Help train the next generation of regenerative land managers and food producers. We are actively seeking ranches and farms to join our New Agrarian Program as mentors for the next generation of regenerative agriculture practitioners.
NAP mentors are dedicated stewards of the land; they practice intentional, regenerative methods of food production, provide excellent animal care, and are skilled and enthusiastic teachers. Quivira partners with mentors who are full-time, established ranchers or farmers with a minimum of five years’ experience and who are passionate teachers actively seeking to train young people in their field.
Quivira provides training and technical support to mentors in: finding apprentices who are qualified and a good fit; understanding the legalities and logistics related to having an on-ranch or on-farm employee; communicating with apprentices and evaluating their work and learning.
We currently partner with mentor ranches and farms in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana; our focus is on operations in the arid to semi-arid west.
If you have questions, or are interested in mentorship, please contact newagrarian@quiviracoalition.org.
Mentor Qualifications
New Agrarian Program mentors are full-time ranchers and farmers on regenerative agricultural operations located in the western United States. These operations provide products to local/regional markets and/or specialize in soil regeneration.
Qualifications
- Are located in (or closely bordering) New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana
- Have five years in operation and previous experience directly supervising ranch/farm staff or trainees
- Prioritize healthy soil, food, communities, and ecosystems
- Maintain a culture, rhythm, and agricultural practice that provides a high quality of life for both people and animals
- Want to be an apprentice’s full-time employer and teacher
- Have time and capacity to instruct an apprentice and give him or her meaningful feedback
- Have a payroll systems compliant with the requirements of the IRS and state taxation division
- Be financially able to pay an apprentice according to state minimum wage requirements as a W-2 employee, and provide workers’ compensation
- Have adequate, safe apprentice housing, independent of mentor housing
Mentor Obligations
An apprenticeship provides a good balance of active instruction, hands-on skill development and labor in support of the daily operation of a ranch or farm. Mentors commit to providing their apprentices with education and employment experience within their means. In order to ensure a successful apprenticeship and the effective integration of work and instruction, mentors in our program can expect to do the following.
For apprentices
- Provide full-time employment (approx. 170-180 days over eight months) and daily mentoring in a safe working environment compliant with state and federal requirements
- Pay the apprentice as a W-2 employee with access to workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance compliant with labor laws
- Provide safe housing for the apprentice on-ranch or nearby
- Balance work-intensive days or weeks due to seasonal fluctuation with adequate rest and time off- meaning at least 1 consistent day off per week
- Conduct weekly planning meetings with apprentice to outline workload expectations and to answer questions
- Spend several hours per day with apprentice in a work-learn environment
- Conduct four formal evaluations using a skills checklist with the apprentice
For Quivira
- Have monthly check-in phone calls with regional coordinator
- Perform skills checklist evaluations with apprentice three times per year, and submit checklist to coordinator
- Sign an annual memorandum of understanding outlining the elements of the program
- Attend mentor orientation and periodic conference calls throughout the season
- (Optional) Attend the REGENERATE conference and participate in program-related events. Mentors receive two free registration tickets per site and potential support to offset travel/lodging.
- Occasionally host other NAP apprentices for ranch/farm overnight work visits
- Host an annual site visit with a staff member including overnight accommodation if distance requires it
Program Support and Benefits
The New Agrarian Program provides mentors with training (see Mentor Training Series below), but mentors are given plenty of room to customize apprenticeships.
What we provide
- Individual webpages featuring each mentor operation and apprenticeship
- Outreach and promotion, including advertising online, in print, and in communities local to each apprenticeship
- Assistance with application and selection process, including a standard application, application processing, and collaborative review
- Guidance for structuring thorough two-phase interview process
- Annual site visits
- One-on-one support as needed
- Annual mentor training
- A network of other mentors for peer-to-peer support
- Support for travel expenses associated with apprenticeships
- Opportunities for financial support
- Registration at the annual REGENERATE Conference for both mentors and apprentices
How you benefit
- Access to highly motivated young people with experience and a commitment to careers in agriculture
- 170 – 180 days of apprentice labor
- Logistical, administrative, and limited financial support from the Quivira Coalition
- Training in mentorship
- A supportive network of New Agrarian Program mentors to share experiences, compare notes, and seek input from
- Free access to supplemental education webinars designed as part of apprentice education
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or have questions, please email newagrarian@quiviracoalition.org.
2024/2025 Mentor Training Series
Each fall/winter, NAP offers a series of free mentor training calls that go in-depth into important topics related to mentoring in agriculture. The calls are hosted via Zoom and are led by Julie Sullivan, NAP’s founding mentor and mentor training specialist.
Calls are on specific Tuesdays at 12 p.m. OR Thursdays at 7 a.m., All times are Mountain Time.
Attendance is required for new mentors confirmed to be joining the program, but returning mentors are welcome to attend. These calls are open to the general public.
Each call focuses on a specific aspect of balancing mentorship and managing your operation.
Call #1: September 24, 12 p.m. | Sept. 26, 7 a.m.
You and Your Operation As a Mentor
Mentoring differs from being an employer in key ways. How do you know if it’s right for you? What are you excited to teach? The answers to these and other questions will help you write an apprenticeship description that is both appealing and realistic about the ups and downs of regenerative agriculture on your site. We’ll discuss ways to describe work schedules, location, isolation, and other factors to be sure your description will appeal to the applicants you most want to attract.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #2: November 11, 12 p.m. | Nov 14, 7 a.m.
Evaluating Written Applications
A strong evaluation process begins before you read a single application. Creating your review process in advance ensures you’ll read for relevant experience as well as for potential in less-experienced applicants. We will share strategies for tackling the pile of applications, evaluation templates, and sample email responses to applicants who you would like to interview and those you will decline.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #3: December 10, 12 p.m. | Dec 12, 7 a.m.
Interviewing For Your Best Candidate
Design an interview process that will reveal the skill level, motivation and aptitude of applicants and determine if they are right for your operation. We’ll share great questions that lead to thorough responses regarding experience and motivation. What questions can’t be asked, for legal reasons? How do you find out what you most need to know? And how do you select your finalists? We’ll discuss all this as well as suggestions on conducting both phone/video and on-site interviews.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #4: Dates TBD
Expectations Explained: Yours and Theirs
You’ve chosen your apprentice and are preparing for their arrival. How do you set clear expectations of job responsibilities, days off, work schedules, team meetings, and your workplace culture? Writing an apprenticeship agreement, creating a skills list, and setting clear boundaries at the beginning can support a successful apprenticeship.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #5: Dates TBD
Connecting Work and Education
How do you structure the workday, week, and month so that priorities are established, and both work and education happen? Strategies shared include weekly planning meetings, how to find those ‘teachable moments’ during a workday, and ways to do up-front training to get your apprentice going and maintain focus, communication and motivation in the busy season.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #6: Dates TBD
Sustaining Apprentice Motivation
Apprentice motivation can falters a few months in. We’ll discuss ways to co-create apprentice goals that take advantage of the built-in learning at your operation, and ways to keep that momentum going through the season, including identifying apprentice solo study, local resource people to learn from, and visiting other operations. Skill sheets are great prompts for this so we’ll discuss ways to make them truly effective and useful to you and your apprentice.
See last year’s recording of this call here.
Call #7: Dates TBD
Feedback to Feed Forward
Actionable feedback catalyzes learning and motivation by correcting errors while looking ahead to further development. We’ll share a variety of tried and true methods for productive feedback conversations both scheduled and impromptu, as well as how to get feedback to help you grow as a mentor.
See last year’s recording of this call here.