Each January, we celebrate mentorship month. And those of us in the farming community understand the vital role mentors play in our farming and ranching practices. For many, parents or grandparents served as mentors, and our work on the land reflects their legacy. But what about first-generation farmers? What if your family didn’t have access to resources that would have helped your farm thrive? What if you want to change the way your farm impacts natural resources and wildlife? Where do you learn about what practices are working on the land?
Mentorship programs focused on helping farmers
Sand County Foundation’s Land Ethic Mentorship program addresses these questions by creating a space for historically underserved (socially disadvantaged, beginning, limited resource, and veteran) farmers and ranchers to access the deep practical knowledge of conservation champions across the country. Due to limited resources, historically underserved producers often operate on more environmentally sensitive land at higher risk for erosion. These farms also tend to border impaired water bodies, making conservation practices that focus on protecting water quality and climate resiliency especially important.
For more than 50 years, Sand County Foundation (SCF) has addressed pressing environmental issues by advancing voluntary conservation on working lands through ethics, science and incentives. The Foundation shapes its work in the spirit of Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, a personal responsibility to care for natural resources. Mentors involved in the Land Ethic Mentorship program come from SCF’s growing national network of farmers and ranchers who have received the Leopold Conservation Award. Presented in 25 states across the U.S., the award program recognizes agricultural land managers for achievement in conservation. Mentors support their mentees as they adopt conservation and agricultural practices to balance farm productivity, ecosystem health, and community well-being.
As a supporter of the Land Ethic Mentorship Program, Farm Credit has helped farmers like Soonnyoung Min, a beginning farmer in Kentucky, develop and manage her farm in ways that protect the water quality of her streams, and enhance the soil of her garden and pastures. Soonnyoung grew up on a small farm in South Korea. When she and her husband bought a 100-acre farm in Kentucky, they envisioned raising food for their six children, but didn’t know where to begin. The Land Ethic Mentorship program connected her with Jon Bednarski, the 2013 Kentucky Leopold Conservation award recipient. He and his wife, Sylvia, had started their farm from scratch. Jon and Sylvia shared their experiences with Soonnyoung as she organized her operation.
When Soonnyoung mentioned that she was concerned about erosion along the stream that ran through their farm, Jon suggested she explore EQIP. Following his advice, Soonnyoung visited her local NRCS office and worked with the agency to develop a conservation plan for the property. She received EQIP funds to plant trees along the streambed and continues to implement conservation practices that reflect her family’s vision for the land. Since joining the Land Ethic Mentorship program, Soonnyoung has expanded her farm, and applied for additional producer grants that will support her pasture improvement efforts.
Farm Credit's support of the mentorship program
Thanks to Farm Credit, the Land Ethic Mentorship program also has sent farmers like Soonnyoung to conferences across the country. These opportunities help them access new networks and knowledge to successfully and sustainably farm their land. In September 2022, five mentees traveled to St. Louis, Mo., for the Conservation Technology Information Center Conservation in Action Tour. This year, four mentees participated in the Future Harvest annual conference, where they formed relationships with other farmers in the Chesapeake watershed and expanded their knowledge of conservation and production practices.
SCF proudly works alongside Farm Credit to support the next generation of farmers. And mentorship offers one path to ensure young, beginning, and other historically underserved farmers can benefit from the wealth of knowledge held by established farmers and ranchers.
If you or someone you know would benefit from a conservation mentor, please enroll in the free Land Ethic Mentorship program at sandcountyfoundation.org/mentorship or email nikki@sandcountyfoundation.org.
* SCF received an NRCS Conservation Collaborative Grant in 2020 to support the development of the Land Ethic Mentorship. In 2022, SCF was awarded a Conservation Outreach: Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreement to expand the existing pilot. Farm Credit provides additional funding to support learning opportunities for mentees.