Upcoming events in BC
Check back often as new events will be added regularly.
Tending to the Fires of Managing Holistically: A Digital Campfire
December 3, 5, 10 & 12, 2025 on Zoom, 8 pm Atlantic, 7 pm Eastern, 6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain and 4 pm Pacific
Holistic Management Canada organizes an annual online gathering to bring together people who care for the land who are looking for inspirational ideas and practical tools to apply in their own lives. Join us to share the triumphs and challenges of the year with like-minded farmers and ranchers. Or, just come to listen and get out of your own head and think about ideas you’ve never thought of before. Each evening, our speakers will start with a 15-minute talk on the tools they’ve used to manage their farms holistically, followed by an open group discussion.
Regenerative Leadership Course
Oct. 25 - Dec. 6, 2024, online
Do you work in regenerative agriculture? Are you struggling with how to effectively make change? Do you want more understanding of how to help others navigate a transition to regenerative agriculture? Are you looking for professional development in this space? This course is for you.
A course for mentors, coaches, supporters, peers, managers, coordinators, and leaders.
Calendar of Upcoming Events
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Meet your BC Mentors
Julia Smith
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Julia has 14 years of farming experience including raising hogs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese and has owned and operated a butcher shop where she processed and direct-marketed meat from her own farm and from other local producers. She now owns Blue Sky Ranch in Nlaka'pamux territory near Merritt where she practices rotational grazing completely off-grid in a challenging, brittle environment. She is a founding member and past President of the Small-Scale Meat Producers where she now serves as Executive Director. In addition to her work with SSMPA, Julia is a director with Farmers for Climate Solutions and past Vice-President of Policy for the National Farmers Union where she now chairs the Livestock Committee.
Tristan Banwell
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Tristan manages Spray Creek Ranch, a regenerative, organic, diversified farm in the
Northern St'at'imc Territory near Lillooet, BC. Together with his wife Aubyn and their team, he rotates cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry across irrigated pastures and rugged rangelands along the mighty Fraser River in a resilient agroecological system. He has a Farmgate Plus poultry abattoir and is also developing Maverick
Meats, which will be an on-farm Provincially Inspected abattoir, to shorten his supply chain and serve other producers as they build their own direct marketing enterprises. Tristan is a founding member and President of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. From rotational grazing webinars to hands-on fencing
training, virtual field days to on-farm events, Tristan has a gift for sharing his expertise in a relatable way.
Steve Meggait
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Steve is a 4th generation farmer in Armstrong, BC. He’s the owner of Fresh Valley Farms, a family run farming and direct marketing business that produces pasture raised beef, pork and chicken. Steve manages over 300 acres of crop lands and mountainside pasture where he produces pork, beef, eggs and broiler chickens in an outdoor pasture system. He has a Provincially Inspected chicken abattoir and a
Farmgate Plus license to process pork. He is passionate about working to increase meat processing capacity in his community and supporting other communities to do the same through the Small-Scale Meat Producers’ Butcher Hub Network. Steve is an SSMPA founding member and Vice-President.
Michelle Schaeffer
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Michelle was born and raised just outside of Kamloops, British Columbia. After completing her post-secondary education in physical geography and environmental studies, she moved to northeast BC where she has been living since 2006. Michelle is a first generation farmer and with her young family they are raising layers, turkeys, hogs, beef, and honeybees north of Fort St. John at Whiskey
Creek Ranch. They are licensed to process their poultry on-farm and their on-farm commercial kitchen and market garden supports local retail markets as a regional hub for processing soft fruits and field vegetables and value-adding goods for retail sales. Professionally, Michelle is a practicing Professional Agrologist and has been
working privately and within provincial Crown corporations in the resource industry on vegetation, soils, and groundwater management for over fifteen years. Michelle is a founding member and Secretary of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. Locally, Michelle is an active member of and fills various Board positions for a number of her local community and/or agricultural organizations.
Leanne Smith
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Leanne is currently a VP of Accounts and Marketing at FenceFast and Treasurer of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association. With a strong background in organizational management with 32 years of experience, Leanne has built financial solutions and critically analyzed businesses to improve profitability and scale efficiencies. Her agricultural background, growing up and then later owning a mixed grain and cattle business, led her to focus on animal management. For the last eight years, Leanne has utilized critical thinking skills and hands-on experience in the fencing industry, developing cost-effective, time-saving, real-life solutions in animal management, wildlife mitigation and regenerative agriculture. In addition to being a grazing mentor, Leanne is a Gallagher Animal Management Certified Passion for Pasture Specialist, and Ranching for Profit Alumni.
Carl Withler
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
South Okanagan, Boundary
Carl Withler has a long history of natural resource management in BC, with experience in agricultural productions, forest management and environmental interests – having worked in all three provincial Ministries. Based out of Kelowna, BC, Carl works as a consulting agrologist, is a honorary member of the Kettle River Stockman’s Association, and holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from the University of BC. Carl was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BC Institute of Agrologists in 2021, and is passionate about supporting ranchers and farmers in efforts to sustainably manage the landscape.
Graeme Fowler
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Vancouver Island
Serena Black
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Fraser Fort George
Rob Dinwoodie
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Okanagan-Similkameen, Cariboo-Chilcotin
Rob Dinwoodie resides in Vernon BC and has been involved with the beef industry for over 30 years. He worked as a Range Officer for the Ministry of Forests in the Okanagan and is familiar with grazing management as it applies to the various values on the land. Rob has a love for rangelands and currently is working as a consultant for Investment Agriculture Foundation as a planning advisor and BC Cattlemen on projects relating to Targeted Grazing for the prevention and mitigation of wildfires. Rob has been a professional agrologist for over 30 years.
Greg Tegart
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Thompson-Nicola, Okanagan
King Campbell
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Thompson-Nicola, Okanagan-Cariboo-Chilcotin
Based out of Salmon Arm, BC, King Campbell is a professional agrologist that has worked with the beef industry for more than 30 years, including more than 11 years working with Ducks Unlimited. King graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, and also works as an Environmental Farm Plan Advisor.
Nadia Mori
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Peace Region
Nadia is a forage and range agrologist based out of Rose Prairie, BC. She has a background of working as a forage specialist in SK for almost 10 years before relocating to BC. She was also an instructor for the SK Range team, supporting young range professionals. Nadia is the current coordinator for the Peace River Forage Association of BC
Chris Solecki
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Bulkley - Nechako, Fraser-Fort George
Chris is an articling agrologist and ranches on his family ranch based in Burns Lake, BC. As such, he has the practical, on-the-ground knowledge of cattle ranching in the Bulkley-Nechako region, which is backed with an undergraduate degree from Thompson Rivers University.
Jim Forbes
Advanced Grazing Systems - BC
[email protected]
Thompson-Nicola, Cariboo-Chilcotin
Jim Forbes grew up in the Cariboo ranching industry and has been working around cattle operations both large and small for all of his adult life. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Major in Animal Science from the University of Saskatchewan in 1986. After a few years in the private sector, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture and has worked in many capacities throughout the province over the past 31 years including 4-H Specialist, Livestock Agrologist, District Agriculturist, Land Use Agrologist, Provincial Beef & Bison Industry Specialist and Regional Agrologist.