Cultivating success: mentorship program nurtures new generation of farmers

Since 2015, the Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network (BMN) has been a cornerstone in supporting new and young farmers. The program helps them develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to manage their farm businesses by pairing them with experienced farm owners in their sector.

BMN began in British Columbia 11 years ago.

“The original idea started when we were seeing new farmers with a passion for the production and lifestyle. They were excited about contributing to the food security in their communities, but there was a gap in their business knowledge, particularly in British Columbia, where there wasn’t the same family farm generational model, and there were a lot of new people coming into farming,” says Melanie Buffel, Business Mentorship Network Manager for the Young Agrarians Foundation.

BMN expanded in 2022 to include Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. To date, the program has worked with 163 farmers on 118 farms, pairing them with 75 mentors. During their mentorship year, mentees reported impressive results: an average increase in revenues of 87 percent, a 65 percent increase in the volume of food produced, and a 42 percent increase in land production.

This year, Young Agrarians is excited to offer the program once again, supporting up to 10 mentorship pairings in each Western Canadian province: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

The program provides 30 hours of one-on-one mentorship and an eight-week financial literacy webinar series that focuses on developing business skills for running a financially sustainable farm business.

“What we’re really trying to do is build a continuum, from supporting people that are farm-curious through our online program, to the apprenticeship with a more hands-on model, which is for someone who really wants to make this a career,” Buffel says.

The webinar series covers everything from opening your business and getting your payroll accounts, right through the financial aspects of managing a business, like creating cash flow, projections, and keeping your records clear and doing your cost production analysis.

“This is very often an area they’ve never really looked at yet,” Buffel adds.

“We want to give them the tools to figure out their cost of production and keep their pricing on track. We also do a session on marketing and a session on risk management. That’s happening when they’re meeting with their mentors, and they get to really dig into aspects that are relevant to them in their stage of business.”

Buffel explains that the business mentorship comes in later, once participants are on their own farms and have at least a year of production under their belts and selling commercially.

“This is when they get to a point where they don’t know their gaps. They have some clear goals for how they want their business to look, and now, what they need is another farmer who has been in their shoes,” she explains.

“They need not just business acumen and support, but also emotional support. Someone to be a sounding board. And that really is what our program offers. It’s not a ‘learn to farm’ program; it’s very focused on the business aspect of farming. It’s framed as a kind of coaching style.”

BMN pairs new farmers with a mentor who will analyze their business and tell them what to do. “This is about meeting them where they’re at. What are your goals? Where are your gaps? What are your systems that you’re not clear on yet? And how can we help you build your knowledge, your skills and your confidence?”

Additionally, it offers opportunities for networking with other young farmers across Western Canada, a critical aspect of building relationships and support systems within the sector.

The Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network aims to foster strong rural communities by creating support networks that enable experienced and new farmers to collaborate and share knowledge.

“Learning that I am not alone and that others are trying to contribute to and improve our local food system has had a significant positive impact on my energy and hope for the future. This experience has been important for better business planning, focus, and confidence in my venture and skills. I have a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses as a farmer,” says 2023 BMN mentee Terra Pombert of Sunflowers Urban Farm.

Building a strong business foundation on top of the challenges of farming can feel overwhelming, but with the support of the program and mentors, new farmers’ confidence and clarity grow.

The program is open to farmers in their first one to five years of business located in one of the Western Canada provinces, including new farm operations and those taking over family farm businesses. It also includes a wide range of production types.

While priority is given to new farmers between the ages of 18 and 35, new farmers over 35 are also strongly encouraged to apply.

“We’re looking for an enrollment minimum of 10 participants per province,” Buffel says. “In all our programming, we’re reaching out to that new kid on the block, trying to build relationships and asking these farmers what their gaps are and what their needs are. We’re still learning and listening, and we want to meet farmers where they’re at.”

The deadline for applications to the 2025 mentee cohort has been extended until Nov. 15 for B.C., but remains ongoing elsewhere. “That’s not the case in the prairies, because we’re still new there. We want to be as open and flexible as possible, so we’re going to do ongoing intake, with no deadline.”

Meanwhile, mentor applications are also accepted year-round.

For more information and to apply, visit: Young Agrarians Business Mentorship Network.

To learn more about this program, please contact the Business Mentorship team at business@youngagrarians.org.