"There's no place better in the world to raise a family than on a farm..."
About Springford Farm
The history of farming on Vancouver Island is special to our family. Since 1853, we have made it our mission to respectfully steward the land and support our community around us.
Farming is in our blood, and our family believes there is something special about knowing where your food comes from. It fills us with purpose and joy to be able to provide high quality farm-fresh food to the community of Nanoose Bay for the last 40 years.
We have made it our mission to build Springford Farm into a thriving, ethical farm, and our ventures now include farming over 400 acres across the Oceanside area.
As the late Colin Springford said, "There's no place better in the world to raise a family than on a farm” and we couldn’t agree more.
The Springfords
Ross and Erin Springford are the owner-operators of Springford Farm. They live and work on the farm along with their two young boys Parker and Landon, who are involved in 4-H and helping the team out around the barns and the market.
We believe there is nothing better than openly sharing the joys of farming with our community. Living and working on a farm is filled with unique challenges, but is easier when supported and appreciated by a strong family and community.
Building our local community to be strong and resilient is important to us. We are active supporters of local non-profits such as Nanoose Community Services and Nanaimo Food Share. When possible, we provide educational tours to local school districts, giving young students the opportunity to learn about farming and agriculture and the importance of locally sourced food. Springford Farm has been a member of the Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce for over 40 years, and we have actively supported the Coombs Farmers’ Institute and the Southern Vancouver Island Direct Farm Marketing Association for many years.
Colin Springford
1945-2021
Gardening and farming was in Colin’s blood. His parents immigrated from England to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as infants. In 1941, they moved to Vancouver Island and operated a small hand-milk dairy farm in Sidney, where Colin was born. At eight years old, Colin talked his Dad into plowing up some land so he could have his own vegetable garden. For six high-school summers, Colin worked at Butchart Gardens where he nurtured his love of flowers. From 1948 to 1961, the family ran “The Maples”, a small country grocery store in Brentwood Bay where Colin first learned about customer service.
After school, Colin began his journey into entrepreneurship by starting a successful construction business. Colin met his wife Diane, and they sold the construction business and purchased the land on Northwest Bay Road in Nanoose to begin hobby farming. The hobby quickly grew into so much more, and is now a thriving free-range egg and grass-fed beef family farm, currently owned and operated by his son Ross and his wife Erin in Nanoose Bay.
The Springford Family Foundation
In memory of our founder Colin Springford, one year after his passing we launched The Springford Family Foundation in partnership with the Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation. The Springford Family Foundation provides grants of up to $2,000 to support initiatives in three focus areas that improve local communities within the Oceanside region. The Springford Family Foundation aims to improve our local communities in the Oceanside region and leave the world a better place for our children.
Focus areas for funding include:
Improving the quality of life for children and youth
Strengthening local agriculture and food systems
Enhancing environmental stewardship, sustainability and biodiversity
We are deeply appreciative of our community and their continued support.
Click here to learn more about The Springford Family Foundation