Expanding Our Roots: Mentorship That Grows California Agriculture
Ever been a beginner, trying to navigate agriculture? Wouldn’t it have been great to have someone right there beside you—someone who’d already been through the learning curve?
That’s exactly the idea behind Expanding Our Roots, a mentorship program from the California Farm Bureau’s California Bountiful Foundation.
Launched in the spring of 2024 with support from both state and federal funding, the program connects beginning farmers and ranchers with experienced ag professionals—people who’ve lived it, learned from it, and are now stepping up to help others do the same. According to an Ag Alert report from the California Farm Bureau, Expanding Our Roots is designed to help new producers navigate the many complexities of agriculture, from regulatory roadblocks and land access to crop planning and long-term business decisions.
Tyler Rood, the program’s coordinator and a senior project specialist at the foundation, says the relationships being built are meaningful—and they’re creating a stronger future for California agriculture.
If you'd like to learn more about the program and see where you might fit in, visit CaliforniaBountifulFoundation.com.
