Apprenticeship Program

Kiyomi is a city girl turned cow lover turned farmer and local food enthusiast. Growing up in a city in Japan, Kiyomi’s journey into agriculture started when she accidentally fell in love with dairy cows during her studies at the University of British Columbia. Her love of cows took her on a wild tour across Canada and the United States, working as a cow behaviourist and dairy scientist. In 2013, she landed on Vancouver Island, where she has expanded her interests – learning to be an organic vegetable grower, free-range egg grader, farm store clerk, and Integrated Pest Management specialist, alongside starting her own microgreens and market garden ventures. In 2022, Kiyomi’s winding journey led her to her role as a Land Matcher for Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands. Through this work, she found her way onto a farm on Salt Spring Island where she is learning to raise beef cattle and laying hens. As a BC Apprenticeship Coordinator, Kiyomi is grateful for the opportunity to support aspiring farmers like herself to get farming!

Steve grew up on his grandparents’ and parents’ small cattle and sheep ranch on Treaty 7 territory just outside of Cardston, Alberta. He moved away from the small town right after high school, wanting to see the world. After spending a few years living in cities across Canada, setting up a container garden on his balcony, and volunteering at an urban farm in Montreal, he felt drawn back to his agricultural roots. He then studied Permaculture and traveled throughout Latin America, WWOOFing—volunteering in exchange for room and board—to deepen his knowledge. He completed a farm internship in Cawston, BC, and spent 3 years working with an NGO, promoting Agroecology in Honduras. He came back to Canada in 2019, and after a year working as a Program Manager with Environment Lethbridge, he and his husband, Julián, decided to move to the Olsen family farm and start their own farm, Milpa Naturals. They are currently producing broiler chickens.

Alieka has over 5 years of experience in work integrated learning (WIL) specializing in creating career opportunities for young people through apprenticeship programs. She is passionate about investing in the next generation of farmers, recognizing that this is key to maintaining healthy food systems and land sustainability.

In her personal life, Alieka is a hobbyist vegetable grower, flower grower, and a self-proclaimed tree hugger. Her love for nature and dedication to farming aligns with her professional mission to promote hands-on learning and encourage young people to pursue careers in agriculture and environmental stewardship.

Sara Yagelniski grew up on a poultry farm outside Russell, Manitoba, and did not consider farming as her future until she found herself volunteering on small organic farms (WOOFING) around South and Central America. These experiences, along with attending the University of Winnipeg, turned her focus toward local food systems and more ecological ways of farming.

Since then, she has worked on livestock, vegetable, fruit, and grain farms in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC and has been involved in many community-based garden and permaculture projects. She co-operated a small market garden outside Onanole, Manitoba, for three years and has been growing garlic commercially since 2019. She has also worked in many outdoor-focused kids’ programs, including directing and running a farm kids’ camp.

With a crafty laugh, Sara has been known to convince people to join her tromping around the bush or garden — picking herbs, brewing tea, digging roots, moving chickens, spreading compost, or pounding kraut.

Kalynn Spain is a bridge builder in the agricultural community in Manitoba. Her joys in work include empowering aspiring farmers, creating collaborative partnerships across agri-food sectors and fostering strong urban/rural connections. After graduating with a degree in conflict resolution, Kalynn initiated the creation of a public database of direct marketing farms, visiting and working on many of these in the process. Through collaboration with others, these 80+ profiles became a network of farms and farmers’ markets that are now represented by Direct Farm Manitoba, where Kalynn serves as a board member. Kalynn has developed strategic plans with the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Keystone Agricultural Producers that have furthered the success of young and aspiring farmers. Kalynn enjoys supporting and facilitating meetings for families who are going through farm transition as a farm coach. Kalynn lives on Treaty 2 territory in the Interlake region of Manitoba with her partner and two young children. They have dabbled in raising pigs and sausage-making and are navigating the challenging yet hopeful process of farm succession with his parents, who run a mixed farming operation.