Wishing You A Happy New Year From FACT
"I seriously can't say enough great things about (FACT's mentorship) program. Ben's mentorship has been instrumental in our success. I exceeded my production goal this year and am on track to scale up again next year thanks to Ben's amazing guidance." ~Samantha, 2022 FACT Mentee
For our last blog post of 2023, we wanted to share how your generous support is impacting farmers across the U.S. through another aspect of our work, FACT's mentorship program.
Samantha and Ben
The idea of FACT’s Mentorship Program came into being in 2017 (with the first cohort in 2018) when it became apparent that farmers in our network were struggling to find the support they needed in an agricultural system that focuses on “big ag.” We heard that they really wanted to connect with other like-minded farmers – and FACT, being nationwide, was in a unique position to be able to help pasture-based livestock farmers (or those transitioning to pasture) to connect and learn in a very personal and specific way. You can read more about how the program started in our blog post here.
Lydia and Alexandria
Our inaugural was a cozy group of six mentees and six mentors. The program has expanded every year since and in 2023 we had an incredible 32 mentorship pairs.
One of the most transformational moments is often when mentorship pairs get to meet in person. This summer, FACT mentee Alexandria Miranda with Hen and Harvest Farm in Turlock, CA made a trek to visit her mentor, Lydia Strand, owner of Lydia's Flock in Bellingham, WA, and FACT's Humane Farming Program Assistant. Lydia was hosting a Beginning Shepherding workshop that Alexandria was able to participate in and also spent some coveted one-on-one time with Lydia. They also discussed wool processing as Lydia’s Flock of registered Icelandic Sheep are known for their glorious fiber production.
While Alexandria had to take time away from her own busy farm to make this trip, according to her, it was time very well spent, and reported back, “It was so valuable and just further built my confidence in raising sheep humanely!” You can read more about their visit in our recent blog post.
With your support, we can continue to expand and evolve FACT's mentorship program, building and supporting relationships between humane farmers and contributing to our overall vision to raise more animals in a humane and healthy manner.
Please support the growth of our Humane Farming program by making a donation today to FACT's 2023 Holiday Appeal!
Thank you and from all of us at FACT we wish you all a good, healthy, and meaningful New Year.