Saturday, April 23, 2016

10 Reasons Series: #8 Networks

We had such amazing networks in Nova Scotia, it was the hardest part of leaving!  We had friends, colleagues, mentors, employers, CSA members, peers, and great organizations that we were a part of.  I started to make a list and immediately realized that there were too many to name!  Plus, the most important people know who they are because they're reading this, or they get occasional emails from me when I think about them.

Jon and I at SFM Conference, Jan 2016
While in NS I was on a number of committees for ACORN, Central Kings Community Health Board & Horticulture Nova Scotia, a board member at the Canning Food Bank & Hammonds Plains Farmers' Market, and a few other volunteer boards or committees.  I met such a range of people and learned so much about topics related to my field.
I also attended many, many farming and farm-related workshops, on topics like Financial Management for Farmers, Caterpillar Tunnels, Social Media, Farmers' Market Management, Greenhouses, Food Safety, Marketing etc, etc, etc.  There's a lot more farmers in Nova Scotia at our scale and therefore many more opportunities for learning than in MB.  We knew that going into the move and are so glad that we did spend three years on the East Coast, taking as many courses, looking at other farms, and learning as much as we could.

However, the move has proved less disappointing than I had expected.  The farm has joined Small Farms Manitoba, an organization run by Kalynn Spain which is doing great work in the province, connecting young/small farmers, providing resources, hosting an annual conference and planning awesome events all the time.  There's also the newly formed Direct Farm Marketing Association of Manitoba (DFMAM), and I'm lucky to already know the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, the provincial policy organization.  Dan has been super helpful connecting me with others and steering me in the right direction when I have questions.

DFMC Keynote speaker Elspeth McLean-Wile from NS!
I attended the Small Farms Manitoba Conference this winter as well as the Direct Farm Marketing Conference.  Both events gave me a great opportunity to network with and learn from other farmers in MB. I have been conservative here with what boards I join (maybe overdid it in NS?!) and so currently I am working very hard for the Brandon Farmers' Market board in the role of marketing, rebuilding a once-vibrant market.  Our networks are growing and the more people I meet, the more people I find out that I need to meet!

At any rate, I'm really glad to have been pleasantly surprised by what is going on in the small farms industry in Manitoba.  We pictured moving here and feeling really isolated, but the more people we meet the better it gets!  We wish there were more growers in our area, so we hope that our success will lead others to settle and start their businesses around Brandon in the coming years!

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