Prairie Farmer, along with five other sponsors, recently selected 15 young farmers to join the 2009-2011 Cultivating Master Farmers class.

CMF is a unique mentoring program that pairs Illinois' brightest young farmers with Prairie Farmer's seasoned Master Farmers. The program is sponsored by 1st Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of Illinois, Growmark, Illinois Farm Bureau, Monsanto and Prairie Farmer.

2009-2011 young farmer participants include:

Throughout the two-year program, sponsors will coordinate a variety of field trips and speaker presentations. However, the core of the program lies within the roundtable discussion.

The program began in 2005. Each class spends two years learning from each other. Spouses are encouraged to participate, but it is not a requirement. For more information, click over to the CMF section, under "More Prairie Farmer."