Elvin Greene

Elvin Green admits that farming is not easy; however, he does not view it as a job at all. “Animals,” he says, “are the most beautiful creatures on earth. There’s a lot that can be learned from them.”

His animal-rearing journey began in primary school, when he raised budgies and sheep, and continued into secondary school, when he began raising cows. Now, his farm contains ducks, rabbits, cows, sheep, goats, and chickens.

Ducks, rabbits, and goats are his favourite animals to rear. He raises ducks and rabbits because not a lot of local farmers raise them, and thus, they produce a good return on investment. He is the only farmer in his area who raises goats and, as a bonus, they provide him an endless supply of one of his favourite beverages, goats’ milk.

Elvin states that he learned a lot during the Youth Farm programme, including how to properly care for the animals, keep their areas clean and sanitized, engage in effective and safe breeding practices, and check for, prevent, and treat diseases. In addition, the knowledge of how to keep good records has been most useful, he says. It allows him to not only provide his customers with relevant information about his produce, it also lets him know what to ask and look for when he makes purchases from others.

When asked about his plans for the future, he states simply that he wants the farm to be “bigger and better”.