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A farmer-designed and farmer-led mentoring program based in Indiana

Every experienced farmer was once learning, too.

I farm in County and I want to try .

Been there and done that? Become a mentor.

See it in the field
Two farmers stand waist-deep in a green soybean field under a clear blue sky.
Green cover crop seedlings coming up between rows of wheat stubble.
A tractor pulls a green planter with yellow seed boxes through a field of tall green cereal rye.
Rows of young corn coming up through cover crop residue, with a red barn at the far edge of the field.
Farmers sit at folding tables in a large farm shop, with a green tractor and a planter parked behind them.

Mentors and mentees connected at their Vermillion County farm for conversations on regenerative agriculture.

The Cheesewright farm, September 2026

Read the field report

Summer cover crop mix behind wheat. How many species can you identify?

Farm Advisors, July 2026

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Mentor Stan Moore planting corn into cereal rye.

Kosciusko County, May 2026

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Corn emerges well in no-till cover crop management systems.

Farm Advisors, May 2026

Read the field report

Throughout the day, conversations on equipment, nutrient management, and more sprang up across the shop and fields.

Vermillion County, September 2026

Read the field report

Watch our video

Farmer Led & Farmer Driven, without the red tape. Your Farm Advisor is with you every step of the way.

Transcript of the film

Dear farmers, we have faith in your success, in the field, on the bottom line. There's never been more at stake. As farmers ourselves, we take pride in a job well done. And like you, we have big plans and dreams. Conservation. Profitability. Resiliency. Our lasting legacy.

At Farm Advisor, we're experienced conservation farmers paying it forward so you can be more successful. No matter how you define it.

We're a community you can count on for ideas, advice, support, and mentorship. Farmer-led and farmer-driven without all the red tape. Your Farm Advisor is with you every step of the way. From ideas to implementation, equipment advice, cover crop species recommendations, key management decisions.

With decades of on-farm conservation and soil health experience, your Farm Advisor is a partner you count on every season. To overcome challenges on your own farms and set you up for success today and for generations to come. For more successful farm outcomes, connect with a Farm Advisor today.

Less Failures. More Success.

Pat Bittner, in a cap, and Keith Williams, kneeling, look over a handful of soil in a field of tall cover crops.
Pat Bittner, now a Farm Advisors mentor, checking his soil with Keith Williams of Indiana NRCS before planting corn into his cover crops, Evansville, May 2021 Photo: USDA NRCS / Brandon O’Connor

Soil health & taking farm risks can be difficult.

Every decision you make is critical. From equipment changes, cover crop species, timing, & key management decisions – you want to get it right the first time.

In the field & on the bottom line.

When farmers have a negative experience adopting a practice, they are highly unlikely to try that practice again. At Farm Advisor we solve this problem by pairing you with a farmer mentor who has already spent decades implementing these same conservation and soil-health practices & changes on their own farms – helping you avoid mistakes & pitfalls so you can fast-track your own success, profitability, and resiliency.

Advice. Ideas. Support. Mentorship.

  1. Farmers vet every match

    A three-person committee of farmers appointed by the board to vet conservation farming mentors & farmer mentees who desire to adopt successful soil health and conservation practices on their own farms.

  2. Mentors who have been there

    Mentees, get a flattened learning curve thanks to farmers who have been there and done that. Mentors and mentees both have access to a wide network of other farmers.

  3. One on one, in person or not

    Whether face-to-face or virtual, one-on-one conversations are invaluable for navigating the ins and outs of conservation and regenerative agriculture.

  4. No cost, no strings

    Because Farm Advisors is not directly tied to a cost-share package, participants are free to enroll in the wide variety of available programs.

Rodney Rulon and his mentee Austin Conrad kneel in harvested cornstalks beside a utility vehicle, one holding a soil probe.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's what your mentor is here for.

Rodney Rulon, chair of the Farm Advisors Board of Directors, with his mentee Austin Conrad in Hamilton County. Read the field report

A community you can count on.

A farmer standing between tall corn rows holds up an ear of corn while others listen.
A farm tour through the Cheesewrights’ organic corn
A young farmer looks over a soybean plant pulled from the field while an older farmer in a cap holds up another plant and its roots.
A soybean plant pulled for a look at its root structure
Two hands hold the broken halves of an ear of corn, showing rows of yellow kernels.
Breaking open ears in the corn field

Field report, Vermillion County

A Farm Advisors meeting at the Cheesewright farm

A farm tour highlighted the Cheesewright’s organic corn and soybeans. Kelly shared insights in the midst of a corn field, breaking open ears and highlighting plant growth. Keaton pulled a plant from a soybean field for observations on root structure.

A Farm Advisors meeting isn’t just about visiting an innovative farm or hearing from thought-provoking speakers. Because those spur-of-the-moment conversations offer so much value, each meeting is designed to include time for sharing ideas and learning from other attendees.

More from the field

All field reports

Farm Advisors is farmer initiated & farmer led, supported by top Indiana agricultural institutions.

A 5-person board of farmers consisting of 3 regional representatives from Indiana (North, Central, and South) + 2 at-large representatives. The board directs the overall program, including financial and governance decisions.

The board

Northern Region
Jamie Scott
Central Region
Rodney Rulon
Southern Region
Mike Brocksmith
At-Large Members
Cameron Mills and Dan DeSutter

Non-voting members: Jim Mosely, former Under Secretary of Ag USDA; Lisa Holscher, Director, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative.

Coming up

Pat Bittner, in a cap, and Keith Williams, in a red shirt, stand in a field of cover crops above their knees under a clear blue sky.
Pat Bittner, now a Farm Advisors mentor, with Keith Williams of Indiana NRCS in his cover crops before planting corn, Evansville, May 2021 Photo: USDA NRCS / Brandon O’Connor

Been there and done that?

At Farm Advisors, we’re experienced conservation farmers paying it forward so you can be more successful.

Become a mentor

Supported by agricultural institutions across Indiana

Financial support for Farm Advisors comes from Indiana Soybean Alliance, The Nature Conservancy in Indiana, STEP Up for Ag, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and donations from farmer-members, and non-operating landowners of the group. Our fiscal sponsor is Conservation Technology Information Center.