Top farmer Biggie Rankin is making a difference

At his core, Mr Rankin, or "Biggie" as he is better known, has always been a farmer. He has a strong love for the land and says he has a sense of accomplishment on seeing a harvest come in, or witnessing the birth of animals on his farm. Plus, he knows that in his own way, he is making these islands a little better for the people, because through his efforts, people are able to put quality food, produced locally on their tables.Premier and Minister of Agriculture Hon Juliana Connor-Connolly congratulated Mr. Rankin on his work and winning the top farming award on Grand Cayman."We talk about fork-to-table foods, but Biggie takes this concept to a new level. Nothing on his farm goes to waste. What he doesn't sell goes to his jerk stand. The waste from the animals  the pigs in particular  is converted to fuel."His efforts are inspiring and the fact that he takes nothing for granted and has invested his heart and soul into farming earned him the Minister's Award," she added.

Mr. Rankin was born with a love of the land. He says he doesn't know where this love or the passion for growing came from, because his maternal grandparents, the McFields, were builders and fisherman and his paternal grandparents were merchants, which makes him the sole farmer in the family.Even as a young boy, Mr. Rankin kept chickens, pigs and goats. But he had to give up his young farming efforts, because at age 16 he went to sea to earn a living.He returned three years later, got married and decided to return to farming. So he purchased six cows. A few years later, he purchased the land where Rankin's Jerk Stand and Butcher Shop now stand and where the family home is located. He also leased land in the area now known as Industrial Park, for $5 a year to keep his herd of cows.He grew his farm to include chickens and pigs. But as Grand Cayman started to develop, Industrial Park became a bussing commercial area, so he scaled back his operation and began to focus on construction, although he still dabbled in farming. During the time when he resided in George Town, Mr. Rankin and his helper, Ms. Jen, planted callaloo, peppers and okra. They sold the produce to By-Rite Supermarket.