Currently...

My name is Logie Cassells and I am the managing director for http://www.lahaveforests.com/" rel="nofollow">LaHave Forests, a new agro-forestry company based in Lunenburg county. Our passion is “Soil Health or Wealth Through Soil”. Why? Because soil is 90% of good farming and forestry.

The ‘Green Farming Revolution’ of the last century and its promise of cheap fertilizers and higher yields is broken. Modern farming practices, and the consistent application of synthetic fertilizers have resulted in extensive soil erosion and poor soil health. This is occurring at a time when global demand for food and farmland is increasing.

Natural solutions to today's problems must start with a return to ‘healthy soil’, our most under-appreciated, yet essential natural resource.

Soil health is not a new concept. Greek and Roman philosophers 2,000 years ago were already aware of the importance of soil health. There is growing support for soil health, and a movement is emerging similar to that of the organic movement of the 1970’s.

http://www.lahaveforests.com/" rel="nofollow">LaHave Forests believe that in adopting a long term natural strategy of ‘Wealth through Healthy Soil’, we can fulfill the long-term belief of Jim Rodgers, co-founder of The Quantum Fund, that:

"Agriculture is set to become one of the top growth industries over the next 20 or 30 years."

Before I escaped...

I worked for Capel Cure Myers as a fund manager between 1987 to 2002 and as a part time independent financial demographic consultant until 2009.

In 2002 having solved financial puzzles for nearly 15 years, I decided to get 'my pulse back' and try another challenge. In 2002, myself, my wife and our 4 year old daughter decided to emigrate to the seaside village of Chester, Nova Scotia.

The new puzzle I chose to solve was a childhood passion for garden design and growing plants.

My moment of truth...

After a few years of building gardens and researching farming opportunities in Nova Scotia, it became obvious that with high value agriculture set to become one of the top growth industries over the next 20 to 30 years, Nova Scotia was perfectly positioned:

• Similar climate to Prime US Farm land
• One of the best growing conditions in Canada: 210 days
• Average rain fall of nearly 60 inches of rain per annum
• Completely under-appreciated by the market: Nova Scotia farm land per acre sells at a 70% discount to British Columbia or Ontario

In 2009, I luckily met Simon Fineman, CEO of Timbmet holdings, who was involved in a sustainable forestry project in Ghana, financed by the emerging carbon credit market.

In February 2009, I convinced him to fund a feasibility study for an agro-forestry project in Nova Scotia built on the concept of soil health or wealth through healthy soil. 

Planning for it...

Between February and May 2009, a feasibility study was carried out and confirmed the earlier belief that Nova Scotian farm land was undervalued and there was potential for growing high value crops and timber (Black Walnut and Cherry).

In May 2009, Simon Fineman switched his focus from Ghana to Nova Scotia by moving his Ghanian operations manager, Alex Holroyd-Smith, to Nova Scotia to help draw up a detailed business plan to start the project.

The business plan was completed in the Fall of 2009 and the difficult task of raising $12 million to purchase and manage 3,500 acres of forestry and farm land began.

The project has been funded by the foresight of Simon Fineman, who grasps the generational investment opportunity of 'healthy soil', the least valued of all our strategic resources and the importance of our natural solution.

The worst and best bits...

There have been many highs and lows associated with the project. However, happily, the positives have outweighed the negatives.

Best:

• One of the many positives of the project is that we have met so many like-minded people and organizations. These include: Lil MacPherson of The Wooden Monkey, Jim Drescher of Windhorse Farm, Laverstoke Park Farm and the global general public.

Worst:

• The negative side must lie with city investors. It is extremely hard to get them to 'wake up' to the fact that Agriculture and Forestry are facing two global problems that need solutions now. And that these solutions cannot be solved by the next financial quarter.

Best advice...

1. The best 'pitch' advice was given to me by a friend who has the critical 10,000 hours in raising private equity finance:

• Clear description of the problem you have solved
• How you solved it
• Your business model
• Underlying magic of your product or service

Then start small and think big, and believe and keep believing.

2. Listen to Jim Rogers' sound advice:

"The City of London and Wall Street are not going to be great places to be in the next two or three decades. It's going to be the people who produce real goods in charge – the farmers and the miners."

Useful resources and information...

In terms of books, http://www.guykawasaki.com/books/" rel="nofollow">Guy Kawasaki would be at the top of the list.