YA BUSINESS MENTORSHIP NETWORK – MorningStar Woollen & Flora

Young Agrarians is celebrating the twelfth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program in BC and the fourth year of the BMN in the Prairies! The BMN offers a year-long farm business mentorship to a diverse array of new and young farmers. Through one-on-one mentorship, peer networks, and online workshops, new farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses.

Applications for Mentees across Canada are now open! Mentor applications are accepted year-round. Click below for more information and to apply.

Meet a mentee from the current cohort and learn about their farm and their experience of mentorship in the BMN. Want more? Head over to our BMN Blog for more mentorship stories.

Meet a Mentee: MorningStar Woollen & Flora

My name is Star Hoerauf and my business is MorningStar Woollen & Flora in Port Alberni. My mentors are Amber Rowse-Robinson of Brass Bell Farm and Kailli Pigott from Dancing Dandelion Farms. I raise Bluefaced Leicester sheep and design yarn and clothing from their wool. I also grow and design bespoke florals and host intimate workshops that nurture creativity, connection, and community.

What was one of your goals for this season, what worked and what didn’t?
One of my goals was to sell $20,000 in flowers. Some key wins this season included solid seedling starts and tulips that performed beautifully. However, prepping the garden turned out to be much more work than expected—the soil had very little organic matter or biological activity, which impacted plant health overall.

Spring flowers bloomed all at once, right during a chaotic lambing season with a poor setup, and ranunculus (an important crop for me) didn’t thrive. I wasn’t able to sell as much as I’d hoped early in the season, and by the time summer flowers were ready, I had lost momentum with my retail outlets. One shop stuck with me, but didn’t maintain or promote the flowers properly. In response, I’m planning to pivot away from direct-to-retail sales and focus more on wholesale in 2026. Selling remains one of my biggest challenges.

What was the best piece of feedback or praise you got from a customer?
It actually came from a farm volunteer, Erika. As she was leaving, she told me she believed in my vision and could truly see it happening. That moment almost made me cry—it meant a lot to have someone who worked alongside me see the potential in what I’m building.

What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season?

Knit City was a high point! My booth and yarn were well-received, customers loved the offerings, and I sold a good amount. That was a big relief and a real boost. Despite the challenges, the flowers—when they came—were absolutely sensational. Those moments reminded me why I do this.

My farm volunteers are amazing.  I am slightly introverted, so I have a profile that clearly lays out what to expect, and 85% of the time, my volunteers have been an amazing fit and have worked so hard.  This organization and the folks that have come helped me… well, I could not have done it without them, and I really hope each and every one of them knows that. 

What were one or two big, hard lessons you’d want to share with other farmers?

• Selling is hard.
• Soil is everything. Without healthy soil, everything else is a struggle.
• It’s hard to know what you don’t know.  But things like farm status rules are essential.  I missed a crucial deadline by not having enough information.  Apply for farm status as soon as possible.  You can get developing status even before your farm has produced revenue if you can prove you are building it.

What was the most valuable piece of advice or support you gained from the BMN Program?
Solidarity. Just knowing I wasn’t alone, especially during the really hard moments. Toward the end, I began to gain more of a framework and structure to help me move forward. As a creative person, my biggest challenge is creating day-to-day structure. I have vision and problem-solving skills, but I struggle with planning. Reviewing what I’ve done and receiving feedback has been incredibly helpful. This first year was so hard. Hearing that my mentor also had a tough first year—and made it through—was encouraging. I’m learning to “walk before I fly.” I don’t think I’ll change the overall direction of my farm, but I will focus more on creating lists, to-dos, and written plans to keep myself grounded and moving forward. More business, less plant nanny.

What are you most looking forward to this winter?
Building a potting shed!

Where can we find you online?
Website: www.morningstarwoollen.com
Instagram: @morningstarwoollen

Feeling inspired and ready to dig into your business with a mentor? Mentee applications are open until November 15th, 2025. Mentor applications are open year-round.