Humane Farming Mentorship in Action

By Larissa McKenna, Humane Farming Program Director

Our Humane Farming Mentorship Program is in full swing! This year we have a robust group of 22 pairs of farmers from all parts of the country participating as mentors and mentees (which is the term we use for someone who is being mentored). This is quite a large group – our biggest ever, in fact – and we are really enjoying having such an engaging and enthusiastic cohort. (If you would like to learn more about how FACT’s mentorship program has evolved over the years, check out my colleague Samantha’s recent blog post.)

FACT works with farmers from coast to coast, so, even before pandemic travel restrictions put a crimp in our style, many of the mentorship relationships were long distance by default. Folks have learned how to make good use of phone, text, email, and video calls to stay in touch.

However, if farmers are in close-enough proximity and can make it work, we encourage them to meet in person. A farm visit is invaluable in many cases. We offer funds to offset travel costs to make this possible.

In late March, one of our mentorship pairs had the opportunity to do just that. Mentor James Maginot from Beyond Organics Farm visited his mentee, Patty Christ from Sorensen Ranch, LLC in Bradford, Arkansas. Both James and Patty are no strangers to FACT’s programs – James has served as a mentor in the past and Patty is a past Fund-a-Farmer Grant recipient!

James currently raises grass fed/grass finished beef cattle, pastured broiler chickens, pastured laying hens, and Livestock Guardian Dogs. Patty raises Beef cattle and is participating in our program for help with pasture planning and development, and rotational grazing.

In their report from the field, they told us that they packed a lot into their day together, including but not limited to a comprehensive farm tour, pasture mapping, grazing planning, animal frame scoring and body condition scoring, forage varieties, and manure observation. They were busy planning, talking, brainstorming, and envisioning. It was a very productive day and laid a great framework and foundation for their continued relationship – and perhaps another visit in the future.

Applications for farmers who wish to participate in our 2023 cohort will be available in October 2022. Learn more about this program on our Mentorship page.