7 months/ 10 hours/day, five days per week

Tuition costs vary depending on the length of internship chosen.  Please vist our website or contact us for more information.

Individuals wishing to learn about organic agriculture

Farm work, field trips, seminars, and workshops.

Interns live and work at Everdale for the duration of the program. The NFI is a tuition-based program which makes it unlike most other internships which often pay interns small monthly stipends and provide room and board in exchange for farm labour.  In exchange for tuition fees the interns receive room/board and a structured learning environment.

The units of study in the NFI curriculum are: 1) Organic Farming and Gardening Skills and Practices, 2) Managing Soil Fertility, 3) Garden and Field Tillage and Cultivation, 4) Propagating Crops from Seed and Greenhouse Management, 5) Transplanting and Direct Seeding, 6) Irrigation: Principles and Practices, 7) Selecting and Using Cover Crops, 8) Making and Using Compost, 9) Managing Arthropod Pests and Plant Pathogens, 10) Managing Weeds, 11) Soil Science, 12) Social and Environmental Issues in Agriculture.

Duration is dependent on participant's requirements

• Creating a data file and chart of accounts for the participant's farming operation.  Enter opening balances.
• Day to day entry of all business financial records.  
• Processing GST
• Bank reconciliations
• Reviewing financial reports
• Yearend Processing

Tuition

AgExpert certified advisor

Can be done at MNP office

Course is designed to upgrade producer’s record keeping skills. To become familiar with computerized record keeping by understanding and setting up charts of accounts, opening balances, make regular, monthly entries to reconcile accounts and to properly record transactions. Also, training will help gain an understanding of accrual accounting in the farm business.

One day plus follow up

• Creating a data file and chart of accounts for the participant's farming operation.  Enter opening balances.
• Day to day entry of all business financial records.  
• Processing GST
• Bank reconciliations
• Reviewing financial reports
• Yearend Processing

Tuition

Can be completed at MNP office

Course is designed to upgrade producer’s record keeping skills. To become familiar with computerized record keeping by understanding and setting up charts of accounts, opening balances, make regular, monthly entries to reconcile accounts and to properly record transactions. Also, training will help gain an understanding of accrual accounting in the farm business.

12 hours

These non-credit short courses may relate to grain marketing, beef cattle nutrition, calving, or farm accounting using AgExpert Analyst software.

2 days, various locations, MNP offices. February - March

• Effective people management (human resource management) practices

• Planning for labor and personnel requirements

• Developing job descriptions

• Managing the recruitment process (i.e. how to write a job advertisement, select people for interviews, conduct an appropriate interview, conduct reference checks, create a job offer / employment contract)

• Developing an appropriate wage and benefit program

• Implementing appropriate employee management practices (i.e. probation periods, conflict resolution, discipline and/or termination processes)

• Concepts that are of critical importance to employee morale, retention and productivity (i.e. performance management, training and career opportunities, communication)

• The legal requirements of agricultural employers

Tuition only

The course will take participants through the three steps to successful farm employment management: 1. Identifying the farm business needs 2. Attraction, selection and employment 3. Retention and progression

Viewed from afar, human resources can seem very unattractive. Parts of it are tedious, such as preparing job descriptions or wage scale charts. Parts of it can be painfully uncomfortable and much of it seems such a waste of time and money. But HR is a crucial component to the farm management process that must be addressed. This course aims to take the farm managers through the process with the assistance of MNP's expertise.

Multiple dates at various MNP offices - November - February

Day 1:

What does it mean to be a farm manager?  What are the benefits of planning?  What is your strategy?

What do all the numbers mean?  An overview of financial statements, the measures contained in them and what they mean for your business.

It costs what to produce that crop?  What’s your cost of production?

How do you manage all the risk?  Risk management is a crucial part of farm management.

Discuss the agronomic topics affecting today’s farms.

Day 2:

What’s going on with markets?  What’s happening and where they may be headed.  This component will be presented by a selected marketing advisor in the industry.

Tuition

All crop managers

Interactive workshop

November - February

Business Strategy: use the balanced scorecard approach to begin drafting a strategic plan for your farm.

Financial Assessment: balance sheet/net worth considerations, costs of production, yield and price assumptions, gross margin, rankings, the impact of changes to seeded acres, cash flow, pre-buy considerations. Consideration of action plan as a result business strategy.

Risk Management: following the four steps outlined in the workshop.

Marketing: Learn about marketing concepts and considerations, technology and sources of market information.

Production: review of seeded acres, agronomic considerations and issues associated with the coming year, where applicable.

Brandon: November 22-24, 2011

Regina: November 29-December 1, 2011

Red Deer: December 6-8, 2011

Unit 1 – Grow Into It; Unit 2 – Belief is the Key; Unit 3 – How the Mind Works; Unit 4 -  Belief: The Root Cause; Unit 5 – Habits and Attitudes; Unit 6 – How Beliefs are Formed; Unit 7 – Disputing Negativity; Unit 8 – Beliefs Regulate Effectiveness; Unit 9 – Play Without Fear; Unit 10 – The Next Time; Unit 11 – Warranted Self-Esteem; Unit 12 – Out of Order – Into Order; Unit 13 – See Yourself Into It; Unit 14 – The Structured Process; Unit 15 – Creating A New Normal; Unit 16 – Creating Future Memories; Unit 17 – Grow Stronger, Cause More; Unit 18 – Culture: The Invisible Force; Unit 19 – Choices; Unit 20 – The Captain of the World; Unit 21 – Switching Styles; Unit 22 – Where is the Truth?; Unit 23 – The Answers Exist; Unit 24 – Successful and Significant; Unit 25 – Designing Your Life; Unit 26 – Goals; Hitting the Target; Unit 27 – Releasing Energy and Creativity; Unit 28 – Increasing Awareness; Unit 29 – Expand the Container; Unit 30 – Environmental Comfort Zones; Unit 31 – From the Inside Out; Unit 32 – Goal-Setting Through; Unit 33 – Checklist for Goals; Unit 34 – The Best is Yet to Come.

$875

Producers

Certificate of Completion

3 day workshop

Leadership