Renewed Commitment To Support Young Agriculture Leaders In Saskatchewan

Released on November 25, 2019

The Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship program is ready to engage a new group of young agriculture leaders.  The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced $100,000 in renewed funding for Next Gen Agriculture, a Saskatchewan agricultural mentorship program delivered by Canadian Western Agribition.

“Canada’s youth play a critical role in the continued growth and prosperity of the agriculture sector,” Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau said.  “Our government is proud to support initiatives, such as the CWA’s Next Gen Agriculture mentorship program, that give the skills and experience needed to attract and retain our future leaders.”

The objective of the program is to develop the leadership capacity of young people in agriculture to prepare them to take active roles in industry leadership, governance and efforts to build public trust.  This renewed funding will allow eight new mentees to enter the program.

“Saskatchewan has outstanding leaders in the agriculture industry, and their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise is an invaluable resource,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said.  “The program builds capacity in future leaders who want to expand their networks and grow their skills to bring Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry into the future.”

Next Gen Agriculture is funded through the Public Trust Pillar of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives for Saskatchewan agriculture by the federal and provincial governments.

“Agribition is honoured to take an active role in building the next generation of leaders in agriculture,” Canadian Western Agribition President Chris Lees said.  “We are committed to supporting the development and education of this industry for the whole of Saskatchewan because leaders in agriculture here at home will be leaders of the industry around the world.”

Eight applicants will be selected and paired with a mentor for an 18-month mentorship experience beginning in February 2020.  Applicants should have clear developmental goals and objectives and exhibit strong leadership potential.

More information about the program is available online at www.saskatchewan.ca/CAP.

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For more information, contact:

Charlotte McGraw
Agriculture
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4031
Email: charlotte.mcgraw@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-7833