For the first time, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has facilitated a peer group with support from the Beef Cattle Research Council and Kathy Larson of the University of Saskatchewan.
Peer groups are a unique learning opportunity for producers to connect with other producers and share ideas and information about their operational practices.
The following article was prepared by Alexis DeCorby, Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture office in Yorkton.
Producers were identified through their previous involvement with the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production network. Once selected, producers were grouped with approximately 6 other operations and invited to a virtual meeting. During their initial meetings, they shared information about their operation and identified learning goals for the next year.
Funding provided by the Beef Cattle Research Council was used to cover the cost of expenses to bring in speakers to achieve learning goals, and also to provide opportunities for the peer groups to attend events in person. Guest speakers spoke on a wide range of topics, including managing stress, farm taxation and management, cattle markets and CanFax information.
While meetings were the primary way producers connected, a WhatsApp chat was also created for producers to stay connected outside of scheduled meeting times. The creation of a group chat is another example of a new communication avenue that we are exploring to help producers connect and learn with one another.
At the completion of the pilot project, producers were asked to share their experiences. All producers that responded to the survey indicated that they were somewhat or very likely to recommend peer groups to their fellow producers. Additionally, all producers voted to extend the peer group project and continue to meet regularly.
When asked what the most valuable part of the peer groups was, producers identified that discussions with their peers about operational differences were most valuable. These meetings provided them with new ideas to try on their operations, helped them discuss problems and solutions and provided information that they thought would be useful on their operation.
Being part of a peer group is a unique opportunity to connect with producers across the province to share advice and access learning opportunities tailored to their interests. Due to success with the peer group pilot project, a second iteration of peer groups are currently under development. These peer groups are open to mixed or livestock producers who are under the age of 35. The structure of these peer groups is similar to the previous model, with the key difference that fewer virtual meetings (3-4 per year) will be held. Instead, producers will be placed in a group chat with prompts provided throughout each month. Producers will be invited to share their own experiences and advice based on the prompt and will also be able to ask questions at any time.
Interested in joining a peer group and learning from your fellow producers? There are still openings available. For more information, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
