All posts by Michelle Lam

Job: Rural Routes to Climate Solutions – Community Animator

Posted by Michelle Lam on December 11, 2021

Rural Routes to Climate Solutions (RR2CS) is an Alberta-based initiative shining a spotlight on the climate solutions that farmers, ranchers and communities in rural Alberta can benefit from. RR2CS is happy to announce that we are seeking a Community Animator to join our great team of community organizers, facilitators and communications specialists. The Community Animator will be responsible for the following activities: Communications, organizing, and logistics for the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a flagship project of RR2CS. Supporting and assisting the RAL facilitation team in design and delivery of workshops, webinars and other participant interactions within the Lab. Mobilizing and … Continue reading Job: Rural Routes to Climate Solutions – Community Animator →

A Day In The Life of an Apprentice: Bronwyn Green – Gripfast Farms

Posted by Michelle Lam on November 25, 2021

gripfast farms apprenticeship

Animals, food, and community — these are three aspects that Bronwyn Green imagines as part of a successful closed-loop circle. Bronwyn Green was a Young Agrarians (YA) Apprentice who spent the season at Gripfast Farms near Binscarth, MB. The farm primarily focuses on regenerative agriculture methods to raise grass-fed beef and is owned by Doug Turnbull and Carol Lanz-Turnbull. We chatted with Bronwyn to learn more about her experience as an Apprentice. Bronywn has always had a passion for local food. She owns a food business called “G Spot Winnipeg” which uses produce sourced from nearby farms to make spreads … Continue reading A Day In The Life of an Apprentice: Bronwyn Green – Gripfast Farms →

A Day In The Life of an Apprentice: Madison Anderson – South Glanton Farms

Posted by Michelle Lam on November 16, 2021 1 Comment

South Glanton Farms

At the age of 25, Madison Anderson decided that she wanted a change in her career. She’d previously worked with people with disabilities for six years when she decided to take the Agribusiness program through Assiniboine Community College (ACC). The program focused a lot on agronomy — the study of crop production — but Madison wanted something different. She wanted to learn about regenerative agriculture in a hands-on setting. “I like how positive [regenerative farming] is about the world and the soils that we have,” explained Madison.  Through ACC, she came across the Young Agrarians Farm Apprenticeship program — a … Continue reading A Day In The Life of an Apprentice: Madison Anderson – South Glanton Farms →

Land Access Support is coming to Alberta

Posted by Michelle Lam on October 22, 2021

The future of food systems lies in the hands of our next generation of farmers — but what do we do when our future farmers don’t have access to land? Young Agrarians (YA) hopes to offer solutions that will bridge the gap between landholders and land seekers with two Land Linking Workshops coming to Leduc County later this year.   These online workshops are being modelled off of the YA B.C. Land Matching Program, which provides personalized land matching and business support services for both farmers looking for land to start or expand their farm and landholders interested in finding someone … Continue reading Land Access Support is coming to Alberta →

Brewery Waste, Mushrooms, and Animal Feed: A Zero-Waste Solution

Posted by Michelle Lam on October 12, 2021 1 Comment

Turning beer waste into mushrooms, and mushroom waste into feed — that’s what Alex Villeneuve is doing with Ceres Solutions, a farm located in the Treaty 7 region (Olds, AB).  Alex Villeneuve was completing a Chef’s Apprenticeship at NAIT when he decided to take the Brewmaster’s Program at Old’s College. After witnessing the amount of waste that comes from the brewing process while in the program, he knew there had to be a better way. This is when he began to experiment with cultivating mushrooms. His set-up was simple; Ziploc bags, bale twine, plastic buckets, and duct tape were used … Continue reading Brewery Waste, Mushrooms, and Animal Feed: A Zero-Waste Solution →

A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Chelsea Klinke – Dirt Boys Urban Farm

Posted by Michelle Lam on October 08, 2021 3 Comments

“I don’t grow plants, I help plants grow” — Michael Gavin of Dirt Boys Urban Farm, as quoted by Chelsea Klinke, Young Agrarians (YA) Apprentice.  Chelsea Klinke moved to Calgary from the United States in 2019 to start her master’s program in Anthropology, quickly bypassing that into the Ph.D. program. She describes her focus in “ecofeminism and the gendered implications of different subsistence strategies, primarily large scale agriculture”. This includes the “divisions of labour and power, inequalities and decision making within and among households, and at different levels and value chains along the way, from… farm to fork,” says Chelsea. … Continue reading A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Chelsea Klinke – Dirt Boys Urban Farm →

A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Daniel Fayad – Peregrine Farm

Posted by Michelle Lam on October 08, 2021

Peregrine Farm is a regenerative farm located in Wishart, SK within Treaty 4 Territory. The property is off-grid and houses 4,000 chickens, 50 laying hens, a few beehives, and 13 pigs. Daniel Fayad is a Red Seal electrician and farmer-in-the-making who is a Young Agrarians (YA) Apprentice at Peregrine Farm. Daniel had heard about Jeff Kinash after spending some time gardening at Jeff’s father-in-law’s property in Wishart. “He’s like, ‘oh you guys seem like…you’re kind of the same person. You’re very similar in how you act and how you think and stuff like that,” quotes Daniel, reflecting on a conversation … Continue reading A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Daniel Fayad – Peregrine Farm →

A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Leia Zulyniak – Lazy T and Lady’s Hat Farms

Posted by Michelle Lam on September 28, 2021

Leia Zulyniak is a Chicken Boss by day and a florist-in-training by night. She’s in a unique position as Young Agrarians Farm Apprentice, where she spends half her day with mentors Jenna and Brett at Lazy T Farm, and the latter half with Nikki at Lady’s Hat Farm. The two closely-knit farms work collaboratively on a community, food-centred initiative called the Prairie Farm Project. Lazy T Farm is a holistically managed farm with a main focus on grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and free-range eggs. Lady’s Hat Farm, just 15-minutes down the road, centres around florals and grass-fed, grass-finished lambs. The … Continue reading A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Leia Zulyniak – Lazy T and Lady’s Hat Farms →

A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Annalise Beaulieu – Steel Pony Farm

Posted by Michelle Lam on September 06, 2021 2 Comments

Steel Pony Farm is a vegetable farm in Red Deer, AB that lives up to it’s values of growing fresh, chemical-free food for the local community in a sustainable manner. It’s led by Mike Kozlowski who is praised by his peers for prioritizing mindfulness and mutual understanding amongst the farm team. There are currently two Young Agrarians (YA) Farm Apprentices at Steel Pony Farm, one of which is Annalise Beaulieu, who proudly shares her passion for increasing food security.  Apprentices Landon (left) and Annalise (right) at Steel Pony Farm. Annalise previously worked in healthcare, helping out in dental offices, but … Continue reading A Day in the Life of an Apprentice: Annalise Beaulieu – Steel Pony Farm →

How To Start Farming In Alberta

Posted by Michelle Lam on September 03, 2021 6 Comments

A starter kit for those wondering how to start farming in Alberta. Young Agrarians (YA) is a farmer to farmer educational resource network for new and young ecological, organic and regenerative farmers in Canada. Read more about us here. Young Agrarians recognizes the unresolved Indigenous land title and rights in the diverse territories in what is today called Canada. As we live and work in the context of and in response to a colonial system of laws and policies, it is important to acknowledge the historical and ongoing impact of agriculture and land enclosure on Indigenous lands and food systems. In … Continue reading How To Start Farming In Alberta →