The Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship Program is Saskatchewan's most comprehensive industry-wide mentoring program.
Canadian Western Agribition delivers the mentorship program in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and the Government of Canada. The program accepts eight (8) successful applicants for an 18-month mentorship program focused on: Industry knowledge, advocacy, business education, networking, and board & governance training.
Canadian Western Agribition organizers say the Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship is designed to help graduates understand agricultural business, community, leadership, and advocacy.
The successful mentees were announced at this year's Canadian Western Agribition. Participants in the program will be matched with a mentor beginning in February 2022. As part of this round of mentoring, the federal and provincial governments will contribute $100,000 to help mentees grow as agricultural leaders.
The Canadian Agricultural Partnership funds this program, a three-year investment of $3 billion by the provinces, territories, and the federal government to strengthen and grow Canada's agriculture, food, and agri-product sectors.
"Ensuring security in the sector and contributing to economic growth is best achieved by mentoring future leaders," Agriculture Minister David Marit said. "This program builds leadership capacity through knowledge and first-hand experiences, which is critical to a strong agriculture industry in Saskatchewan. Our government is proud to support such an important initiative.
The group of 2022 Mentees includes: Alexandra Clarke, Anna Karlsson, Blaine Lamontagne, Grayson Berting, Megan Roger, Morgan Follensbee, Ryan Grabarczyk and Sandra Hessdorfer.
Mentors for this cohort are: Gerry Hertz, Heather Deobald, Danny Petty, Joe Barnett, Brett Halsteadm Kim Keller, Sara Shymko, and Moose Jaw's own Shelley Jones.
Shelley is the Manager of Saskatchewan's Agriculture Knowledge Centre. She also contributed to creating the Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan program, promoting agriculture awareness among the public, and extending Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan programs to teachers and students in the province. Shelley is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan's College of Agriculture, and she grew up on a ranch near Crane Valley, SK. Since then, she has been an active community member and has been honored with the city's Citizen of the Year Award and the Canada 150 Medal.
Although the 2022 cohort has just been announced, online applications for the 2023 cohort are now available and close on January 10th, 2022. Applicants should demonstrate strong leadership abilities and clearly articulate their developmental goals. For more information, visit saskatchewan.ca/CAP or agribition.com/get-involved/next-gen-program.
