Business Mentorship Network

Name? Rob Gilchrist Where do you farm? Funky Beets Farm in Powell River B.C. What do you farm? We are a small mixed use farm raising  organic chickens and pork, a market garden, 2 greenhouses and organic eggs. What is your land tenure? The farm is located on leased land that we have slowly been clearing

Name? Karly Pinch, with farming partner Michaela Horner Where you farm? Shady Acre Farm, in Richmond, BC What do you farm? Mixed vegetables What type of business structure is your farm? Partnership What is your land tenure? 2 year lease, renewable How did you seriously get into farming? Both of us were looking for a career change, and through volunteering, came

Name? Colleen Popyk Where do you farm? Darn Tootin Farm near Prospect Lake on Vancouver Island What do you farm? Here I farm certified organic vegetables. What type of business structure is your farm? I run my business solo and sell only at one farmer’s market (Moss St. Market) in Victoria. What is your land tenure? I have a

Name? Robin Sturley Where do you farm? Merville, Comox Valley, BC What do you farm? One acre of organic vegetables What type of business structure is your farm? I run a sole proprietorship, Green Arrow Farm, which is a member of the Merville Organics Growers Co-op (registered co-op in BC). What is your land tenure? I

 Name? Emily Whitfield Where do you farm? Granite Bay Farm, on Quadra Island, BC. What do you farm? Mixed veggies, eggs, and lamb. What type of business structure is your farm? Sole proprietorship. What is your land tenure? My husband and I own an old homestead on the North end of Quadra Island. I am also

Names? Tristan Cavers, Michelle Tsutsumi, Kelsey Snelgrove, Paul Matheson, Annelise Grube-Cavers Where do you farm? Chase, BC What do you farm? Mixed vegetables from A to Z, with the historical staple crops being sweet corn and strawberries. We also raise animals for our own meat and dairy needs, in addition to selling eggs and pork.

Name? Brianna van de Wijngaard Where do you farm? Williams Lake, BC What do you farm? Approx. 25 different vegetable crops on multiple urban plots. What type of business structure is your farm? Sole proprietorship. What is your land tenure? Lease-based; It’s all independent: I draft and sign a MOU with each landowner. Currently, they are

Name? Gemma McNeill and Doug Zaklan Where do you farm? Surrey, BC What do you farm? Mixed vegetables, flowers, pastured laying hens (friendly llama) What type of business structure is your farm? Partnership What is your land tenure? Are there special relationships that allow for this? Doug’s family land, no formal agreement. We are talking

Name? Dave Semmelink Where do you farm? Comox Valley, BC What do you farm? Mixed Livestock, the plan is to raise pastured poultry and hogs and to experiment with growing local organic feeds for them. What type of business structure is your farm? Sole Proprietor What is your land tenure? Are there special relationships that allow for this? Currently an

 Name? Kira Kotilla Where do you farm? Just north of Courtenay What do you farm? Mixed vegetables, vegetable seed, poultry (in the near future) What type of business structure is your farm? Sole proprietorship. But I am also a member of the new Merville Organics co-operative. What is your land tenure? Are there special relationships that allow for this? I