Young Agrarians is celebrating the eleventh year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program in BC and the third year of the program in the Prairies! 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.
The deadline for Mentee applications for the 2025 cohort has been extended to Nov 15th, 2024.
Mentees Apply here!
Mentor applications (paid position) are accepted year-round.
Mentors Apply here!
Check out the Business Mentorship Network page for more information!
Check out one Mentee’s story below and how the BMN made a contribution to the success of their farm. Want more? Head over to our BMN Blog for more mentorship stories.
Meet a Mentee: Veronique at Frozen Coast Farm
My name is Veronique Emmett (she/her) and I own and operate Frozen Coast Farm on unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nations (Saanich, BC).My mentor is Robin Tunnicliffe at Sea Bluff Farm.
What were your goals for this season ?
My goal for this season was to build my farm business towards being financially sustainable for myself by increasing certain sales channels and creating systems that would allow for growth without over stretching my work load. I moved to new land this season, which came with many challenges so the growth in this first year was small but I worked towards building systems that could help me grow in the future.
Having my mentor Robin as a resource was incredibly valuable during the farm season. Having someone I could ask questions to, point out my successes and find humour in my failures was so helpful.
What were your best sales channels/avenues? 
The Moss Street Market and my CSA program were my best sales channels. My CSA customers are incredibly supportive and encouraging and many of them have been supporting the farm since day one.
My customers buy from me because they trust that I am using the best practices I can to grow them delicious vegetables while taking care of the land and the environment.
The best compliment I get is when my customers tell me the veggies don’t even make it home because they can’t help but snack on them!
What did you gain from the YA Business Mentorship Network Program experience?
The most important thing I gained from the program was the sense of being a part of the greater farm community. It gave me the opportunity to connect with other farmers who all had valuable experiences to share. Robin has been a leader in the farming community for years. She was able to introduce me to other members of the community and point me to folks who might have the information I was looking for.
The mentorship helped me figure out where and when to focus my energy. Spending more time in the off-season crunching the numbers and figuring out what to change for the next season and really just focusing on growing and managing the land during the growing season rather than trying to do it all at once.
Participating in the BMN program has helped me build systems for my farm that will help me adapt to various challenges. Robin was able to look at different aspects of my business and help me structure it in a resilient way.
There are so many different ways to farm! It’s so helpful to have someone who has been through it to help guide you but encourage you to make decisions that work for your farm, business, and lifestyle.
I plan on spending time this winter better prepping my land for next year. I plan on focusing on certain growing areas and building soil health so I can focus on the crops I have and expect better yields.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice your mentor gave you that you’ll carry forward?
It’s okay to make light of your failures! Sometimes there’s not much you can do about it, so being able to laugh it off and move on to the next thing so you don’t drain your energy lamenting on what went wrong.
What were one or two big, hard lessons this season you would want to share with other farmers?
Up until this point I had been increasing my growing space and expanding my business at a slow and steady pace. This year was a big jump from ⅓ acre to almost a whole acre and it nearly wiped me out! In hindsight, I would have been better off cover cropping a section of the land and focusing on growing strong healthy crops on a slightly smaller scale while I continue to grow.
I was spread pretty thin this season, but I plan on spending some time this winter doing small things to manage my land to help me succeed next season.
What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season?
We hosted a plant sale on the farm in the Spring which was very successful and well attended. I increased my CSA program, and had one of my best market sales to date. Most importantly, I made it out alive!
Share a story of something interesting/ funny/weird that happened on your farm this season.
I was given many beautiful dahlia tubers from a friend and in all of the farm’s chaos I didn’t get them in until July. I am now enjoying a house full of beautiful flowers to get me through the dark fall days!
What are you most looking forward to this winter?
I am looking forward to rest, spending time with friends and family, sitting by the fire, and recharging for next season!
Where can we find you online? Website: frozencoastfarm.com
FB: frozencoastfarm
Instagram: @frozencoastfarm