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 and AB mentees are now CLOSED.
Limited seats available for 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: Quality Harvest
My name is David Slaman ( he/him) and my farm is Quality Harvests located in Smithers, BC on the unceded land of the Wet’suwet’en. My mentor is Andrew Adams at Hope Farm Organics.
What were your goals for this season and what did you do to try to achieve them?
My goals for the season were to standardize operations, streamline processes, become better acquainted with the back end of running a business, and update wash/pack station flow and irrigation lay-out. To try to achieve them, with the help of my mentor, I became better acquainted with SOP’s, reviewed different processes and efficiencies, reviewed and utilized various excel templates, and discussed advantages of wash/pack flows and irrigation equipment and layouts.
Did you meet your goals / did it work out?
Yes, I met my goals and it worked out. The season went well relating to my goals because things flowed well and made good sense and the back end aspect of the job was well managed.
My best sales channels/avenues were CSA, farmers markets, retail and restaurants. Our customers appreciate our willingness and responsiveness to work closely with them to best serve their needs. Several customers applauded our customer service, attention to detail, and commitments and contributions to providing sustainable grown food to the local community.
We suffered a drought which didn’t go as expected as it put additional pressure on water resources and led us to have to make alternative watering arrangements as well as adjust our crop plan and accept certain losses and shortcomings in production. Water security is important!
What resources did you find most valuable to support your business during the season?
Young Agrarians Farm Business Mentorship impacted my business very postively. My mentor was an extremely valuable resource who supported me and my business during the season on a range of areas including growing and operations to marketing and sales. The most important thing I gained from the program was regular, scheduled, consistent and meaningful support from a person in the same field and in the same region.
What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season?
Our farm got evacuated on the Friday night due to a wild fire, and after barely sleeping that night we returned to the farm early in the morning to load up our produce and attended the Saturday Farmers market.
Share a story of something interesting/ funny/weird that happened on your farm this season.
The neighbours horses waltzed into the yard and the dogs gave them a chase and they ripped through the garden.
What future plans and goals do you have for your farm and how will you achieve these?
We plan to continue to increase production area while improving efficiencies and quality of product, continuing to adjust our crop plan to better meet our customers needs while simplifying our processes. We look forward to spending the winter resting and planning for next year!
Where can we find you online?
IG – quality.harvests
FB – QualityHarvests
This program is made possible with the generous funding support of Vancity, Endswell Foundation and Columbia Basin Trust.