When you think Cayman Brac farming one name automatically pops to mind – Margartio “Merch” Chantilope.
As the 2011 Top Farmer for Cayman Brac, Mr. Chantilope is planning to display his best crops during this year’s Cayman Brac Agriculture Show scheduled for Saturday, 25 February.
The show takes places at the Agriculture Grounds off Songbird Road on the Bluff, beginning with a traditional Caymanian breakfast from 8 to 10 am. The breakfast is followed by the official opening at 10am.
Admission to the Cayman Brac Agriculture Show is $8 per person, ages 11 and up. Admission for children ages 4 to 10 is $4. Raffle tickets are $10 and includes admission. First prize for the raffle contest is US$2,500. Gates open at 7.30am,
Entertainment runs throughout the day, with dancing and live music performances. Some of the musical acts include the C-Level Band, Layman E. Scott Sr. High School Steel Band, Barefoot Man and the Cayman Cowboy Andy Martin and Dexter Bodden.
The Cayman Brac show will feature crafts, games, a plant sale, bouncing castle and school exhibitions.
Mr. Chantilope is a leader in the Cayman Brac farming community. A second generation farmer, he took over the farming from his father Horatio, who supplied the Grand Cayman supermarkets – Wilco and Merren’s – with produce during the 1970s and 1980s.
With nine fields under operation, Mr. Chantilope now supplies Foster’s Food Fair and Kirk Supermarket with yams and papayas. In addition, he grows yams, cassava, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, mangoes and avocados and raises pigs.
“I don’t use fertiliser – just rain water and I rotate my crops,” he said. “Over the years I have found out that the best months to plant potatoes are August and September. You get a better yield of crops. You can plant in June, but you won’t get a high yield or quality crop.
“I like the idea of shade-house farming,” Mr. Chantilope said. “Not a lot of land is needed, but you can get a good crop and I support that kind of farming. Things are getting hard throughout the world and we in Cayman Islands need to do what we need to do.”
Explaining his love for farming, Mr. Chantilope said: “I like toughness. I don’t run from anything that’s hard. What I like about farming is that you go when you like and you do what you want. There is not much money in it, but when you love something, it is hard to give it up.”
Deputy Premier and Minister for Agriculture Juliana O’Connor-Connolly praised Mr. Chantilope for his dedication for farming.
“He is most deserving of the top farmer award and I wholeheartedly congratulate him on his high achievements,” she said. “He was born into farming and it has become the love of his life. His local knowledge in agriculture is vast and over the many decades, he has produced quite a variety of fruits and ground provisions for hundreds of household.”
Mark Tibbetts, deputy district commissioner and chairman for the Cayman Brac Agriculture Show, applauded Mr. Chantilope and all other farmers for their hard work and commitment in sustaining agriculture within our islands.
“Truly, (Merch) is an exemplary farmer; one which many can learn from as they endeavour to preserve our Caymanian culture and heritage,” he said. “Further, I would like to encourage everyone to come out to our Agriculture Show on Saturday morning, to support our local Farmers and exhibitors, and I can assure you, it would be a fun time for the entire family.”
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