When I was in school, I loved joining programs that paired me with a mentor in something that I wanted to get better at or learn more about. Once I felt fluent in that area, I would then become a mentor for others. However, once I graduated, I found that those programs disappeared for me. We never stop learning, so why are mentor programs for adults so scarce?

A team of farmers from across Indiana is addressing that issue with the new Farm Advisors program. This program was designed by farmers for farmers, leaving the government out of it.

Rodney Rulon, Arcadia, Ind., envisions the pairs developed in this program becoming more than simply mentors and mentees.

“Eventually, we would like for it to be just farmers talking to farmers very casually, with some tools to help that happen,” Rulon says.

Go for it

Some people may be hesitant to join a program like this because they don’t want to commit without knowing what they will get in return. Or perhaps, they don’t know if the experience will be what it seems to be. This isn’t the case with Farm Advisors.

The group of farmers who founded this program are passionate about helping others better their soil health and avoid the mistakes they made when they first began. And that passion shines through every time they talk about the program.

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“Many things have been tried before,” says Mike Brocksmith, Vincennes, Ind. “Farmers have been told they have to no-till; they’ve been incentivized to change their farming practices. All those things have been met with mixed success and direction. We think what will make this group different is that we can truly share our passion, vision and love for the land and soil health.”

It seems like you have nothing to lose by joining, right? A dedicated team of farmers who want to help you make the most of conservation on your farm? Count me in. A support system that you can call whenever you have a question? Sounds great to me.

Nothing in return

If you still are not convinced of the dedication these mentor-farmers have to this program, you should know that they are volunteers providing their help and guidance for free. They have not asked for anything from the program. Rulon says this stems from their deep-rooted desire to help others.

“We all share that desire now to pay that forward because we’ve been blessed with people who helped us to be successful,” Rulon adds. “This is a different way of farming. This conservation mindset, the soil health practices — it’s not what you’re taught at Purdue or what you can pick up in any one book.”

I encourage you to send in your application. Be open to this new experience. Find your place in the program. You might just encourage others around you to do the same. Think of the chain reaction that would put into motion for our soils. At the end of the day, this program is all about helping farmers better their operations.

“It’s just bringing together a group of farmers who want to see other farmers be successful,” Rulon says.