Carron Farms in Ontario: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Carron Farms is a vegetable operation in Bradford, Ontario, led by fourth-generation farmer Jason Verkaik. Foodland Ontario says his grandfather started it in 1964 and that it now grows 250 acres of carrots, onions, garlic, beets and Brussels sprouts for retail, direct-to-consumer and processing customers.
| Location | Bradford, Ontario; family roots in the Holland Marsh |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1964, by Jason Verkaik's grandfather (Foodland Ontario) |
| Sectors | Vegetables: carrots, onions, garlic, beets, Brussels sprouts |
| Scale | 250 acres of vegetables (Foodland Ontario) |
| Why it is notable | Four generations of vegetable growing and a mix of retail, box-program and processing markets |
| Ownership | Verkaik family; Jason Verkaik is the fourth-generation farmer |
| Official website | Foodland Ontario profile of Jason Verkaik and Carron Farms |
History of Carron Farms
Foodland Ontario traces the Verkaik family's farming back to the 1920s in Chatham-Kent and to the Holland Marsh in 1934. Jason Verkaik's grandfather started Carron Farms in 1964, and Jason is the fourth generation to farm.
The family's earlier farms were in the Holland Marsh, the muck-soil growing area north of Toronto, and the operation today is based in Bradford.
What Carron Farms Grows and Raises
Carron Farms grows 250 acres of vegetables, including carrots in purple and heirloom varieties, onions, garlic, beets and Brussels sprouts. The farm is also experimenting with Asian vegetables.
Marsh-area vegetable growers rely on rich organic soils and careful water management, and the Verkaik family comes from that tradition. Carrots and onions are cool-season crops that store well, which helps spread sales through the year.
How Carron Farms Makes Money
Retail supply
Foodland Ontario lists Sobeys among the customers, giving the farm volume sales into a major grocery chain.
Direct-to-consumer programs
The farm sells through FoodShare Toronto and Fresh From the Farm and runs its own Harvest Share Food Box, which grew from 64 families to 500.
Processors
Some vegetables go to food processors that make salads and other finished foods.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Carron Farms
Selling through three channels at once, retail, direct boxes and processors, spreads the risk that any single buyer changes terms. Direct boxes also give the farm customer feedback and a stronger price position.
Growing specialty types such as purple and heirloom carrots, and testing Asian vegetables, is a low-risk way to find premium niches without dropping the core crops.
A farm that grew its veggie box from 64 families to 500 knows something about word of mouth, and farm.FM would like to borrow the mailing list. Farm satire has long fun with the humble carrot, which at Carron comes in purple. Farm humor says a good onion makes you cry for a reason, and ranch humor will admit that vegetables never need rounding up. These farm jokes come from a place of respect for four generations of marsh and muck.
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 Carron Farms
Website: https://www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/meet-jason-verkaik
No official farm website or direct business contact details were found in the sources used for this page, so the link above is the best verified public page about the operation, checked November 2026. Confirm any enquiry directly with the operation.
Carron Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Foodland Ontario: Meet Jason Verkaik - Profile of the farm and its markets.
- FoodShare Toronto - One of the direct-to-consumer partners named in the profile.
- Fresh From the Farm - Farm box program named in the profile.
- Statistics Canada: Canadian Agriculture at a Glance - Official Census of Agriculture figures on Canadian farms, including Ontario sectors.
- Foodland Ontario - Provincial program promoting Ontario-grown food and farm stories.
Carron Farms FAQ
Where is Carron Farms?
In Bradford, Ontario, with family roots in the Holland Marsh.
When was Carron Farms started?
Foodland Ontario says Jason Verkaik's grandfather started it in 1964.
What does Carron Farms grow?
Carrots, onions, garlic, beets and Brussels sprouts on 250 acres.
How does Carron Farms sell its vegetables?
Through Sobeys, direct programs such as FoodShare Toronto and its Harvest Share Food Box, and food processors.
Carron Farms shows how a multi-generation vegetable grower can balance retail, direct boxes and processing. For the programs, soils and markets that matter to Ontario vegetable growers, see the Ontario farms guide and the other profiles below.