Get to Know the Summer Mentorship Mentees and Mentors

FARRMS Summer Mentorship program is about creating a network of support for specialty crop producers. Designed by farmers for farmers, participants gain valuable peer insight through guided virtual discussions, visiting each other's farms, and attending FARRMS’ field days. This spring, we welcomed 7 farmers to the program. Hear what they have been up to below. 

Shannon and Jeff Bueche and Jon Stika

Turkey Road Farm / Massage Alchemy Botanicals located in Casselton is owned by Shannon Radcliffe Bueche and Jeff Bueche. For more than 25 years, they have thoughtfully transformed their rural farmstead into an herb and berry farm. The farm produces a wide range of herbal remedies and botanical products made from plants grown on site. Through sustainable farming, wellness offerings, educational classes and events, Shannon and Jeff are committed to sharing the healing power of plants and fostering a nature connected way of living.

• Follow Turkey Road Farm and Massage Alchemy Botanicals 

• Visit their websites https://www.turkeyroadfarm.com/ | https://www.massage-alchemy.com/  

• View Farmer Directory Profile 

Jon Stika is a former conservationist, agronomist, soil scientist, and soil health instructor with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. He continued his work with North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center and published "A Soil Owner's Manual: How To Restore and Maintain Soil Health" in 2016. Jon enjoys being a mentor “to share what I have learned over decades of working in agriculture and horticulture with someone who is building a small farm.”

Jeff and Shannon of Turkey Road Farm applied for the Summer Mentorship with a goal to increase their soil health practices and gain “greater clarity around how to structure our farm for long-term sustainability...” With Jon’s background as a soil scientist, he is able to offer advice during farm visits on their greenhouse production, annual garden, perennial herbs, and shrubs. A piece of knowledge Jon hopes to pass on to anyone in the mentorship program is the importance of water quality and regulating pressure in an irrigation system. 

Jenny Symens, Sloane Russell, and Apryl Mawby

Thyme and Grace Farm, owned by Jennifer Symens and Sloane Russell is located near Balfour. This mother daughter duo purchased the farm in 2024 and have been working diligently to bring it back to life. They are focusing on no-till farming and conservation practices that prioritize the health of the land. For 2026, they are planning to sell vegetables and duck eggs at farmers markets. They are excited for the opportunity to meet other farmers and celebrate each other's success during the Summer Mentorship. 

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Located at the foothills of the Turtle Mountains, Apryl Mawby and her husband Adam own and operate Gardendwellers Farm and Ranch, a diverse, small family farm that raises and sells lamb, chicken, pork, raw milk, culinary herbs, garlic, and natural herbal skin care products. They believe in using their livestock, poultry, and gardening practices to improve the health of their land. In the winter and spring months, Apryl is busy making herbal skin care products, including soap made with milk from their dairy animals, salves, and lip balms utilizing natural ingredients and farm grown botanicals.

• Follow Gardendwellers Farm and Ranch

• Visit their website https://www.gardendwellers.com/ 

• View Farmer Directory Profile 

As part of the Summer Mentorship program, Jenny and Sloane of Thyme and Grace Farm toured Gardendwellers Farm and Ranch’s diverse operation. The visit included discussions on sheep management, meat chicken management, greenhouse best practices, and work life balance. Jenny says the most important thing she learned during the visit was, “tips and tricks about chicken tractors (watering/feeding systems) and moving sheep.” Apryl believes the program is helpful for new farmers to start to build a community where they can seek help, ask questions, and know that they aren't alone in their farming struggles.

Josh Lunski and Jen Skoog

Josh Lunski is in the early stages of establishing his farm business on the west side of Grand Forks. Completing his certification in permaculture design in 2017, his goal is to establish a permaculture orchard and sell to customers at farmers markets, through a CSA, and offer online sales and a farm stand. To assist him in accomplishing his goals, he joined the Summer Mentorship for a chance to form a community of support, share innovative ideas, and form a clear and productive whole farm plan. 

