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: Rossdale Farms
I am Kim Ross and I am privileged to farm on Rossdale Farms on Treaty 6 territory, near Mannville, AB. I have a small CSA program and grow vegetables for commercial food production. I am the fifth generation in my family to grow on this land and have just under 30 acres on my acreage that is a part of my family’s centennial farm.
Where do you farm and what types of ecological farm practices do you use?
I currently have 26,000 square feet of growing space utilizing no-till and sustainable agriculture practices and am expanding that to 62,000 square feet this summer. No-till conserves water, reduces weeds, eliminates the need for any type of chemical, reduces chemical inputs and helps improve the biodiversity on my farm. Together, all this helps improve soil health, which has in turn vastly improved the yields I can achieve. I also teach no-till gardening and have built a community on facebook with other no-till growers at Rossdale Farms – No Till Gardening. My website is rossdalefarm.ca
What inspired you to get into farming?
I have always been fascinated by plants and I have always enjoyed gardening, but a series of unfortunate events in 2018 lead me to fall into no-till gardening. It was then that I truly found a joy in growing and producing food. My favourite vegetables to grow are the “problem children” on the Canadian prairies – the brassicas. These veggies are related to canola and as such, are affected by the same disease and pests that canola is. I learned how to grow brassicas on the Canadian prairies and now grow them commercially in large quantities for the pure love of growing them!
Why did you apply for business mentorship?
I applied for the Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network because I really want to cement the foundation of my farm. I want to grow food for many years and ensure my children can continue as the next generation of growers in my family. My mentor, John Mills of Eagle Creek Farms, is a fantastic match as he too embraces sustainable growing and has moved to producing food on a large scale for commercial uses.
What is the greatest business challenge you face as a new farmer?
The greatest challenge I have is how to organize and time the planting for all the crops I am managing at the correct time so harvest occurs when the customer needs the vegetables. John has shared how he handles all of this, making my learning curve so much smaller! I’m also pretty unique in my geographical area, so finding a mentor who runs a similar business to mine like I have in John has been incredibly valuable.
What is your primary business goal for the season?
My primary goal this season is to go from 400 brassica plants to over 6000! I am also building a sunflower portrait garden and a cut flower garden for my CSA.
What business tools could you not live without?
Quickbooks is my go-to business tool as it helps me look at every part of my business quickly. I also can update my expense log or income on my phone while working at the garden! It makes it easy to stay on top of all I have to document.
If you had a farming robot what would it be?
I don’t have to weed or water on my farm. I think prior to going no till, I would have said a weeding robot but now I love weeding as it only takes me about 1 hour every 2 weeks to weed. Now I will say I would love some kind of implement that will lay a 3’ tall low tunnel while planting a brassica transplant so I don’t have any risk of insects eating them!
Website: rossdalefarm.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RossdaleFarms/