The Heppell family has been a leader in Cloverdale’s agricultural community for nearly a century.
On Thursday (Nov. 15), the Surrey Board of Trade recognized that contribution formally, by awarding the corporation with an agriculture leadership award.
“Surrey stands at a critical juncture to make the right decisions and investments to create economic opportunities for a generation and beyond. Surrey’s agriculture industry is at the foundation of those investments and innovations,” said Anita Huberman, Surrey Board of Trade CEO.
The Heppells are third-generation farmers. When Lester Heppell started up the family farm nearly 100 years ago, it was 40 acres of vegetables, dairy cows and turkeys. Lester’s sons, Ron and Dave, took over the farm in the early 1960s and began to modernize it. They worked with business partner Peter Schouten to become a driving force in agricultural innovation.
Today, Heppell’s Potato Corp. looks after 700 acres of potatoes and 120 acres of squash, as well as making Hardbite chips.
The corporation is on the forefront of agricultural technology, using GPS-mapping, self-guided tractors and real-time data analysis of crops to provide safe, efficient farming.
Heppell’s Potato Corp. was chosen for the 2018 Agricultural Leadership Award because of their “innovative efforts” to increase production and consumption of local produce, their work to protect Surrey’s agricultural land base and its viability, as well as their business management and technological advancements.
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