The Ivany report on Nova Scotia's economic future has generated lots of talk — but what does it look like when put into action?

One family in the Annapolis Valley decided to find out.

Bruce Rand started Randsland Farm near Canning in 1970 with a tobacco crop. He soon switched to broccoli and that's been the staple crop since.

Rand operates Randsland Farm with his wife, sons, and several brothers and sisters. They employ about two dozen locals year-round and several dozen migrant workers from Mexico and Jamaica to harvest the crop.

They grow about 500 acres of broccoli to supply grocery stores in Atlantic Canada and sometimes in Quebec and Ontario.

Bruce Rand started Randsland Farm in 1970. Today, it employs about 70 people. (CBC)

A few years ago, the family got to talking about the Ivany report. Two of its main recommendations are for businesses to increase exports and add value to products. The Rands added a kale crop and began exporting it to the U.S.

"There's been opportunities at Acadia University and through Ray Ivany's efforts, to take part in projects that promote our products and help us to explore how to add value, whether it be packaging or further processing," Rand said Thursday.

'Super salad' a Nova Scotia first

In fact, when CBC's Information Morning recently asked lead author Ray Ivany for examples of successes, he cited Randsland Farm.

The Rands now clean and package produce before it leaves the farm, adding value to it on their end. With the kale, Bruce Rand's son Andrew has created a packaged "super salad" that is grown, packed and shipped right from the farm.

It's sold at grocery stores. The Rands believe it's the first packaged salad that comes directly from Nova Scotia.

The Rands grow and package the salads at their Canning farm. They believe they are the first farmers in the region to produce their own packaged salad. (CBC)

"With anything valued-added, you have to create the demand and continually remind the consumer that demand is legitimate. It's a slower catch, but it's a bigger long-term gain because we feel that's the one of the directions agriculture is going," Andrew Rand said.

The kale is often used in salads and smoothies. Bruce Rand said they've shipped up to 55 trailer loads of produce to the U.S. in one season — a nice cushion on the always-narrow profit margins on a farm.

'Off to a great start'

"Through Ray Ivany and his report, and the help of study groups and researchers at Acadia, we've been looking closely at how to add value to the kale," Bruce Rand said. Options include kale powder and kale flakes.

"It's had a positive effect on us," he said. "We're getting off to a great start and hoping that the diversity we introduced to the mix will give us more security and less risk."