JANUARY 11 & 12: FALLIS, AB – YOUNG AGRARIANS CENTRAL ALBERTA WINTER MIXER

REGISTER:  Click here to buy tickets!

Looking to connect with others attending? Check out the event Facebook Page

Questions? Please contact Alex: centralalberta@youngagrarians.org

• Travel mug for your coffee or tea (this will help us to do fewer dishes!)
• Potluck dish for our Saturday night potluck social – invite your friends! A kitchen will be available for heating up food and refrigerating potluck dishes
• Bedding, pillow, towel, toiletries
• Your best (or worst) farm photos for our Farmer Slideshow
• Notebook for soaking up all the farmtastic wisdom!
• Warm, winter clothing for walks outside
• Yoga mat and stretchy Wranglers for Farmer Yoga Sunday morning!

WORKSHOPS & SPEAKERS

New this year: Mini-Workshops!

We’re shaking up the format of the Mixer a bit by including a series of mini-workshops where you can get some hands-on learning of relevant farm skills and knowledge. On Saturday and Sunday afternoon there will be two rounds of mini-workshops (each one is 45 min long). We will have four mini-workshops to choose from, which means you get to participate in two of those mini-workshops. Check out the list below!

Speaker Bios

Dale Schaub (Business Link)

Ever wondered what it takes to get a farm business off the ground? Learn how to utilize the Business Model Canvas to develop your idea or transform an existing one. In this workshop, you will learn how to use this visual chart to describe, design, challenge, and pivot your farm business model.

Dale Schaub is a Business Facilitator for Business Link. He builds essential relationships with urban and rural communities as well as delivers presentations and workshops to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Throughout his career, he has worked in a variety of industries and environments developing a diverse knowledge of sales, marketing, new product launches, new business development, training and presentation skills. At Business Link, he counts new business funding, grants, regulations, contracting, marketing, and cannabis as areas of expertise. His past start up experience includes owning and operating a delivery business for 6 years.

Molly Swain & Chelsea Vowel (Métis in Space)

Molly Swain is Métis from Calgary, living in amiskwaciwâskahikan and studying in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. She is a member of the Student Worker Action Group (SWAG), and tries to spread the joys of anarky wherever she goes. Chelsea Vowel is Métis from the Plains Cree and Michif speaking community of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. Capable of transforming into a pigeon, but vaguely embarrassed to do so, she holds a BEd and an LLB and is developing Cree language curricula at the University of Alberta. 

Molly and Chelsea host Métis In Space, a Indigenous feminist sci-fi podcast that is “unapologetically Indigenous, unabashedly female and unblinkly nerdy”. Chelsea also writes about Métis law, language, and culture on her blog âpihtawikosisân.com and is the author of Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada.

Dana Penrice (Young Agrarians Prairie Program Manager)

Farm finances can be tricky at the best of times! It is challenging to account for the many costs that go into creating the bounty that comes from our farms and because of that it is difficult to know whether an enterprise is making or losing money. Dana will lead us through a finance framework to better understand how to determine if our farm enterprises are viable. 

Dana strives to support inspired thinking and action in agriculture and rural communities. By thinking broadly and deeply about the systems upon which our society depends, Dana sees us better positioning the industry and our communities for the future. Dana’s work with the University of Alberta’s There’s a Heifer in Your Tank and with Leadership Edmonton has been foundational in developing her passion for creating resourceful, resilient, responsible and adaptive people. Dana’s formal education was in Animal Science, earning a B.Sc. from the U of A but her much-valued informal learning came from hanging out in chicken barns, working with horses and teaching kids (and teachers, parents, etc.) about agriculture. She believes that grazing livestock and poultry can heal our planet.

Aga Wajda-Plytta (Herbologie)

Did you know that the statistics on people wanting a positive impact from their purchase and also checking for place of origin is increasing by almost double in the last ten years? Learn how telling your story effectively as a producer is becoming increasingly important to ensure both the success of your farm and the food revolution.

With an education in herbalism and a personal alignment with emerging culinary trends, for Aga, spices and herbs are the intersection of wellness and culinary experience. Herbologie promises to always prioritize transparency, education and ethical sourcing which redefines how we experience spices. As a direct farm importer and spice trader, we build a deeper understanding and connection to our food.

Kristin Graves (Fifth Gen Gardens)

Kristin began Fifth Gen Gardens with a commitment to bringing locally grown vegetables, herbs, and berries from her farm to your table. Her goal is to provide customers with both nourishment and enjoyment with what comes from the garden! Kristin’s farm started in 1918 when her great-great grandfather purchased the land to pasture his cattle on. 100 years later, she is the fifth generation to farm on that land, making her own way by growing vegetables in the fertile soil. Her family is rich in traditions and century-old customs that she has been lucky enough to incorporate in her vision of a garden. Everything she uses, from the land to the recipes in her boxes, have been passed down from generation to generation. Kristin will share the story of her family farm and the many successes and changes that it has experienced.

Brenda Bohmer (Brenlea Farm)

For the past 22 years, Brenda has been growing grains and oilseeds on her 640 acre farm in Camrose County.  Brenda will tell us what has been going on at her farm in the last couple of years as she makes a shift in the way she thinks about her farm, changes her relationship with the land and prioritizes wetlands and natural habitats. 

Heather Seutter (Bretona Farm Co.)

Phil and Heather Seutter, along with their two boys, Henry and Charlie, grow vegetables and flowers just a few minutes southeast of Edmonton on their family-run elk farm. They began selling their farm products through a CSA program in 2017.