Young Agrarians is celebrating the tenth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program in BC and the second year of the program in the Prairies! The BMN offers business mentorships to a diverse array of new and young farmers. Through one-on-one mentorship, peer networks and online workshops young farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses.
Application intake for BC mentees is now CLOSED.
Limited seats available for AB, MB and SK mentees – APPLY NOW!
Mentor applications (paid position) are accepted year-round.
Check out the Business Mentorship Network page for more information!
Want to learn more about our Mentees (or Mentors)? Below you’ll find a Q&A where you can learn more about one of the 2023 cohort and their experience of the year supported by the Business Mentorship Network. If you’d like to read about the experiences of other Mentees/Mentors, head to our blog here.
Meet a Mentee: Audley Family Farm
We are Keith and Stacey Audley and we own and operate Audley Family Farm. Our farm is located 20 minutes east of Didsbury AB, on the land of the Nehiyawewin (Plain Cree) Tsuut’ina on Treaty 7.
Our fantastic mentors are Denis and Andrea Forstbauer of Grey Arrow Farm, located near Camrose AB.
What were your goals for this season and what did you do to try to achieve them?
Our goals were to expand our CSA to 20 shares and begin to solidify good processes to be able to scale up our operation over the coming years. As well as trying to find a way to balance our farm life and family time. One step to achieve this; we planned a walk in cooler to help keep our food fresh so we could begin to harvest the day before deliveries. We planned planting and harvest schedules to help in box planning, as well as time management. Additionally we looked at different harvesting, washing and packing processes to streamline the activities.
Did you meet your goals / did it work out? What went well this season relating to your goals? What didn’t go as you expected and what did you do instead?
We did meet most of our goals over the season. We did not end up with 20 CSA shares this year, we had nine full time and six part time so 13 weekly deliveries. However that worked out as some of our crops didn’t do as well as planned, with 20 it would have been difficult to have enough of everything some weeks. It did however create an abundance in other areas, so we needed to get creative. Our cooler took longer than planned, but once built, it made a significant difference in our harvest time. With the ability to keep things cold overnight, we were able to separate our harvest day and deliveries. We tried a few harvest and washing procedures with plans to invest in a better wash station next season.
What resources did you find most valuable to support Audley Family Farm during the season?
We have a few resources that were very valuable this year. We have a few reference books and Youtube channels that we refer to, we find they have similar though more experienced farms to ours. As well, our mentors were available throughout the season for any questions or if we needed someone to bounce ideas and thoughts off of. Our mentees were also an invaluable source of support, whether they realized it or not . We would have monthly meetings and it was so incredibly helpful to hear how everyone was doing. We realized we weren’t the only ones feeling overwhelmed at different points. Or faced with decisions on what to push forward with, and where we needed to cut back. I’ve always felt both mentors and peers are the best source of support.
What were your best sales channels/avenues?
For us the CSA was our best avenue. We used word-of-mouth and social media to spread the word about our CSA. Next year, we will invest in some social media ads, as well as more flyers at our drop-off locations. We participated in Open Farm Days and found that very successful for our email list. We will participate in that again, continue to build our email list, and communicate what our farm offers.
Why do your customers buy from you? What was the best piece of feedback or praise you got from a customer?
Our customers love that we are a small family farm, that we are local, that we use no chemicals and that we have such fresh food that tastes so good. They appreciated the delivery to Calgary and Airdrie and the variety that they received.
What was the most important thing you gained from the YA Business Mentorship Network Program experience?
I think the most important thing that came out of the program was the connections with other small farmers. The information, ideas and perspective that came from either our mentors or other mentees was so invaluable. Continuing to maintain those relationships into the future I think will be most important, to continue supporting each other in our endeavours.
What specific business skills did the mentorship help you develop?
They helped us to define our goals and prioritize how to achieve them. To look at our business as just that and base decision-making on sound business decisions.
How did Young Agrarians Farm Business Mentorship impact your business overall?
The Business Mentorship program gave us different training and tools that helped us to gain confidence, and build relationships. These helped us to get serious about our business and begin to focus our energy on where we want to build or improve.
What were one or two big, hard lessons this season you would want to share with other farmers?
I think the big, hard lesson is that there is not a lot of time in our season. So, to plan and be organized going in, losing time can cost everything. Also, be ready to pivot when needed with climate, pests and all the other things that interfere with growing its more likely when not if you’ll need to.
What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season?
This year, one of our victories was balance. We decided that we would leave Sundays for family and visiting. This really helped us have more balance in our life, and not feel crazy through the summer. Additionally, we have found less fall burnout, I believe this was because of a more balanced season.
What future plans and goals do you have for Audley Family Farm and how will you achieve these?
For now, we have some personal goals that are important to us. Therefore, we are going to hold at 20 subscriptions for now and continue to refine our practices to become more efficient. Then when it’s time we can size up quickly and hopefully smoothly to achieve our long term business goals.
What will you do differently next year?
For next year, I will plan more over the winter, including a scheduled calendar prefilled. I learned that once the season is in full swing, it is sometimes hard to remember succession starts and transplanting. I think with a schedule to follow, it will make it much easier to keep on track during the busy times.
What are you most looking forward to this winter?
This winter I’m looking forward to a long winter’s nap. Also, taking some time to better plan and prepare for next season.
Where can we find you online?
You can follow all our fun farm antics on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audleyfamilyfarm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/audleyfamilyfarm