YA BUSINESS MENTORSHIP NETWORK – TUFF RANCHING

Posted by Mark Diakiw on October 28, 2024

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: Kole Norman

My Name is Kole Norman and my farm name is Tuff Ranching, I live and farm proudly in my nation, the Flying Dust First Nation located in treaty six territory.

Who is your Mentor? 

My mentor is Bluesette Campbell of B-C Ranch

What were your goals for this season and what did you do to try to achieve them? 

My goals for this season were to try and gain as much practical knowledge as possible and by just listening and going with the flow in whichever direction Bluesette led me.

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?  

I believe I gained valuable information from this experience, looking back I wish I had more free time to physically spend on Bluesette’s ranch throughout the year.

What did you find most valuable to support your business during the season?  

The thing that I found most valuable was hearing about the first-hand lived experiences  from my mentor and my mentors ability to incorporate my partner, as we are a team in this journey. It was great for me to be able to hear information from a different perspective.

What specific business skills did the mentorship help you develop?   

The reassurance to continue running data and monitoring numbers, as they give you hard proof versus simply relying on my own estimations.

How has participating in the BMN program equipped you to adapt to environmental or economic challenges on your farm?

Participating in the program helped me have a better understanding of taking the good with the bad and learning how to better capitalize on the “ups” and better manage the “downs” throughout the season.

What’s the most valuable advice your mentor gave you that you’ll carry forward?

You have to incorporate family as without the support of family, the business wont have nearly the same success. It also makes it easier and more relatable to your spouse if  they are involved. I would say Bluesette’s experience and family centered approach empowered me and gives me hope for the future.

How has the mentorship program helped you create a stronger connection with your local community?

Meeting new people and getting to know them versus just recognizing a familiar face in passing at the rink or grocery store.

What were one or two big, hard lessons this season you would want to share with other farmers? 

Mineral deficiencies in cattle can have a huge impact on overall health,  just like in humans.

What were one or two victories, small or large, that you had this season? 

The sale of my calf crop went well and my pregnancy check of my cows went
amazing! It was a huge relief and weight off my shoulders. It was also my first calving season with twins and grafting a new calf onto another cow!

Share a story of something interesting/ funny/weird that happened on your farm this season.  

My wife helps out when and where she can, she’s slowly learning and becoming more confident around animals. This spring I told her to hold her ground and that the cow was bluffing, she held her ground, but on this occasion, this cow did not bluff and she dodged the charge at the last second. At the time it was a scare for her, but now we are able to laugh about it.

What are you most looking forward to this winter?

Looking forward to having some new capital investments to make feeding easier and also my largest most nutrient rich feed supply since my start.

Where can we find you online?

Kole Norman on Facebook, Linked In or Instagram

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