Are you dreaming of growing food on the prairies? Have you been dropping hints to your friends to join you? Looking for land, but don’t know how to make it a reality?
The second of three stories on how to find farm land on the prairies features urban farmers Miranda Holt & Candace Benson of City Street Farms – a social enterprise that transforms front and back yards in Regina, SK into productive vegetable and flower gardens. The business was founded in the fall of 2020 by Miranda Holt and Candace Benson when they came together to discuss how to make use of the lawns that blanket the city to grow something other than grass. Where they took that question has become a true example of ingenuity in land access.
Urban Alchemy: Turning Lawns Into Food
Hear about their learnings, choice points, and best tips – followed by a question and answer period. You will walk away from the workshop with the following:
- How City Street Farms refined their idea and made a plan to start
- How they approach the balance between being frugal and investing in the business
- What they’ve learned about creating relationships with owners and selecting their yards
- How they build community and continue to bring people along for the ride
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024
Time: 5pm PT, 6pm MT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET, 9pm AT
Location: Online! Link will be sent out after registration. The workshop will be hosted on Treaty 6 territory.
Register: Please RSVP on Eventbrite by clicking the button below.
Miranda Holt
Miranda HoltMiranda has been gardening with her Nonna since she was young and on her own for over 15 years, feeding her family with the bounty from their own front yard.
She earned her Permaculture Design Certificate and took an Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Prairies course from Janeen Kozey at Edible Landscapes in 2019 and is currently working towards her Master Gardener Certificate from the University of Saskatchewan.
Candace Benson
Candace BensonCandace grew up around farming and has been involved in agriculture in one way or another for the last 10 years.
She earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan in 2015 and a Permaculture Design Certificate from Verge Permaculture in 2020.
Website: citystreetfarms.ca
Instagram:@citystreetfarms
Facebook: facebook.com/CityStreetFarms
ADDITIONAL FARM START UP RESOURCES
Want to learn more about farm start up? Check out these resources pages and programs on our website:
PROGRAMS
- Apprenticeship Program – applications are now open
- Business Mentorship Network – applications open for SK & MB
- Business Bootcamp for New Farmers
RESOURCES
- Farm Business Tools and Resources page
- Farm Job Listings
- How to Start Farming in Alberta
- Young Agrarians U-MAP
2024 ONLINE FARM START UP EVENTS
We are offering a series of online land access webinars this winter, covering everything from business planning to land sharing and leases to co-operatives. Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter to be notified when registration opens!
- FEB 7, 2024: ONLINE – Land Leasing 101
- Feb 21, 2024: ONLINE – How to Market a New Farm with Kendall Ballantine
- Mar 11, 2024: ONLINE – How to Find Farmland on the Prairies, Part 3
Stay in Touch
- Not able to join this event? Visit our Events Page for other events in your community and online!
- Join one of our regional Facebook groups to stay up to date with all events in the region.
- Sign up for our e-newsletter to get events and opportunities for your region delivered straight to your inbox.
- If you are interested in hosting an event at your farm and bringing together the farming community in your area, please reach out to prairiesnetwork@youngagrarians.org with your idea!