Beacon Farms creates 70 acres of new fields for landowners across Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman now has 70 additional acres of farmland after Beacon Farming Services converted rocky land into fertile fields for five landowners in George Town and East End. The new agricultural land will have a range of purposes from livestock grazing to growing hay.

Beacon Farms piloted the process of making soil on six acres of its own land in North Side, where poor soil quality was the primary issue in growing crops. With a donation from the non-profit farm’s founding benefactors, the Haugh Family Foundation, Beacon Farms was able to acquire the equipment needed to pulverize rock and transform previously unfarmable land into fields.

“Our rock crushing machine has been transformative at Beacon Farms where we now have six acres of fields and can plant on a commercial scale,” said Beacon Farms CEO Sandy Urquhart. “We are now making this service available to third party landowners who want to improve their land for agricultural purposes.”

The Beacon Farming Services team, led by farm supervisor Anthony Cohen, has been hard at work on property owned by AL Thompson in East End, improving the land for grazing his herd of cows.

“Cayman’s food security can be improved not only by growing more produce but also by raising cattle and other animals,” says Thompson. “Reducing costs is critical for farming to be sustainable, so being able to grow food for the animals on site and use locally produced compost instead of imported fertilizers, as Beacon Farms is doing, has both economic and environmental benefits.”

Owner of the Equestrian Centre in George Town, Mary Alberga, is taking a similar approach, growing her own hay to feed her horses. Beacon Farming Services created a field at the back of the property to plant grass that can be dried into hay, reducing reliance on imports and their carbon footprint.

Other land improvement projects completed by Beacon Farming Services in 2024 include a small private farm holding in North Side, while work is currently underway on a larger farming venture in East End.

“Our team provides machinery, labour and expertise for land improvements,” says Urquhart. “We can consult on agricultural and scientific factors from the best pH of the soil to what crops to grow. At Beacon Farms, we have seen first-hand how the right soil improves crop yield, both in both volume and quanity, and are keen to share these benefits with the wider farming community.”

Beacon Farming Services generates valuable revenue for the non-profit farm which aims to become financially self-sufficient through sales of fresh produce, products manufactured in its small Agricultural Processing Unit, and through hiring out its rock-crushing machinery.

Landowners interested in getting a quote for land improvement services should contact Beacon Farms at info@beaconfarmscayman.org .