Blog Category: Alberta

Alberta Land Linking Workshop Series 2021

Posted by Melisa Zapisocky on October 26, 2021

Are you a landholder looking for farmers? Are you a new farmer looking for land? Once aspiring farmers have gained experience, land access becomes a major barrier. With increasing land prices, ownership is often not an option. At the same, many landholders don’t have family members who want to take on the farm. There is a growing opportunity for new farmers, land managers and food growers, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, to explore creative land sharing arrangements with those offering land. This online workshop series will bring together landholders and new farmers to explore the land-linking process. … Continue reading Alberta Land Linking Workshop Series 2021 →

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

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 1 Comment

“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: 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 →

Call for Mentors: Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program

Posted by Dana Penrice on September 22, 2021 2 Comments

We are seeking 2022 Host Mentor Farms for the YA Apprenticeship Program in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to grow the next generation of regenerative agriculture practitioners. Mentor application deadline extended to October 30th, 2021* Are you a rancher or farmer who is a dedicated steward of the land? Are you a skilled and enthusiastic teachers who has a passion for mentoring young and aspiring farmers? Do you have a farm philosophy that recognizes the connectedness of the land and people? Well if the boot fits, then you would likely make a good mentor in our program! *If you can’t make … Continue reading Call for Mentors: Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program →

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

Posted by Michelle Lam on September 06, 2021

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 2 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 →

SEPT 4, 2021: DAWSON CREEK, BC – Land Social at Wildwood Farm

Posted by Michalina Hunter on August 16, 2021

You’re invited to a socially-distanced outdoor Land Social at Wildwood Farm in Dawson Creek, B.C.! If you’re curious about what land matching and sharing is all about – or just want to check out what your local farmers are up to – join us for the event. Be inspired and learn about the incredible farming that can be done on an intergenerational farm! Wildwood Farm is a 160-acre, off-grid farm in the Peace Region of B.C. Tim and Linda Ewert moved to the area as a young couple and now, nearly 50 years later, they are in the midst of … Continue reading SEPT 4, 2021: DAWSON CREEK, BC – Land Social at Wildwood Farm →

We’re hiring! YOUNG AGRARIANS OPERATIONS MANAGER

Posted by Darcy Smith on August 16, 2021

Young Agrarians is hiring an Operations Manager RELATIONAL > TECHNICAL > ORGANIZED DEADLINE TO APPLY: 12pm, Friday September 10, 2021 ABOUT Young Agrarians Young Agrarians (YA) is a farmer-to-farmer educational resource network for new and young ecological farmers in Canada. We recognize the Indigenous lands and territories that we work on and alongside, and are committed to providing programs and services that are inclusive and available to farmers and friends of diverse backgrounds. Since 2012, our network is volunteer-driven, with farmers across the country organizing on-farm events and building community to create spaces for knowledge sharing and growth. YA began … Continue reading We’re hiring! YOUNG AGRARIANS OPERATIONS MANAGER →