The CultivateGrowth program through GreenStone enables young, beginning, and small farmers the opportunity to take advantage of flexible loan rates and more lenient credit standards to help them secure the funding they need to succeed. But arguably more important, the CultivateGrowth program provides connections and resources. One of those important resources is the CultivateGrowth mentorship – a chance for new farmers to connect with an experienced mentor to learn the ropes about managing a farm operation.
One of this year’s mentees is Mikayla Bowen. She’s less than three years into her journey operating a goat operation -- something she started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was home a lot in 2020 and we live on an old dairy farm that has some barns, so I started with two goats and now I have fifteen.”
Mikayla bonds with one of her many goats.
Mikayla isn’t new to agriculture, though. Her dad is in the dairy industry and she grew up showing animals for 4H. Fast forward to now, and she’s studying animal science with a dairy concentration at Michigan State University. Conveniently, her CultivateGrowth mentor Tony Boughton works at MSU managing the university’s farm service center.
“Mentoring an MSU student has been really nice because we are in close proximity and we can use the resources of MSU,” said Tony.
“My experience has been really great,” said Mikayla. “I feel like Tony is able to make connections with students really easily. He has connections at the university with other people in the sheep and goat industry.”
And he’s sharing those connections with Mikayla to help her grow. Recently, Tony set up a meeting with a professor so she can learn more and expand her operation. Tony hopes to connect her with more experts in the coming months.
“I have a couple of producers that I would like to have her meet to show her how they manage their farms so she can learn some more management skills,” said Tony.
Tony has his own wealth of experience and wisdom to share, too. He owns and operates a 700-acre farm where he grows corn, soybeans, and hay. He also raises lambs and goats to sell to the Eastern Market.
Mikayla has a similar vision for her future after she graduates from Michigan State University in May, and that’s what makes Tony the perfect mentor for her.
“Long term, I’d like to be able to have my own property and actually be able to create a profit from this business,” said Mikayla. “I want to do this full-time.”
One of Tony’s favorite parts of the program is that he gets to learn, too.
Mikayla's goat farm continues to grow.
“I’m learning how to best assist her and how to be a mentor,” said Tony. “I’m picking up a lot from her and I hope she’s picking up knowledge from me also.”
And in Mikayla’s words, she certainly is.
“So far I have learned a lot. I’ve learned this industry is mainly about meeting people and networking with them. I’m very familiar with people in my dairy program, but Tony has helped me make contacts in the goat and sheep community.”
As for the next couple of months, Tony and Mikayla will continue to meet and will soon visit each other’s farms – something that is highly encouraged in the CultivateGrowth mentorship.
“I think it’s great being her mentor and I hope I can offer her as many resources as I have available,” said Tony. “The mentorship program is great and allows us to work at our own pace to push the mentees to a new level.”
GreenStone is proud to offer this program to invest in the future of rural America. To learn more about our CultivateGrowth mentorship, visit our page here. Ready to take the next step? Submit an application for GreenStone's 2024 CultivateGrowth Mentorship program here.
