After the Harvest: Winter Season Mentoring and Ongoing Farmer Networking

Project Overview

ONC26-196
Project Type: Partnership
Funds awarded in 2026: $49,863.00
Projected End Date: 04/30/2027
Grant Recipient: Women, Food, and Agriculture Network
Region: North Central
State: Iowa
Project Coordinator:
Jennifer Studebaker
Email
Women, Food, and Agriculture Network

Commodities

No commodities identified

Practices

No practices identified

Proposal abstract:

WFAN piloted our Harvesting Our Potential (HOP) mentorship program in 2001, recognizing beginning farmers, especially those interested in sustainable agriculture, struggled to find mentors like them. To date, over 150 beginning farmers and ranchers have spent a summer season paired with a HOP mentor. While under WFAN's guidance for only one season, many of these mentorships develop into long term friendships and business partnerships. These connections build a network of farmers and ranchers, which in turn reduces their isolation, increases their economic resilience, increases their retention in the industry, and grows a business community committed to sustainable agriculture.

Our current program focuses on the growing seasons, but we know managing the farm doesn't end after the harvest. We have continually seen a growing demand from our network for both business-centered education and a winter season of our HOP mentorship program. This project would run a pilot for winter mentorships, providing participants with an opportunity to connect with our most experienced farmer mentors to combat isolation, learn valuable business skills, expand their networks, and increase their farm's economic viability. The project will start in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Ohio, tapping into our network of past, present, and future HOP participants.

Project objectives from proposal:

This project will include:

  • The pilot of a winter mentorship program with five mentor/mentee pairings (ten total participants) with the goal of future expansion across the NC-SARE region
  • Two in-person HOP program networking events over the year, bringing anywhere from 20-50 current, past, and prospective HOP participants
  • Improvements to the HOP program structure based on participant feedback, including the identification of unique needs and resources for the winter season mentorships
  • The publication of a detailed case study on the project, which will also be highlighted in a WFAN blog post, WFAN hosted webinar, and shared with relevant media outlets
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.