What is farm coaching?

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Farm coaching can help you:

• Stay in farming, or start a transition

• Make tough, honest decisions

• Improve your quality of life

• Identify your self-care needs for mental health and well-being

 

Coaching provides support for you  as a person and a farmer. It’s about listening, learning, and working towards something that will make a positive difference in your life. Coaching isn't therapy, business planning, or production skill development. It is a critical opportunity to dig deep on topics like work-life balance, family dynamics, communication, and developing a mindset that will support your success. While every farmer’s coaching experience is unique, you might expect to consider questions like: What goals do you have for your farm this year? What goals do you have for yourself this year? How do you approach decisions about scheduling your day? What do you prioritize? What should you prioritize? Ultimately, what you discuss with your coach and the results you achieve will depend on the goals you set for yourself and how you and your coach decide they can best support you in achieving them.

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What does the farm coaching process involve?

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 STEP 1: SIGN UP 

Complete a brief sign-up form. Upon review, we will connect you with a certified, professional farm coach for a no-obligations exploratory call.

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STEP 2: EXPLORATION

During the exploratory call, you and your coach will discuss your specific needs and interests, what’s involved in the coaching process, and whether you and your coach feel like a good fit. At this point, you’ll also decide if you’d like to officially move forward with coaching. 

 

STEP 3: COACHING 

Next, you’ll work with your coach to schedule 5 coaching sessions. Sessions take place over the phone or Zoom, based on your preference, and are tailored to your unique situation.  In between your formal sessions, you may also have brief support calls with your coach on an as-needed basis. While you may schedule sessions over the course of 6 months, feedback from participating farmers suggests that this experience is most beneficial when sessions are scheduled in regular succession.

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How much time should I expect to invest in coaching?

Beyond the 5 hours of active coaching sessions, you might expect to spend between 5 to 10 hours of outside work on coaching-related activities. These details will vary depending on your specific needs and may include things you had already been planning to do for your farm business. 

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I’m a farmer, so how could I possibly engage in coaching during the growing season?

Coaching shouldn’t turn into yet another task to check off your list. It needs to work for you, which means the process has to be flexible. You might feel like you can make the most progress during the growing season, while you're engaging with coaching and taking action in the moment. Or maybe you like the idea of starting with one or two in-season sessions and then spreading things out a bit. Whatever your preference, you'll work with your coach to identify a schedule that makes sense for you.

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