Guest Farms Ltd. in New Brunswick: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Guest Farms Ltd. is a family potato farm at Holmesville, New Brunswick, named the 2018-2019 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Florenceville-Bristol. Simon Guest described the farm as 250 acres and noted it had contracted with McCain for 24 years.
| Location | Holmesville, New Brunswick |
|---|---|
| Family | Simon Guest and eldest son Matthew |
| Sectors | Processing potatoes under contract to McCain Foods |
| Scale | About 250 acres, as described by Simon Guest |
| Why it is elite | 2018-2019 McCain Champion Potato Grower; first win, second Top 10 placing |
| Ownership | Guest family |
| Official website | PotatoPro: McCain recognizes Guest Farms Ltd. as Champion Potato Grower |
History of Guest Farms Ltd.
Guest Farms Ltd. is a family business in Holmesville, New Brunswick, run by Simon Guest with his eldest son, Matthew, who is continuing the family business. The farm had contracted with McCain Foods for 24 years when it won.
It was named the 2018-2019 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Florenceville-Bristol at the 46th Annual McCain Growers' Banquet on August 22, 2019. It was the farm's first time winning the Champion title and its second Top 10 finish.
What Guest Farms Ltd. Grows and Raises
The farm grows processing potatoes on about 250 acres. That makes it a compact operation compared with the largest potato producers, and its Champion title shows that quality scoring rewards size, gravity, defects and colour performance, not acreage alone.
Because McCain growers are scored on those measures through the year, a smaller grower can win by controlling storage, handling and field practices. The source does not list varieties, rotation crops or equipment.
How Guest Farms Ltd. Makes Money
Quality scoring on a small base
On about 250 acres, revenue depends more on tonnage quality than on acreage. Scoring on size, gravity, defects and colour means that careful handling can lift returns on every acre.
Contract stability
Twenty-four years under contract with McCain gives the farm a reliable outlet. Terms are not public, so no prices are stated.
Next-generation continuity
With Matthew continuing the business, the farm can plan investments such as storage and equipment around a longer horizon.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Guest Farms Ltd.
Size is not destiny. A 250-acre grower beat larger rivals on quality measures, which suggests that attention to storage, harvest handling and field scouting can pay off on a compact base.
A first win after a long contract history shows that steady improvement counts. The farm had made the Top 10 once before, so each year of records and agronomy advice built toward the title.
Winning a champion title on 250 acres is the potato equivalent of the small-town team beating the big-city club. At farm.FM we love farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and a Holmesville family that proves size is not everything gets some affectionate ribbing about trophy shelves and tuber trophies. We are tipping our caps to the spud scorekeepers.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
How to Contact Guest Farms Ltd.
No Guest Farms Ltd. website was found in search results. This page links to a public trade report on the farm. Confirm contact through local Carleton County agriculture offices or McCain grower relations.
Guest Farms Ltd. Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- PotatoPro: McCain recognizes Guest Farms Ltd. as Champion Potato Grower - 2019 report on the Champion Grower award
- Agriculture New Brunswick: potatoes - Provincial potato sector information
- Potatoes New Brunswick: info bites - Acres, farms and seed share of the industry
- Statistics Canada: New Brunswick in the 2021 Census of Agriculture - Province farm numbers and revenue by farm type
- Review of Agriculture 2022 - Farm cash receipts for potatoes and other commodities
Guest Farms Ltd. FAQ
Where is Guest Farms Ltd.?
Holmesville, New Brunswick.
What award did it win?
The 2018-2019 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Florenceville-Bristol.
How big is the farm?
Simon Guest described it as 250 acres.
Who runs it?
Simon Guest, with eldest son Matthew continuing the family business.
Guest Farms Ltd. is one example of New Brunswick's contract potato growers in the Saint John River valley. Read the New Brunswick farms guide for soils, markets and programs behind the province's potato industry.