Three candidates have been selected to participate in the BC Milk Marketing Board’s new entrant program.
The program’s selection committee interviewed a shortlist of seven candidates and chose Katie and Kelvin Lagemaat, Breanna & Jarrod Simpson and Marlayna Van Hoepen. The three have received invitations to establish themselves as producers and must formally accept the offer by July 31. Once they’ve accepted the offer, they’ll have until December 31, 2021 to begin production.
The three were selected from an initial pool of 77 applicants. A shortlist was announced in February of this year, and candidates were required to submit documentation, including a business plan, to the board by June 1. The selection committee interviewed the shortlisted applicants who provided business plans over a two-day period to identify those who would most benefit from assistance and who demonstrated the greatest potential for long-term success in dairy farming.
“Every candidate was asked questions that allowed the committee to conduct an evaluation of their skills and assessed their abilities for successful long-term on-farm operations and financial/policy administration,” the board explained in announcing its selection.
Applicants who failed to be selected may reapply for consideration during the next selection of candidates in 2021. Details of the process will be announced in fall 2020.
The new entrant program provides incentive quota of 15 kilograms of Continuous Daily Quota (CDQ) to new entrants plus up to 8 kilograms of matching CDQ on a 1:1 ratio basis during the 10 years of the program.
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