Moose Jaw’s Shelley Jones is taking her knowledge of the agriculture industry and passing it on to an up-and-coming student. 

As part of the Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship Program, presented by the Canadian Western Agribition, Jones is being partnered with Ryan Grabarczyk, a student at the University of Regina. 

Jones has over 35 year of experience in agriculture policy development, marketing and communications. She is currently the manager of the Agriculture Knowledge Centre. 

“As a mentor, I'm responsible for providing Ryan with learning opportunities and experiences that will help him further develop his understanding of agriculture,” Jones said. 

Jones got involved in the program after a colleague put her name forward to become a mentor. She was then approached by the organizers to become a part of the program. 

Last week was the first meeting she had with Grabarczyk where they had an opportunity to introduce themselves and go over what he’d like to get out of the mentorship. 

Grabarczyk currently finished up is psychology degree at the University of Regina and is looking to further his education into finance. He was a summer student at Farm Credit Canada and has indicated to Jones that he’s interested in the financial aspect of the industry. 

“As a mentor, I'm responsible for providing Ryan with learning opportunities and experiences that will help him further develop his understanding of agriculture,” she said. 

Jones is hoping the mentorship will give Grabarczyk a new appreciation for the agriculture sector and how the industry works and she’s also hoping she’ll learn a bit from Grabarczyk too. 

Jones isn't the first person from Moose Jaw and the surrounding area to take part in the program. Last year, Tyler Friesen of Moose Jaw and Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel of Mossbank were mentors.

The Next Gen Agriculture Mentorship program is a joint partnership and funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan to help develop opportunities and leadership skills for young people in the agriculture industry.

Below is a video put together by Western Canadian Agribition introducing all of this year's mentors and mentees.