When Hurricane Fabian destroyed much of Tom Wadson's Southampton farm in 2003 he seized the opportunity to start Bermuda's first and only fully organic farm.

Today Wadson's Farms is the Island's largest producer of organic fruits, vegetables and meats.

Mr. Wadson said that when he first got into agriculture and started taking courses at an agricultural school in Canada, people didn't take him, or the agriculture trade, seriously.

"Back then agriculture was skin off of a lot of people's backs – no one was interested," he said. "I had played with farming my whole life but never thought that I would become a bona fide farmer."

And although the profession wasn't taken seriously by many, Mr. Wadson said that it came naturally to him.

"I took a lot of dairy science and a how-to course in agriculture at the Toronto School of Agriculture and come out on the Dean's list – I got all A's," he said.

After finishing school as the first farmer in his family, he began his career with nothing more than a small plot of land and 20 tonnes of seed potatoes.

"I took a big chance," he said. "I ordered 20 tonnes of seed potatoes that I couldn't pay for but I didn't even think about that — it was just what I wanted to do.

"Everything still had to be done by hand back then, the digging and cutting, so it took about six weeks before we were all finished."

Mr. Wadson said that the buzz he received from planting his first successful crop motivated him to expand what his farm could do.

"Next I took out a small bank loan and bought another farmer out for his tractor and some rudimentary farming equipment," he said. "From there we started branching out and moving into other things, different crops."

According to Mr. Wadson, it was around the year 2000 that he realised it was time to drastically change the way his farm operated.

"It didn't feel right anymore, I started realising that this is just not the way to farm," he said of conventional, non-sustainable farming.

"It was time for a big change. But to transition from conventional farming to organic is very expensive and very time consuming – it takes a minimum of three years."

Conventional farming, where farmers use synthetic and non-eco friendly chemicals and pesticides to maintain their crops, is still the norm in Bermuda and around the world. But, with a growing demand for additive-free, eco-friendly and "safer" meats, fruits and vegetables, organic farming is becoming more popular and organic produce is now widely available locally - mostly due to Mr. Wadson's efforts.

And while Mr. Wadson said he had always wanted to move to an organic and sustainable style of farming, it was Hurricane Fabian in 2003 that fast-tracked his plans.

"Hurricane Fabian obliterated us," he said. "We decided that it would be an ideal time to start because we had just been given a very clean slate."

It was at this time that Mr. Wadson began to expand what was produced on his farm. He began importing special breeds of farm animals, including specially developed sheep, pigs and chickens – most of which work to keep his farm fertile and sustainable.

"Unfortunately the pigs don't really work into the system at all as far as symbiosis," he said. "They just do their own thing. But the primary reason that we got the pigs was for Bermuda's 400th anniversary because they are the same genetic strain as the original Bermuda hogs."

Everything on Wadson's Farm is designed to be eco-friendly and sustainable. The sheep eat the grass, the manure fertilises the land, special chickens eat fly larvae – keeping the pest's numbers low.

And Mr. Wadson feeds his pigs, goats, cows, birds and sheep a steroid-free, all natural diet that, "keeps them healthy and happy," he said.

By moving his chicken pens so that they are able to eat fresh grass every day produces a better tasting meat said Mr. Wadson.

"By eating the grass they develop a completely different set of fats and because they are kept outside they are 'beyond organic'," he said. "You can buy an organic chicken from the grocery store but I guarantee that that chicken from Pennsylvania hasn't spent its entire life outside."

Keeping his animals and plants healthy reduces instances of disease, infections and fungus that is why Mr. Wadson is meticulous about where his feed comes from.

"I use 120 tons of grain a year – that is my biggest input around here," he said. "I know where it comes from and I know the quality because I visit with my supplier every year. He takes me around his 800-acre property to show me what we are working with. By giving the animals the fresh air and sunlight and giving them good feed – you just get a better tasting and higher quality meat."

One of the things that makes Wadson's Farm unique is the fully functioning slaughter house on the property and the variety of plants and animals that are produced there.

"If you look in the yellow pages there aren't too many entries for chicken pluckers. But we have become very good at it as far as humane treatment and the way things should be done," said Mr. Wadson.

And while space is limited in Bermuda, Mr. Wadson says that he is often amazed by the variety of things that can grow here.

"Bermuda," said Mr. Wadson, "is one of the greatest places on earth to grow things. I don't think you could go to a farmer's market anywhere else in the world and see two farmers that have the variety of things that we do here."

And although he acknowledges that operating one of Bermuda's largest farms is not an easy task, he said that he is content with his chosen career path.

"I would prefer to do this than fight that traffic into town every day," he joked.