Young Agrarians is celebrating the ninth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program in BC and the expansion of the program across 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.
Applications open for Mentees across Western Canada in October 2023. Mentor applications 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 all about their farm and why they joined 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: Fisher’s Farm Natural Goods
My name is Maddie Hoffmann (she/her) and I operate Fisher’s Farm Natural Goods. My mentor is Paulette Sparks of Wild Country Gardens.
Where do you farm?
I farm in Treaty 6 Territory, the home of the Métis, Alexander, and Michel Nations, in Sturgeon County AB.
What do you farm?
I focus on chicken and duck egg production, beekeeping, market garden crops, and wild foraging crops.
What inspired you to get into farming?
I was born on the farm where I currently live and work, it belonged to my grandparents. While I did not grow up on the farm, it was always a staple in my life and I would visit often. When I became an adult I was gifted a dream where I was to come back to the land to take care of it and provide for myself, my friends, and my family. I’ve been doing that ever since!
What did you do to learn how to farm?
I watched a lot of Youtube videos, read a lot of books, and asked my grandparents, farmer friends, and mentors. It was also a lot of self-directed, on-the-ground learning too!
What types of ecological farm practices do you use?
I really try to bring resilience to the forefront and having the health of the soil as my main priority in all that I do. That means minimizing tilling as much as possible, using only resources and inputs from the farm (and as local as I can get otherwise), no use of chemicals, utilizing mulch and manure made on the farm, harvesting rainwater, minimizing the use of oil and gas equipment, saving my own seeds, and utilizing animal and human power as much as possible.
What type of business structure is your farm?
I am a cash-based sole proprietorship.
How much land is under production on your farm?
Currently I operate with 3.3 acres of land and then have access to over 40 acres of forest, pasture, and water bodies.
What is your land tenure?
I own 3.3 acres and then have free access to the rest of the land as my family owns it.
Why did you apply for business mentorship?
I applied for business mentorship as I struggle a lot with understanding money and finances and want to see my farm profitable. I want to be able to earn an income on the farm full time but I need some support to get there!
What is the greatest business challenge you face as a new farmer?
It would be lack of investment capital, lack of income, and lack of understanding proper financial operations.
What is your primary business goal for the season?
To get strong in my abilities to produce a market garden crop!
What business tools could you not live without?
Excel spreadsheets and online banking.
If you had a farming robot what would it be?
It would work to weed my garden and keep the grass out!
How can we find out more about you, your farm, and its products?
You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Fisher’s Farm Natural Goods, @FishersFarmNaturalGoods.
