Construction is well underway on the Agricultural Discovery Centre in a corner of the school’s playground. And although it’s not big (just 200 feet by 200 feet), it will be home to a market garden as well as some pigs, goats, chickens, a cow-calf pair, and feeder steers.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for agriculture and education to come together to ultimately empower and teach students not only where their food comes from and how it’s produced but also, more importantly, inspire them to the many opportunities that exist within agriculture for career paths,” said Nichole Neubauer, the driving force behind the project.

“Whether they are raising livestock or growing or selling produce at a local farmers’ market or growing demonstration crop plots, we’re going to really open their hearts and minds to the possibilities that exist within agriculture.”

Neubauer, husband Mark, and their teenage children Evie and Logan operate Neubauer Farms, a mixed grain and cattle operation north of Irvine (about 30 kilometres east of Medicine Hat). Neubauer is a well-known ag champion in the province and Neubauer Farms, established in 1910, has hosted more than 20,000 school kids for her Growing Minds agriculture education program since 2005.

Taking the farm to a school is a way to not only educate children and teens about where their food comes from but also about how to produce it. Irvine’s K-9 school was a natural fit.

“There’s a strong group of teachers who have rural backgrounds or who are heavily invested in increasing student outcomes by using this type of programming,” said Neubauer.

“A lot of the students who attend the school are from ag backgrounds. There is a community of town kids who attend the school, as well as some acreage kids and some children from the nearby town of Dunmore.”

As the program grows, there’s a possibility that the high school down the road could also be involved in it.

Neubauer Farms is partnering with Prairie Rose School Division on the initiative.

“We want it to be a real holistic representation of agriculture,” she said. “Prairie Rose has been busy with a number of different ag initiatives throughout their school division and they’re always looking for new, exciting and dynamic ways of inspiring and educating children.”

Evie and Logan attend the community’s high school, but their family has a special tie to Irvine school. Their dad attended the school and his mother taught Grade 5.

Over the summer, the Neubauers will meet with the teachers to discuss ways to connect the student-led farm back to the curriculum. Students will be given the opportunity to pursue any special interests they might have, including 4-H projects.

But the students will also be teachers to others.

“What COVID-19 has shown us is that we can teach kids remotely, we can use things like Google Classroom and YouTube and social media platforms to get messages across,” said Neubauer. “The students of Irvine will become producers of information, sharing their knowledge, and we will be connecting with urban schools across the province, so our kids at Irvine can share what they are doing at the Ag Discovery Centre.”

The farm will be set up when the students go back to school next month, and their first task will be doing some sodbusting and getting the garden area ready for next year. The livestock won’t be brought in until spring, arriving in April and staying on site until October. (Two or three summer students will be hired to care for the animals during the summer holidays.)

“We have access to water, but we want to be really good at conserving water,” said Neubauer. “We’re going to use a bunch of opportunities before April to teach kids what animals and plants need.”

There will be individual pens for smaller livestock and the cattle will have a small grass paddock.

And when Harvest 2022 rolls around, the entire community will have a chance to celebrate. The first edition of what will be an annual harvest gala will be held, produce will be featured, and the livestock will be auctioned off.

And then the whole process will begin again.

The initial infrastructure costs are quite large, so Neubauer and her family are volunteering their time and effort. She hopes that once the farm is put together, community members and local businesses will come forward as sponsors.

And given that Irvine School is just a few hundred metres off the Trans-Canada Highway, there’s the opportunity to showcase it to a wider audience.

“We will open it to the community and use it as a tourism opportunity. We’re hoping people will stop off the No. 1 Highway to visit the Ag Discovery Centre for hands-on learning about agriculture,” she said. “Our students will be ambassadors of agriculture.”

The post A very small farm at an Alberta school has a very big goal appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Farmers’ markets are the No. 1 agri-tourism attraction in Alberta, providing a great shopping experience where consumers can “savour time” rather than “save time.”

The app, which cost about $40,000 to develop, lists more than 120 approved farmers’ markets in the province. In an approved farmers’ market, 80 per cent of the vendors must meet the “make it, bake it, grow it” criteria.

The app can be downloaded at open.alberta.ca.

The post Farmers’ market app now available appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Lots of time, patience and attention to detail,” says a provincial new-venture specialist.

The first step is to do a self-assessment, said Elaine Stenbraaten.

“Are you an entrepreneur? Understand that with a business you start, you assume the risk of profit or loss. It’s important to decide if you have the personality, skills, family, and lifestyle to run a business. Are you and your family prepared for what it takes to run a business full time?”

If the answers are yes, then evaluate your idea and do some market research.

“Although it’s always good to listen to your friends and family, it’s also important to get people who are not tied personally to you to evaluate your idea as well as your product,” she said. “A feasibility assessment includes who your customer is, where the market is, what your cost to produce the product is, what the cost to market will be, as well as other considerations. This step is critical to your success. Can you make the product, deliver it to your customer for prices they are willing to pay and still have room for profit?”

Understanding who your customer is and who buys your product makes for more effective marketing at a lower cost, she said.

