Scholarships for the Young-at-Heart Agri-preneur

"Learning can happen in many different ways," says Marian Williams, farm direct marketing specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Camrose. "Some call it self-directed learning which can entail visiting businesses, researchers and other knowledgeable individuals, or attending a conference, workshop or business training session."

Consider asking about a scholarship to take business training, attend workshops, conferences related to for your farm direct marketing or ag-tourism business. The scholarships can be applied to training that is national or international in scope that will allow applicants to bring back ideas to share as well as to grow their own operation.

"To develop a self-directed learning plan, an agri-preneur needs to decide what they need to know and make a plan to research and study it on their own," says Williams. "Doing a quick review of what needs to be learned or which business skills need to be improved is a good first step. If new ideas for marketing or more efficient processes are what are needed, a self-directed learning plan can be a great opportunity to capture some specific information and bring it back to the business. It is said that good ideas can be borrowed from others and duplicated at home. Part of good management is taking the initiative to learn from others."

For more information on the agri-preneur scholarship program call Williams at 780-679-5168 for an application package.

"Albertans who are awarded an agri-preneur scholarship are expected to report back and share what was learned," says Williams. "Teaching new skills and sharing new ideas is one of the best ways to retain information."

Contact:
Marian Williams
780-679-5168

Susan Meyer
780-538-5630