Growing Good

A Lifestyle TV Series
- for broadcast -

One Family. One Acre. One Last Chance.

Genre: Lifestyle / Documentary

Biggest Little Farm meets Early Viceland
Runtime: 10 x 22 Minutes
Production Company: Fieldwork

Log Line

It’s been 10 years since Luke & Dana left the fast-paced world of high-end restaurants to start an organic farm. Faced with operating a sustainable farm, fighting to become profitable, and managing their mental well-being, in this pivotal year they are forced to grow to the challenge, or give up on their city escape dream.

Sizzle

Additional Rough Scenes

Growing Good captures the essence of Dana and Luke’s transformative journey from Ottawa’s high-end restaurant scene, to pioneering a thriving organic Cut Flower and Vegetable farm in Eastern Ontario. Having established what is by many measures a successful farm, the couple finds themselves at a crossroads as they head into their 10th year of business.

If they don’t improve conditions at the end of this farming season, they must walk away from everything they’ve built.

Through the dynamic arc of farming from seed to harvest, Dana and Luke show us the sprints and stressors of working the land with their all-female staff.
We follow their produce to farmer’s markets and into meals as it is sold to the area's top restaurants, learning the intricacies of marketing vegetables and keeping up with the demands of some of the top chefs in the country.
Along the way we get to witness the unique approach they have developed to small acreage farming, learning not just the how, but the why behind their commitment to Growing Good.

Beyond the fields and the market stalls, Growing Good explores the narrative of mental health and work-life balance. Inside intimate conversations, we see how sustainable their farming practice is for the crops and environment. Yet, Dana & Luke are paying an unsustainable price to build a business that supports their family, their farm team, and the soil it’s all built upon.

Growing Good, the character driven documentary series, invites the audience to explore the challenges and triumphs of sustainable agriculture, the mental struggles of entrepreneurship, and what it takes to create a future for one’s family and community.

Why This Show?

Why Now?

A reflection and rare look at what it’s like 10 years after initiating a city escape plan.

Harnessing the access to the filmmakers' lifelong relationship with this rural community, and the expert approach the farmers have developed on running an organic farm business, Growing Good offers an unseen perspective on farming, entrepreneurship, and whether or not the grass is truly greener outside the city.

The production company Fieldwork not only has cultivated an intimate relationship with the subjects of Terramor, but 15 years in the filmmaking industry have fostered effective filmmaking practices that strategically position the company to produce high-quality content with limited crew size. This approach to docu-lifestyle content, not only yields cinema-quality images but fosters intimate access to subjects, breaking down the restrictive walls production can often present when developing environments meant to encourage openness when reflecting on sensitivities.

In a time when it often feels like governmental actions don’t align with the common good, the significance of individual efforts has never been more critical. Growing Good provides a north star for viewers to watch people like them leading by example to shape our future, and the reality of how hard but how rewarding it can be to make the right choices to build community, grow one’s self and foster healthy living.

SEASON ARC

Following a full 4 season calendar year on Terramor Farm, an overarching drama looms for Dana & Luke. Forced with the reality that if conditions on the farm don’t improve by the end of their 10th year, they will give up on the dream and sell the farm. To avoid the worst, they will tackle their problems on three fronts:

1. Improving their sustainable farming,

2. Growing the business to bring in more revenue than ever before,

3. Creating a working environment that prioritizes their mental well-being.

In all 4 calendar seasons, we get a first-hand experience following the produce from farm to market or restaurant, connecting the field to the community, and providing a barometer for the farm's financial success throughout the year.

As we follow Terramor through the highs and lows of the year, we witness how Dana and Luke take and apply professional advice from experts in farming and wellness, watching them explore better practices in both sustainable farming and mental health in an attempt to overcome the challenge that they are facing and keep the farm alive.

THE TEAM

Fieldwork

Built upon 15 years of experience Fieldwork is a dynamic content production team, led by two seasoned Director / Cinematographer / Producers, Ian Carleton, and Ben Rayner.

Terramor Farm

Terramor Farm, led by Luke and Dana, has grown to include 2 cute kiddos and a team of 8 seasonal full-time staff.
Along with the amazing crew they tend to 2.5 acres of vegetables and .5 acre of flowers.
They serve over 20 of Ottawa’s top restaurants, 3 retail locations in the Ottawa Valley, deliver over 100 weekly baskets to 4 distribution points and sell at 3 farmers markets.

They strive to create a sustainable business, not only for the earth they steward but for themselves as business owners and the staff they work with.

EXPERT PARTNERS

National Farmers Union - Ontario

A grassroots, democratic Accredited Farm Organization (AFO) representing thousands of sustainable farmers in Ontario and has advocated for farmers across Ontario since 1969.

Members work together to achieve agricultural policies that ensure dignity and income security for farmers while protecting and enhancing rural environments for present and future generations.

The NFU-O collaborates locally, nationally, and internationally to research, educate, and share effective solutions that lead to a better world for farmers and their local communities.

The NFUO plan to work with the production to examine farming practices which yield healthy products through small acreage farming that will help Canadians build a foundation of healthy living.

Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division / Agriculture Wellness Ontario

CMHAO work to improve the lives of all Ontarians through leadership, collaboration and continual pursuit of excellence in community-based mental health and addictions services. Their vision is a society that embraces and invests in the mental health of all people.

The CMHAO will work with the production to examine the mental health risks and realities of working in small businesses through the lens of small-family farming.