Essays and Opinions

Creating a trajectory for achieving a personal/farm business goal feels like what I imagine Mario feels like when he attains a “star” in the OG Mario Brothers game for Nintendo. You are bright, flashing with energy and moving quickly while avoiding obstacles and tactically knocking over Koopa troopas and Goombas (risk) in pursuit of your

Sitting there at your computer desk, easy chair or couch, dreaming of starting your own farm in the depths of winter? Let me share some tips and tricks, which you can use when you find that dream property covered in snow and want to know what’s below. Sometimes winter is the only time of the

Josephine Junas-Grant apprenticed at The Homestead in Goodfare, Alberta. One year turned into two, and Jo started her own floral enterprise. She shares her experience through an original song, accompanied by Pebbles the dog and melodic background munching by goats. Josephine is now living and farming with Maryann Borch at Good Note Community Farm, near

Don and Marie Ruzicka recently retired after more than 35 years of farming. During their time at Sunrise Farm in central-eastern Alberta on Treaty 6 land, they transitioned from conventional to regenerative farming by altering their farming practices, protecting riparian areas, planting trees, and restoring grasslands. In the process, they witnessed incredible changes in the

Kaitlyn was a 2022 apprentice at The Homestead, in Goodfare AB. She shares these wise words. Dear Future Me, I hope you are working your butt off from sun up to sun down making nutritious food with beautiful people, and if not don’t give up now. Whether you found yourself a handsome dairy or potato

Katia was a 2021 Apprentice at The Homestead. Or should I say, IS! She wins the award for the longest farm stay. Make sure you stay tuned until the end, Katia has captured some of her experience at The Homestead in beautiful oil paintings. Here’s a sneak peak: If you wonder what being a vegetable

Hannah Gelderman was a 2021 Apprentice at Sundog Organic Farm! In this beautiful farm log, she shares her experience growing nearly every vegetable under the moon, as well as her thoughts and struggles with finding her role and responsibility within climate and social justice. You can follow along with Hannah’s work on Instagram, @hannahgelderman, and

Big City to Farm, and Back Again by Andrew Kozak In the summer of 2020, I was sitting locked down at home, in Canada’s largest urban centre and the city I grew up in, Toronto. The city life is far removed from the vast fields of our rural compatriots. At this time, the streets lay

Young Agrarians launched in 2012 as an educational farmer-to-farmer resource network. Now in year 10, we’ve connected with thousands of farmers across Canada online, at events, through our land access, business development, and apprenticeship programs, and through farmer consultation and advisories. The federal, provincial, and territorial governments fund agriculture through 5-year agreements – many of

Thank you to Underground Alchemy, Albany, NY for providing the sample text that this post is based on.  Sliding scale payment is a tool for building economic justice, and it requires your active participation and reflection. The core principle is to provide a price range that makes an event more broadly accessible to people with