan is fluid – it guides us, but it doesn’t confine us.

Innovation, technology and lifelong learning

I completed a master’s degree in leadership and management while building the farm. It was sort of a midlife crisis. I had reached the end of one fulfilling career, and I needed a new challenge. I didn’t intend to finish the degree; I just wanted the learning, the introspection, the retooling. But the process helped me understand myself better and set my vision for the future.

I’d say I’m absolutely a lifelong learner now. I love both formal and informal learning: conferences, seminars, workshops from experts. Those complement the hands-on learning on the farm.

I think that it’s a misunderstanding that technology takes away jobs. It often changes them by requiring higher skill levels. For example, my son-in-law, who has a computer science degree, and my 17-year-old son operate our drones. My son learned his hand-eye coordination from video games, and the drone controller is almost identical to a game controller. He was able to map and spray with the drone, something I could never have put a 17-year-old in a 120-foot-high clearance sprayer to do. Technology can actually create opportunities for the next generation to be meaningfully involved.

A big misconception I hear all the time is that unless you come from a family farm, you can’t get into farming. Yes, circumstances matter, but I truly believe it’s possible to start farming today with a solid business plan, the right market and the right timing. I’ve seen it with new farmers as well – when they finally put the numbers into a spreadsheet, the light bulb goes on: “This could actually work.” That’s powerful.

From an AgriSuccess article by Emily Leeson.

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