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.
Mentee applications for the 2024/2025 program close October 31st.
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: Laura and Spencer Hilderman
Laura (she/her) and Spencer (he/him) Hilderman, Open Gate Ranch, RM of McKillop, SK , (Bulyea, SK is closest town) unceded lands of Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Cree, Saulteaux, and Metis people.
Who is your Mentor? (name and farm name)
Arlie Laroche of Farm 140.
What were your goals for this season and what did you do to try to achieve them?
Building a solid business plan and working out details around managing operations.
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 got many small details figured out including starting our business plan document, setting up QuickBooks and a farm banking account. We got some great tips from Arlie about deciding on a farm name and will be working with Shauna Fidler to design a logo and branding. Considering the busy harvest season and welcoming out daughter a month early this fall, we didn’t quite meet our goal of finishing the business plan but it is a living document and we are constantly discussing and adding to it for our long term goals.
What resources did you find most valuable to support your business during the season?
Arlie’s experience with bookkeeping and getting those sales type details worked out really helped. Her tips on coming up with a farm name also helped us settle on our name. Open Gate Ranch, an ode to a welcoming farm – one where gates get left open on occasion and we’re chasing cows!
What were your best sales channels/avenues?
Currently we sell mostly to close friends and family as we only have small amounts of product as we grow our herd and business. But we are working on establishing a social media presence and website very soon.
Why do your customers buy from you (what is your unique value proposition in your market)? What was the best piece of feedback or praise you got from a customer?
Our value proposition is based around locally sourced food and a farm people can visit and see where their food comes from while getting to experience a bit of what life is like on the farm. The best feedback we get is about the quality and taste of our beef and eggs and the quality of the animal feed we sell. We think it’s important that people stay connected to their food and agriculture.
What was the most important thing you gained from the YA Business Mentorship Network Program experience? (information, perspective, ideas, solidarity etc….)
So much! The mentorship (alongside the business bootcamp) have opened our horizons so much, we just wish we had more time on our hands! The resources, and solidarity from other young people in agriculture have shown us that we aren’t alone. As this industry seems to be one slowly losing people, having other like minded people to connect to is really invaluable.
What specific business skills did the mentorship help you develop?
We defiantly refined out administrative practices including bookkeeping and creating a more detailed business plan. We have lots of experience handling animals and managing their care, but it’s putting it all together to have a successful business that Young Agrarians and Arlie really helped us with.
How has participating in the BMN program equipped you to adapt to environmental or economic challenges on your farm?
The detail of a business plan – specifically things like SWOT – so we can be prepared for things that come our way. Knowledge is power.
What part of the mentorship experience made you feel most empowered as a new farmer?
I think just seeing others in the industry being successful and more young people wanting to join the industry. In our area, so many young people don’t want to solace over their parents farm or simply can’t afford to get into it, so it can feel like you’re the only ones. However, the Young Agrarians has opened up great avenues for networking!
In what ways did the BMN program help you refine or reshape the long-term direction of your farm? What will you do differently next year?
Honestly, business planning and changing as things go, as we see what works for us. With regards to time investment and profitability, changing courses, getting to know our customers and meeting their demands. I think it is just so important to be flexible and ready to switch gears and planning 1-2 years in advance instead of 1-2 months. It’s showed us all the opportunities we have if we put some forethought into it, which in turn helps with our time management.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice your mentor gave you that you’ll carry forward?
I would say starting to us accounting software was a game changer for us and how to be being ready to plan and change directions further in advance than we had before.
How has the mentorship program helped you create a stronger connection with your local community?
It’s definitely made us more aware of operations and what’s going on in our community, so that we can make sure our long term plans align with what our community needs in terms of food and agricultural operations.
What were one or two big, hard lessons this season you would want to share with other farmers?
I think looking at the profitability of various ventures and then putting more focus into what pays. Taking things slow so we can grow consistently and not burn out as we both work off farms jobs.
What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season?
Gaining more rented land and our hay sales significantly increased!
Share a story of something interesting/ funny/weird that happened on your farm this season.
I think naming our farm – the joke being someone is always leaving a gate open and we have to chase cows, hence the name – Open Gate Farm. It started as a joke but then we realized it had a good ring to it!
What are you most looking forward to this winter?
A warm vacation during downtime and working further on our business plan!
Where can we find you online? (website, FB, IG etc)
FB – Open Gate Ranch
IG – Opengateranchsask