The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) mentor program now in its fourth year in partnership with the Arizona Farm Bureau has secured the fourth Class. A new slate of proteges (NRCS employees) and mentors (our farmers and ranchers) has been matched. The year ahead will be exciting. 

Last month, in partnership with NRCS, Arizona Farm Bureau hosted Class 3 Conservation Agricultural Mentoring Program (CAMP) graduates during a luncheon event at Culinary Dropout in downtown Gilbert. In the meantime, at the same event, the partnership hosted a “kickoff” for the new class, Class 4. Like previous classes, Class 4 is comprised of 10 NRCS employees (proteges) and farm and rancher mentors. Class 4 now begins a 12-month engagement effort with their agriculture mentors to learn more about Arizona agriculture. The top priority is making that one core visit out to the farmer or rancher's place and learning about their agricultural operations. 

Arizona Farm Bureau and The National Resource Conservation Service began a partnership in 2021 to engage in a worthwhile program that aids NRCS employees in understanding Arizona agriculture at the ground level. CAMP provides a mentoring structure between farmers and ranchers and the NRCS employees. While several other states have the NRCS CAMP program, Arizona is unique in that it partners with the Arizona Farm Bureau due to our extensive network of farm and ranch members our organization represents. 

 

Arizona Farm Bureau and NRCS will continue to shine a bright light on this exciting program and the experiences our mentors and protégé are going through. Watch for protégé/mentor profiles in the coming month with Class 4 on the pages of Arizona Agriculture, Arizona’s leading farm and ranch publication.

 

NRCS’s Arizona producer-employee mentoring effort creates an organic partnership approach between the agricultural community and NRCS. This effort assists with the completion of the national NRCS’ goal of connecting NRCS employees to local producers for regionalized, hands-on knowledge of production agriculture and local natural resources in Arizona.

 

The core goals for this partnership effort are that participating NRCS employees (proteges) advance their professional expertise related to:

1. Production of agriculture in their local areas,

2. Local resource concerns, and 

3. How NRCS and producers can address local resource concerns.

 

The outcomes already show a deeper awareness of the types of challenges and decisions our farmers and ranchers face each day and enhance their local community relationships and capacity to provide excellent customer service. It’s also fostered great relationships between mentor and protégé. 


Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Arizona Agriculture.