Pennsylvania offers free farming mentorship program

Pennsylvania farmers seeking mentorship in farming and agribusiness can still apply for Pennsylvania's Agriculture Mentor pilot program and gain advice from five mentors with comprehensive agricultural experiences.

• READ MORE: Kickstarter helps launch small Pennsylvania dairy farm

The program is designed for all types of farmers, including beginning farmers, agribusiness entrepreneurs, and seasoned farmers wanting assistance in troubleshooting and crafting new strategies or ideas for their farm businesses.

• READ MORE: Your time will come...

One of the five program mentors, Winifred McGee of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, is passionate about helping establish farm and food businesses. She served as a former Penn State Extension educator and has over 30 years of teaching experience in business planning, financial analysis, and business feasibility. She is part-time faculty for the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center.

• READ MORE: Be a Mentor, Help a Kid, Help Yourself

The pilot program is in its second year. In 2022, 5 mentors hosted 124 sessions and provided 127 hours of free mentor services to Pennsylvania farmers. Since its first quarter this year, over 30 clients have received 48.25 hours of free mentoring.

The pilot program was spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Horizon Farm Credit, Center for Dairy Excellence, Farm Progress, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, PA Farm Link, Penn State Extension, and SCORE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Development Center.

To request a mentoring session, visit score.org/find-mentor, pafarmlink.org/mentor or email farmland@pafarmlink.org