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Ashland County farmer Dave McClure said if it wasn't for Damon Meyer, he could never have been this involved in farming.

McClure went to work on the Meyer family's Angus farm and now is growing a herd of his own.

"One of the things that he does for me is give me cattle from the herd," McClure said.

McClure said he already treats everything on the Meyer farm as if it were his own, but now he has been able to acquire quality cattle that he otherwise couldn't afford.

There is growing interest among farmers getting started in agriculture to be involved in a mentoring relationship, according to Sharon Sachs, consulting director of services for Innovative Farmers of Ohio (IFO). Funded by a $93,000 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant, the organization recently launched a program called Wisdom in the Land to foster these relationships.

"The whole purpose is really to prepare transitioning and beginning farmers to engage in sustainable agriculture," Sachs said.

Sachs said this group of farmers may include people who have recently moved back to the land or returned to the family farm. Traditional commodity farmers looking to diversify their operations may also be interested.

"Or that they simply want to try something new because they see it could be an additional income or a replacement way of working," Sachs said.

The mentoring program will tailor to farmers interested in becoming involved in niche markets such as organic produce or grass-fed beef. But Sachs said the program does not limit farmers by product line.

"Two or three years down the road my belief is that we will have established a network of farmers," she said.

The program will be offered in two, 15-month sessions between November 2006 and April 2008 and is open to people 18 and older who have farmed their land a year or more. Participants will meet in groups with other beginning and transitioning farmers and experienced farmers who want to support them. Individuals will also work with an assigned mentor who is experienced in specific sustainable practices.

The next application deadline is Dec. 15 for farmers who will begin the program in February.

Sachs said IFO is currently looking for both participants and mentors.

Chris Henney, OFBF director of policy development, is on the advisory council for the program.

"As we all know, production agriculture is a very difficult business to break into if you don't come from a farming family," Henney said. ""Wisdom in the Land will help provide these new farmers with the business and production skills they will need in addition to great networking opportunities with existing farmers."

For more information call 1-800-372-6092 ext. 5.

Caption: Dave Mcclure, (r), has relied on farmer Damon Meyer (l) to help him get started in the cattle business.