Check out one of the mentors available for mentorship in this year’s BMN cohort. Want to read more? Head over to our BMN Blog for more mentorship stories.
Meet a Mentor: Joey Fiola of Ferme Fiola Farm in Ste-Geneviève
Joey Fiola is a first generation shepherd and 3rd generation forage manager, revitalizing his grandparents farm. He is passionate about land regeneration, soil health and maintenance of older agricultural equipment. Joey also has extensive experience with forages for hay and pasture. Along with his partner Christel, Joey raises dual purpose specialty sheep and markets their products direct to consumers through online sales and in-person market sales. In 5 years they have grown a flock of 5 lambs to 50 breeding ewes, managing the ecology on 120 acres in Treaty 1 territory.
Production: Pasture-raised lamb and wool products, pasture-raised chicken, hay and straw in small square bales
Years of farming experience: 20+
Areas of mentorship: Grazing and forage management, cereal crop and cover crop planning, managing employees, bookkeeping and record keeping, financial planning, project management, risk management, farm taxes, enterprise analysis, and more
Read a blog post from Joey’s past mentee Victoria of Between Two Farms/Six Ewes Yarn here and find out more about how she is using mentorship to help problem-solve in her first year of a pasture raised chicken and sheep operation
Joey and many other mentors are available to provide farm business mentorship for this upcoming 2025 season. The BMN offers farm business mentorship to a diverse array of new and young farmers. The mentorship is offered over the course of a year. Through one-on-one mentorship, peer networks, and online workshops new farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses. Interested in learning more and receiving mentorship for your farming operation? Apply to be a mentee today!