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DECEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Mentorship program gives new farmers a boost by TAMARA LEIGH


VANCOUVER – The BC Young Agrarians are now in their third year of the BC Business Mentorship Network, and the program is showing the results of incorporating good business practices from the start.


“After mentorship, our first year farmer cohort saw an increase in revenue 34%, a 33% increase in the amount of land in production, and total production increase over 70%,” says Kristen Nammour, who manages the program for the BC Young Agrarians. The BC Business


Mentorship program pairs new and seasoned farmers together to cultivate the skills for running ecologically- sustainable and financially- viable businesses. Mentors provide up to 40 hours of one- on-one support to new entrants, helping them evaluate and improve their business practices including production, operations, marketing, financial and risk management, as well as developing and implementing strategic business goals for the upcoming season and beyond.


Over the first two years, they have provided


mentorship to 23 farms across the province. They have received another dozen applications to the program for the coming year.


Program graduate


Graham Bradley farms at 40x40 Farm on Gabriola Island and was a member of the second group to go through


BUSINESS nfrom page 38


“I am sure he had a much better idea of the kind of information he should bring into the bank,” says Tsutsumi. “If he is turned down, he knows that Community Futures is there.” “I think with any YA


programming there will be a continual thread around business pieces,” says Tsutsumi. “They really want to go deeper into marketing, especially around niche themes such as CSAs. How do you start one? How do you contract with your members? How do you organize what goes in? That kind of thing.” “They are also looking for more hands on field skills, season extension, seeds and animals,” Tsutsumi says. “There is a huge interest in permaculture from the YA crowd.”


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the mentorship program. When he entered the program, he was looking for help growing his farm as well as starting a food hub that would help connect Gabriola Island farmers, restaurants and grocers. He paired with mentor Niki Strutynski who runs Tatlo Road Farm in the Cowichan Valley and is the administrator for Saanich Organics.


“I’m trying to build a


business I can earn an income off of and that the farmers want to work with, so I needed all of my I’s dotted and T’s crossed,” he says. “Niki is an incredibly detail-oriented person, and had super- relevant knowledge about how to make farmers happy, how to communicate with them, and co-ordinate deliveries, and even down to what was an acceptable percentage to earn off of hard-working people and helping clarify the baseline philosophy my business will operate under.”


The program helped Graham realize his goal of completing his business plan, while refining his farm operations and successfully launching the Gabriola Food Hub. Today, he is working with three farms and up to six commercial clients through the food hub, as well as running his own vegetable


box program.


“There is so much to do to start any business and farming is a complex,” he says. “The Business Mentorship Network provides flexibility and the ability to work with someone who intimately understands the kinds of pressure you’re going through. They are an amazing ally.” As the program


co-ordinator, Nammour is always on the look-out for new mentors willing to join the program.


“If you’re an established farmer interested in helping grow the next generation of farmers in BC, then get in touch with us,” she says. “The mentors we are looking for need to have a financially viable farm, have been in the business for 10 years, and have the time to dedicate to supporting a new farmer in business development.” According to the BC Young Agrarians, the lack of business skills and understanding of financial management is the second biggest barrier to new entrants in agriculture after access to land.


The program starts with a series of four webinars put together with Chris Bodner, who teaches the Business of Agriculture course in the Sustainable Agriculture degree program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The


39


GRAHAM BRADLEY QUINTON DEWING PHOTO


webinars focus on the fundamentals of farm business management, including entry level accounting, profit-loss statements and


understanding equity, cash flow and cost of production. From there, participants are encouraged to work with a bookkeeper, set up an accounting system, and assess the value proposition of working with an accountant or hiring employees.


“You’re not just a farmer, you’re a business owner and entrepreneur. When you focus


on business skills as a new farmer, it has a positive impact on your growth. This program gives new farmers the confidence to run their new business and move their business forward. The peace of mind of having wisdom to draw from in a mentor has been hugely beneficial to everyone in our program,” says Nammour.


“Business development is just one piece in the new farmer journey. Young Agrarians is looking at the entire journey of the new farmer and trying to meet the needs on each level,” she adds.


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