Search and Ask

Farm Advisors is a mentoring program designed and led by Indiana farmers, with the goal of flattening the learning curve for regenerative agriculture practices. The program connects mentees with a growing network of farmer mentors who can provide practical advice and personalized guidance to boost farm profitability, sustainability, and resilience.

• About Farm Advisors

Fill out the contact form with your county and the practice you want to try. A three-person committee of farmers appointed by the board vets mentors and mentees, and mentee farmers are matched up with mentor farmers in the same region with similar soil types.

• Ask for a Mentor
• Mentor Vetting Committee

Choose “I want to become a mentor” on the contact form and tell us the practice you can help with. The Mentor Vetting Committee, a three-person committee of farmers appointed by the board, vets conservation farming mentors and farmer mentees.

• Offer to Mentor
• Mentor Vetting Committee

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

• About Farm Advisors
• Paying for Conservation

Provide coaching to farmers who want to adopt practices like cover crops, no-till, rotational grazing - and more. Your Farm Advisor is with you every step of the way, from napkin sketch to implementation: equipment advice, cover crop species and key management decisions.

• Farm Advisors home
• Field reports

Mentors and mentees connect by phone, by text or in person, whatever is most comfortable. Whether face-to-face or virtual, one-on-one conversations are invaluable for navigating the ins and outs of conservation and regenerative agriculture. Farm Advisors meetings also bring mentors and mentees together on a host farm.

• “Don’t be afraid to ask questions”
• A Farm Advisors meeting at the Cheesewright farm

Mentee farmers are matched up with mentor farmers in the same region with similar soil types, and the farmer board has representatives from North, Central and South Indiana. Tell us your county on the contact form.

• The board
• Ask for a Mentor

Yes. Because Farm Advisors is not directly tied to a cost-share package, participants are free to enroll in the wide variety of available programs, such as EQIP, the Conservation Stewardship Program and Clean Water Indiana.

• Paying for Conservation
• Help in Your County

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.

• Events and Opportunities
• A Farm Advisors meeting at the Cheesewright farm

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. Rodney Rulon chairs the board, and Elise Koning is the program manager. The Conservation Technology Information Center is the fiscal sponsor.

• Governance and Administration Committee
• Staff

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.

• About Farm Advisors

Be the first to know more about upcoming events, opportunities, and Farm Advisors programs. Join the Farm Advisor Community with your email at the bottom of any page, or on the contact form.

• Join the Farm Advisor Community

Write to Elise Koning, program manager, at koning@ctic.org, or send a request through the contact form.

• Contact