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! If you are a new farmer or the next generation to take on your family farm and need support to figure out the business aspects of your farm consider applying for the 2024/2025 cohort. The BMN offers business mentorships to a diverse array of new and young farmers/ranchers/producers. 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.
Apply for the 2024/2025 program here – applications processed in October .
Check out the Business Mentorship Network page for more information!
Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to each of the new farmers in the 2024 cohort to hear about the arc of their farming journey, what their hopes are for the season ahead and what inspired them to reach out for business mentorship. To access more of these stories head over to our blog here.
Young Agrarians acknowledges funding support provided by the Government of Canada through Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan). In Alberta, the Business Mentorship Network is funded in part by the Government of Alberta.
Meet a Mentee: Woody Nook Gardens
We are David & Emily Schermers (He/Him & She/her).
Farm name – We are currently working on rebranding. It is a little up in the air. Currently it is Eida Gardens, probably will change to Woody Nook Gardens. I will confirm when this is official. Mentor is John Mills at Eagle Creek Farms.
Where do you farm?
I farm in Lacombe County, Treaty 6 territory.
What inspired you to get into farming?
I have always grown up around farming, so I have always been interested in the lifestyle it can offer. Taking the steps towards my own business, I have enjoyed the challenge of building a business, building farm systems, and marketing systems. I am analytical and love learning new things. These traits seem to fit well for market gardening, as I can plan, and work on systems, but I am always learning more and more about the way our amazing world works.
How did you learn how to farm?
I grew up on a dairy farm and enjoyed being around it, and the lifestyle. A lot of the technical specifics have been learned from reading countless books, youtube, and picking the brains of people who have done this successfully here in Alberta.
What informational resources do you use on a regular basis or have you used in the past to operate your farm business?
There are so many great resources out there. JM Fortier’s book “The Market Gardener” was definitely the big one for me, making me think that a small, profitable farm was possible. Books – JM Fortier. Elliot Coleman. Pam Dowling. Jesse Frost. Podcasts – Thriving Farmer Podcast. No-till market garden podcast. A couple people that I will call and text with questions.
What type of business structure is your farm?
Sole Proprietorship at this point.
How much land is under production on your farm and what do you produce?
We have about 1/2 acre in mixed veggies – Carrots, onions, beets, garlic, peas beans, brassicas, and some flowers, and 2 acres of potatoes. I am planning to integrate some land into cover crops this season as we develop a fertility plan.
What kind of land agreement do you have? Are there special relationships that enabled this?
We own our property, buying it last summer. We were given a special opportunity to purchase the property before it went to market and were able to secure funding based on our past seasons farming records and some off farm income.
Did you access any financing to buy land or start Woody Nook Gardens? Please share your start up / financing story…
Lots of savings. We operated our business on rented land for four years before having the opportunity to purchase this property. We were able to get a home loan through our bank.
What types of ecological farm practices and/or responses to climate change realities do you engage in?
I am trying to farm in a way that is in harmony with nature, building soil rather than depleting it. Low till permanent bed system on our vegetables. The potato production makes no till inherently difficult, but we are working on integrating good cover cropping and crop rotation practices into our system.
Why did you apply for business mentorship? What do you hope to work on this year in your mentorship?
I have been farming for 4 seasons. We just purchased a new property. We knew that we had some work to do on vision, mission, and establishing our business and brand better at our new property. A lot of help in thinking through what we want our business to be, and how to get there.
What is the greatest business challenge you face as a new farmer?
There is a lot going on, and an endless list of tasks that could be done. Knowing what to prioritize in terms of time, and money is challenging
What are your primary business goals for the season?
Primarily are our branding, vision and mission, charting the course. We would like to work on a website and on-site farm. And then from that some production goals like our fertility plan, cover crops, mechanization, and scaling up certain aspects of our business.
What business tools could you not live without?
Potato washing and bagging equipment is pretty essential. I like my Jang seeder and stirrup hoes too.
How can we find out more about you, your farm, and its products?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eidagardens/?hl=en
We probably are changing our name so this will change soon. Hope to have a website to add too soon.
