Filter by Popular Categories2025 Apprenticeship Program: End of Season Reflections
Posted on October 30, 2025
Filter by Popular Categories
It’s been another fantastic apprenticeship season for the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program! This year, the program partnered with 22 host farms on the prairies and 8 host farms in British Columbia to offer 41 aspiring farmers hands-on farm education and training experiences.
The Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program (YAAP) started in Alberta in 2016, in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2021 and in B.C in 2024. To date, YAAP has matched 166 apprentices with 77 host farms. These apprenticeships provide an opportunity to learn about ecological land stewardship practices while developing a network of community and support. Through this program, participants gain an understanding of what it takes to create viable farms that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.
We asked our Program Coordinators to share their reflections on how the season went for them.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Kiyomi Ito joined YA’s Apprenticeship Program in June as the B.C. YAAP Coordinator, after transitioning from a previous role as a Land Matcher for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Over the season, she fostered matches between 8 host farms and 12 apprentices across B.C. She was inspired by the deep commitment of the farmers not only to their work, but to sharing their knowledge with others. Equally inspiring was the enthusiasm and resilience of the apprentices, who met the challenges of the farming season with curiosity and courage. Some apprentices discovered their calling in farming, while others moved on to new adventures, all having experienced meaningful growth through the season.
Given B.C.’s vast geography, host farms were spread far and wide, making in-person gatherings a challenge. While the team made the best of it through online meetups, Kiyomi hopes to create more opportunities next year for apprentices to connect in person. Building those relationships and fostering a stronger sense of community will make the experience even richer for everyone.
ALBERTA
Steve Olsen, the Alberta YAAP Coordinator and had 9 apprenticeships on 8 farms. Alberta host farms covered a wide spectrum of production types: vegetable, herb, and flower farms, as well as livestock-focused operations. In May, the season kicked off with a hands-on fence building workshop with the National Farmers Union during the apprentice orientation weekend at Davey Creek Ranch near Innisfail.
In June, YAAP teamed up with Rural Routes To Climate Solutions for a farm tour at Triple Lyoness Farm, where Sierra Berg offered a “Regenerative Agriculture 101” workshop. Then in July, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association joined us in hosting a farm tour at Ellis Nature Centre. Sonja Shank’s presentation on adaptive multi-paddock grazing drew out a large group of participants and ignited lively conversations around resilient grazing systems. August brought us to a farm tour at Wild Country Gardens, where Business Mentorship Network (BMN) mentor Paulette Sparks delivered a workshop on farm business strategies and income diversification to attendees. Everyone left with fresh ideas and renewed confidence in farm-based livelihoods.
For the final event of the season, the Alberta apprenticeship cohort gathered in September for an in-person closing retreat at the Good Note Community Farm Harvest Festival. At this inspiring gathering, apprentices shared stories about how much they had learned and grown this season. Everyone had their confidence boosted and were excited about the next chapter of their lives. All of the apprentices noted that they are planning to continue farming, and some are already dreaming up plans for their own farms.
SASKATCHEWAN
This season, Alieka Beckett, the Saskatchewan YAAP Coordinator, had 5 apprentices on 4 diverse farms across the province, from specialized seed production to mixed cattle and grain farms to vegetable operations. The SK apprentice cohort launched the season with a two-day orientation at Beaver Creek. They also toured the production side of Saskatoon’s local food scene with visits to Night Oven Bakery and Pig and Pantry butcher shop, gaining insight into how farm products are processed,distributed, and transformed for consumers.
In June, YAAP partnered with CHEP Food in Saskatoon to host an engaging composting workshop, giving participants hands-on experience in urban composting. July brought them to Nine West Farm near Nipawin in partnership with the Haywire Farm Festival, where YAAP hosted an educational Sheep Farming 101 tour, offering a deep dive into how to start a small-scale flock.
They wrapped up the season in August with a farm tour and an incredible community potluck at Prairie Garden Seeds near Cochin. The focus was on seed stock growing and saving, giving participants practical knowledge on preserving biodiversity and planning for future growing seasons.
This incredible season highlighted the depth and diversity of Saskatchewan’s farming communities. Alieka is grateful to all our farm partners, participants, and collaborators who made the 2025 season such a success!
MANITOBA
Sara Yagelniski, the Manitoba YAAP Coordinator, matched 11 apprentices with 13 host farms this year, supporting the cohort as they learned lessons, encountered challenges and gained new skills. There was a wide variety of farms this year; mixed livestock operations, grain production, a native flower and grass seed farm and market gardens. There were also different marketing strategies within each farm too, like the CSA model, direct to consumer model selling through farmers’ markets, wholesale, commodity markets, and more.
YAAP also partnered with four farms to co-host tours throughout the growing season including a collaboration with Manitoba Organics to host a cover cropping focused farm tour at Wild Earth Farms in June.
Of their own initiative, some of the apprentices reached out to visit each other, hang out after tours, and attend other farm events or field days. Sara really enjoyed connecting with each of the apprentices, getting to see their growth as farmers and witnessing them reaching out and building relationships. She is so grateful to the host farmers for their dedication to their work and for welcoming in apprentices. Now in her 4th year as a Coordinator, she continues to learn new ways to better support apprentices and is looking forward to the next season of the program!
Kalynn Spain, Manitoba and Apprenticeship Program Manager and the coordinators, Kiyomi, Steve, Alieka and Sara, are so thankful to all the host farms, apprentices, farm tour hosts, and presenters that helped make this season a success!
Here are a few testimonials from the 2025 apprentices:
“Participating in the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program has opened a lot of doors for me, some of them I didn’t think existed. Spending the summer months weeding, harvesting, washing and processing culinary, medicinal and tea herbs, I feel like I have come many steps closer to finding my farming identity, to figuring out what I am able and willing to do. Most of all I have been taught many valuable lessons in life and a more respectful approach to working the land. Young Agrarians has both set the frame of regenerative agriculture, and shown me how to freely move within it; how to pursue the farming endeavors of my dreams, and treat my land with the respect it deserves.”
“I’m a business student who happens to be deeply interested in agriculture. I have a strong appreciation for our food systems, and I wanted to understand a different approach to production than what I grew up with — conventional cropping systems and cattle ranching. Small-scale organic vegetable and fruit production is about as far from that as it gets, yet I found so many unexpected parallels. This experience has also contributed enormously to my professional development. Because the farm I worked on was quite small, I was exposed to every part of the operation — from sales and horticultural practices to adaptive problem-solving and creative planning. That hands-on learning gave me a depth of understanding that books, podcasts, and videos simply can’t match.”
Are you a seasoned farmer who would like to host an apprentice on your farm, or know of someone who would be a great fit? Host Farm applications are now open for the 2026 season! Visit this page for more information on how to become one.
We are also hosting a virtual Host Farm Info Session for anyone interested in being a host farm on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 9AM PT/ 10AM MT/11AM CT. For more information and to save your spot, head here.
Apprenticeship applications will open on December 3, 2025 and will close on January 31, 2026.
Questions? Reach out to a member of our Apprenticeship team.
Kiyomi Ito, YA BC Apprenticeship Coordinator; Email: kiyomi@youngagrarians.org
Steve Olsen, YA Alberta Apprenticeship Coordinator; Email: steven@youngagrarians.org
Alieka Beckett, YA SK Apprenticeship Coordinator; Email: saskatchewan@youngagrarians.org
Sara Yagelniski, YA MB Apprenticeship Coordinator; Email: saray@youngagrarians.org