5 minute read
Growing Farmers and Community through Mentorship
bY SARAH WOUTAT
Sharing of knowledge has always been at the heart of the organic farming community in the Upper Midwest. In fact, it’s part of the reason I moved from the East Coast to a farm in Minnesota in 2010. As a new farmer, both a mentee and a mentor, and now as a retired farmer managing the Marbleseed Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship program, I am continuously struck by the willingness of farmers to share their knowledge, with no concern for competition. Whether that be sharing farming systems, packshed designs, hard numbers on enterprises, record keeping tools, the list goes on. In my experience, established growers have always taken the time to help newer farmers get on their feet and guide them along the way.
While reading books, attending conferences, and watching webinars and Youtube videos are great ways to learn, nothing can replace the one-on-one guidance that comes with mentorship and community connection. These connections can take many forms- whether through Listservs or the Ag Solidarity Network, a digital hub where you can ask specific production questions of other farmers, regional farming groups, or formal mentorships. Over the past 15 years of the Marbleseed Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship program, 339 farmers have been mentored by over 275 mentors, many of whom have been mentors for multiple years, at times mentoring more than one farmer in a season. A number of these mentorships have evolved into long-term friendships and informal mentorships. Additionally, folks who were once mentees are now mentors. As we look to the future of the organic farming movement in the Upper Midwest, continuing to help foster these relationships and community is essential.
We have seen that mentors as well as mentees benefit from mentorship. One mentor shared that mentoring “made me rethink why I am using each of my farming practices. My mentee introduced me to some new technology (finger weeder) that I might invest in.” Another said, “even though I was the mentor, visiting with my mentee helped me reexamine the decisions and procedures we use on the farm.” This exchange of knowledge between different generations of farmers is crucial to the health of our farming community as farming is a life-long education. Moving into 2023, Marbelseed is partnering with Renewing the Countryside to establish an enhanced mentorship program, in which mentors will be trained in accessing NRCS and FSA programs and land access strategies, as well as other topics identified as essential to assisting newer growers, beyond production. As a result of this training, mentors will be able to cultivate contacts and relationships with staff in federal and state agencies and organizations that can assist farmers, utilize tools for identifying broader farmer resource needs and match programs and technical assistance to those needs, and practice approaches to navigating various systems to include building contacts and advocacy. The goal of the enhanced mentorship is to enable a diverse cohort of mentors able to assist farmers with a variety of resource needs in addition to and beyond production methods.
A 2020 mentee shared, “It was amazing to be able to talk with a mentor who has been farming for so long and has seen so many changes in the market. We were able to talk about long term change in climate. How to handle wet seasons - e.g. how do you weed in mud, how to handle drought. The ups and downs of farm business in general.”
If you’re interested in being trained under this program, please contact Sarah at sarah.woutat@marbleseed. org. The initial 2-day in-person training will take place in January of 2023, with virtual follow up trainings occurring throughout the year.
From a federal view, in late August, the USDA announced the Organic Transition Initiative, to include funding for “wrap-around technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring”. Through this funding, partnering regional organizations, “will connect transitioning farmers with mentors, building paid mentoring networks to share practical insights and advice. Each regional team will also provide community building, including train-the-mentor support; as well as technical assistance, workshops, and field days covering topics including organic production practices, certification, conservation planning, business development (including navigating the supply chain), regulations, and marketing to help transitioning and recently transitioned producers overcome technical, cultural, and financial shifts during and immediately following certification” according to the USDA press release announcing the program on August 22, 2022.
USDA’s acknowledgement of the importance of mentorships underscores what we have known for years- that farmers are some of the best trainers for newer farmers.
Sarah Woutat is a Farmer Advancement Coordinator at Marbleseed. She operated her own certified organic vegetable farm in Minnesota for nine years.
HOW DID THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
HELP YOUR FARM?
“by connecting us with wonderful, experienced farmers, with whom we have admired for years. We had so many dinners to discuss farm operations, what their history of farming is, and what they did, and where they are going. It was so comfortable to ask whatever questions we had, and we felt very supported and encouraged by them. It has been a wonderful relationship that will continue even after this program ends. Our farm practices will be changed where needed and suggested.” — 2014 Mentee
Stay connected with us as we share more details about the Marbleseed Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program!
Stay up-to-date by visiting... agsolidaritynetwork.com marbleseed.org
Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee? Visit marbleseed.org!
BUILT ON FARMER Relationships.
THIS IS MORE THAN A PARTNERSHIP.
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