“An inexpensive way to test market your product is to sell your product at an Alberta Approved Farmers’ Market,” she said. “It can also verify your market and gives you the opportunity to tweak the product based on your customer’s direct input. It’s a great way to see if the product is accepted by the market and customers.”

A proper business plan is also critical.

“Business plans allow you to develop a working plan to carry you to profitability. It also allows you to review how to minimize your risks and what you’ll do to limit the impact.”

All of those factors are important to lenders, she added.

There are also other business considerations to keep in mind.

“You may need to consider how your business is structured, how it is regulated, and what permits and business licences you may need. Determine a business structure that will work for you. You may want to consider how you will set your business up so you can easily leave it. An exit strategy for the business is something that should be considered at the start.”

Finally, seek out advisers and mentors, she said.

“There are three important skills in a business — finance, marketing, and production. While most of us can’t be good at all three skills, we’re usually good at two of the three. Consider hiring for what you’re not good at. Listen to advice from advisers and mentors, but trust your instincts. If you’ve done your homework, and researched the idea and market, you’ll be the expert.

“If you’ve taken these steps, developed your idea and business plan, and ensured financing is in place, you’re on the road to success.”

The post From the kitchen to the marketplace appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Farmers’ markets have always been seen as a business incubator where new businesses can start selling direct to consumers,” said Marissa Brewer. “They get that immediate feedback and learn quickly how to market and hone their skills. Many of our vendors have ‘graduated’ to retail stores with their products but we also have a lot of vendors who continue to use the farmers’ markets as one of their many sales outlets.”

For a listing of all Alberta-approved farmers’ markets visit the Alberta Agriculture website.

The post Get selling at a farmers’ market appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The conference focused on two areas — strengthening the operation of the market and increasing vendor know-how in areas of production, product pricing, and growing a successful business.

“Like in Alberta, conference attendees were concerned with the proliferation of new markets in British Columbia and many expressed doubt that there are enough farmers to fill these markets,” said Melisa Zapisocky of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “Yet many markets were thriving and did not appear to be hindered or upset by this growth.”

The conference showed some of the ways these markets are getting it right, she said.

“Markets are finding ways to stand out from the crowd by focusing on their personality, and what is unique or different,” said Zapisocky. “Examples include operating a 100 per cent certified organic market, working with food and concession vendors to increase use of local ingredients (and promoting this), and providing more services in the market like knife sharpening, bike repair, or a market-run coffee booth.”

For other markets, building viable business means focusing on customers.

“These markets are committed to strengthening their foundation by learning about their customers, as well as their economic impact. Methods include administering more frequent customer surveys (in the market, or online), taking weekly customer counts, and collecting vendor statistics, such as sales and category.”

Depending on the detail required by the market, data collection can range from simple to quite involved. The most basic example of data collection is by the manager who gives vendors a colour-co-ordinated sticky note (category specific) to write their total sales on at the end of the market; slightly more involved is the use of weekly online forms that some managers email to their vendors.

“More complicated yet, is the strategy used by Comox Farmers’ Market,” says Zapisocky. “Vendors are charged a percentage-based table fee (five per cent or a minimum of $20) on their daily sales. From this data, Comox Farmers’ Market confidently reported its 2014 sales as $1,390,000, and will be able to compare year-to-year growth against future programs (or changes) it implements. Other benefits include continuing to keep their current location by having reliable numbers that show the economic impact of the market, attracting sponsorship dollars, and the ability to make fact-based decisions that benefit the health of vendor categories.

“Whether the effort is internal or external, the outcome is clear. Many farmers’ markets are setting the stage to thrive as professional and sophisticated businesses by finding ways to keep one step ahead.”

The post Operators upping their game as farmers’ markets proliferate appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“It’s just grown tremendously,” said Carri Hrehorets, president of the Andrew Agricultural Society in the village of 400 located an hour’s drive northeast of Edmonton.

“We get about 1,000 to 1,200 people out for the day.”

The Andrew Garlic Festival, held on the second Saturday in October, doesn’t just showcase garlic, it also celebrates the village’s Ukrainian heritage.

“Garlic has been known to be linked to Ukrainians and cooking, growing and gardens,” she said.

• More ‘Heartland’ on the Alberta Farmer Express: Battle of the Breeds still going strong after 25 years

The agricultural society and its seven members have run the festival for the past five years. There are local garlic growers and a huge farmers’ market with 80 vendors, as well as items such as garlic popcorn, cooked cloves, dips and garlic beans. The evening banquet has a Ukrainian theme, centred around the garlic dishes.

Other events include a garlic-peeling contest, a bench show, local entertainment featuring fiddlers and Ukrainian dancers, a dance party and scavenger hunt, and numerous kids’ activities.

The local chamber of commerce started the event after hearing about the success of the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival.

“Originally our festival was just a basic little farmers’ market and bench show display. I think it started with 20 people showing up that first year,” said Hrehorets.

But word spread far and wide, and it now attracts visitors from across Alberta and even neighbouring provinces.

The agricultural society operates the volunteer-run arena in Andrew, and some of the funds collected during the garlic festival go to its maintenance.

“The garlic festival is just one of the events we do to put funds back into the building,” said Hrehorets.

The post Garlic festival a joyous (and odorous) celebration appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.