Mentorships

Personal, season-long mentorships play a key role in the Central Illinois Farm Beginnings (CIFB) program. The one-on-one mentorship gives you an opportunity to learn the practical aspects of running a farm business through interaction with an experienced farmer-mentor. CIFB’s facilitators are connected to a large, diverse community of farmers throughout the Central Illinois region who are interested in supporting a new generation of farmers. Every year, we use these connections to match every one of our CIFB farm families/businesses to an appropriate mentor.

Every CIFB mentorship is custom-fit to address the specific needs, goals and limitations of each farm family or farm business enrolled in the CIFB program. Because each student has unique job and family commitments, this portion of the program is highly individualized and flexible. Some mentorships are very time-intensive (5 days a week all season long) while others are less time intensive (a few farm visits or work days, with phone calls as needed). Naturally, the more time you put in, the more you'll get out of a mentorship.