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YA APPRENTICESHIP 2025: ERICKSON, MB – TAMARACK FARMS
Are you interested in learning how to grow, harvest and clean a diversity of crops? Are you interested in native seed production and ready to jump in a tractor to spend your days in the beautiful outdoors? Tamarack farms is excited to offer production apprenticeship just for you!
About the Farm
Tamarack Farms is located on Treaty 2 territory, near Erickson, MB and Rolling River First Nation.
Tamarack Farms is a family farm business located near Erickson, Manitoba. In 1979, Carol and Harvey Pengelly started Tamarack Farms. Ryan Pengelly and Alexandra Lozada returned to take over the farm in 2014. With a conservation-focused approach Tamarack Farms maintains and protects over 50% of its land base (775 acres) in aspen parkland forest and wetland ecosystems through conservation agreements with nature-based
organizations.
On the cultivated land, they farm using most of the regenerative principles by focusing on minimal tillage, growing perennial crops, intercropping annuals, and maintaining and increasing biodiversity. They operate with two main enterprises in mind: 1. growing and cleaning grains, oilseeds, and pulses for wholesale within Manitoba; 2. growing and cleaning native grass and flower seed for conservation and ecosystem rehabilitation markets in Canada and the United States.
While no longer part of our business, their farm did heavily focus over the last 10 years on a
diversity of enterprises and products such as pastured poultry and pork, organic grains (including quinoa), processing and packaging grains and flours, and direct marketing at farmer’s markets and selling to retail, bakeries, and restaurants.
Currently, they grow and clean two perennial native brome grasses(120 acres) and one native sunflower (30 acres). They also grow several annual crops, including feed barley, yellow peas, and yellow mustard (about 250 acres per year). They have their remaining acres in hay forage (300 acres) that we rent to local cattle farmers.
https://www.facebook.com/tamarackfarms/
About the Apprenticeship
At Tamarack Farms the season moves between preparing machinery for seeding, seeding season (May-June), weed management season (May to July), seed cleaning season (July – November), harvest season (July – Oct) and office work, sales, and planning (December – April) They rely heavily on machinery, such as tractors, combines, seed cleaning equipment, augers, etc. so machinery maintenance, operation and repair is a larger and ongoing part of our business.
Apprentices will be assisting in all aspects of the farming seasons and activities, but the focus would be on tasks appropriate to that individual’s age and previous experience. Spring and early summer involves weed management (hand and chemical roguing) in our sunflower and bromegrass fields. The focus of summer and fall would be operating their seed cleaning facility and cleaning and bagging bromegrass seed. Throughout all seasons, an apprentice might learn to maintain and operate machinery equipment.
As part of the apprenticeship, you will meet with other apprentices across Manitoba who are part of the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship program. Field days, farm tours, learning opportunities and potlucks will be planned with this group at each hosts farm.
About the mentors
With a background in agriculture and natural resource management, Ryan Pengelly is a passionate farmer, business operator, and land steward. As a second generation farmer, Ryan farms with the direct support of his semi-retired parents (Harvey and Carol) and partner (Alexandra). For Ryan, the parkland landscape is home and guides the farming work and daily experience of the forests, fields, ponds, and wildlife. When not farming, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family away from the farm or engaging in personal activities such as cross-country skiing and yoga.
Skills this farm has to teach
The following skills are being offered by this farm. Apprentices will work to identify the skills they want to develop to a learning plan with the host farm.
| Grain, PUlse & Oil Seed Production | Native Seed/Perennial Production |
|---|---|
| Tractor/Large Equipment Use |
Equipment Maintenance |
| Regenerative principles | seeding & HarVEST |
| Soil Health Assessment | Techniques to Minimize Tillage |
| Crop Planning & Rotations | Plant & Pest Identification |
Skills needed/Requirements of the Apprentice
Ideally Tamarack Farms is looking for an apprentice eligible to be supported by federal wage subsidy funding. This is someone who is a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Refugee, AND someone who is between 18 and 30 years old (inclusive).
A full Class 5 driver’s license would be best, but they might be able to work around a situation in which a great candidate does not have a license.
Housing, Wages and Duration
About the Community and Land
Tamarack Farm and residences are located approximately 10 minutes from the town of Erickson and the community of Rolling River First Nation. Erickson serves the town, surrounding agricultural community and Rollins River First Nation with several small restaurants, a bar, postal service, bank, groceries, thrifts store, mechanic, schools, etc.
Rolling River First Nation has a restaurant and annual, public powwow. The city of Brandon provides the larger city amenities about 1 hour away, while the town of Wasagaming and Riding Mountain National Park provide a beautiful touristic location about 30 minutes away with hiking, camping, lake beaches, restaurants, and movie theatre.
Tamarack Farm’s Land Acknowledgement: We live and farm in the Treaty 2 area and the traditional territory of the Annishaabe, Cree, Dakota and Metis Peoples and our farm is specifically located near Rolling River First Nation. We understand that we are living and farming on traditional lands that have been taken care of for time immemorial before the colonization of this place we now call Manitoba. We understand that our part in the colonization was and continues to be harmful and culturally destructive to all Indigenous peoples, including our neighbours at Rolling River First Nation and communities in Treaty 2. While it is often difficult to understand and know what we can do to reconcile our past and present colonizing actions, we try and make small actions and steps in this larger reconciliation process.
More Details about this Apprenticeship and How to Apply
Interested in an Apprenticeship but this isn’t quite the right one? Check out other Young Agrarians Apprenticeships being offered in 2025 here.