Family Roots farm is a diversified farm that strongly believes good food starts with how it's grown. Owner Jen Skoog strives to provide healthy, local food for her community by using heirloom plant varieties, processing food with farm-grown ingredients, and respectfully raising animals with sustainability practices. With 80 acres situated along the Red River, the varying terrain is home to free ranging chickens and ducks, pasture-raised sheep and pigs, honeybees, and produce gardens.

• Follow Family Roots Farm

• Visit her website http://www.familyrootsfarmnd.com/ 

• View Farmer Directory Profile 

Sharing a vision for agroforestry and incorporating permaculture into a farm design, Josh Lunski and Jen Skoog were paired together to support Josh in creating a plan that will help him launch his farm business. Visiting Jen’s farms provides Josh with the opportunity to view how the separate operations of a diverse farm are all interconnected. For Jen, her goal for being a mentor is to “make connections while allowing an aspiring farmer to experience a farming environment and ask ALL the questions.” 

Susan Connell and Glen Philbrick

Susan Connell founded Anarchy Farm near Emmett, ND in 2014. She has grown nursery stock, vegetables, and flowers for the farmers market while currently producing vegetables, pumpkins, and medicinal herbs that are available at her local grocery store. As an established producer, her goals for Anarchy Farm are to scale up the business with vegetables and flowers and diversify her market opportunities with wholesale sales. 

Glen Philbrick carries on a rich family tradition at Hiddendale Farm near Turtle Lake. He stewards the fifth-generation farm alongside his parents, Richard and Sharon. The farm is a diverse operation with dairy and beef cattle, small grains, organic vegetables, and native grassland flowers. They prioritize soil cover, avoid monoculture, and incorporate cover crops. Glen has participated in numerous grant funded research projects and serves as a contract producer for certified organic vegetable seeds. 

• Visit his website https://hiddendalefarmnd.com/ 

• View Farmer Directory Profile 

The Summer Mentorship Program includes the opportunity for mentees and mentors to visit each other's farm. During the farm visits, Susan is interested in seeing how Glen manages his operation, especially the veggies, herbs and flowers. With Glen’s experience as a contract grower, he is able to share his insight with this sales market and discuss how he has achieved success. 

Amber Portillo and Paul Lepp

What started as a small garden has evolved into a diverse farming operation for Amber Portillo of Little Green Gardens. On her farm near Driscoll, she grows a wide variety of vegetables, raises chickens for meat and eggs, and raises goats for goat milk products. She uses her farm grown fruit and vegetables to create small-batch jellies and other value added goods. 

• Follow Little Green Gardens

• Visit her website https://littlegreengardens.net/ 

• View Farmer Directory Profile

Beagle Hill Permaculture Farm, owned and operated by Paul Lepp, is a small farm using no-till, sustainable farming practices in Minot, ND. Paul uses infrastructure and growing methods that allow him to extend his growing season from April through November. He believes in growing high quality and diverse varieties of fresh vegetables and herbs that are not typically available at the grocery store. His products are available at the farmers market, Minot’s Multi Farm CSA, an on-farm stand, and local restaurants. When asked why he participates in FARRMS’ programs, he shared, “FARRMS does a great job connecting like minded farmers and future farmers.”

• Follow Beagle Hill Permaculture Farm

• View Farmer Directory Profile 

Paul’s organized planting schedule, including succession planting and season extension, makes him a valuable mentor to a farmer hoping to streamline their operation. Amber says she hopes the mentorship will help her create a more organized planting plan and tools for her to stay on track. In addition to farm visits, Amber and Paul have the opportunity to discuss planting and time management during guided virtual meetings, along with discussions on preventing burn out, marketing, and extending revenue streams.  

Thank you to our sponsor, Tito's Handmade Vodka!

Tito's Handmade Vodka's Fourteen Acres™ Farm was built for the team at their distillery in Austin, Texas with this concept in mind: create an environment where fresh food is accessible. From lunch cooked onsite using produce from the farm to weekly farmers markets stocked with produce for employees to take home. Since the farm was established, it has grown from salvaged pieces and spare parts to a thriving farm of raised beds, hoop houses, greenhouses, captured rainwaters, and so much more including the inspiration behind the Love, Tito's Block to Block program. This program continues to seek ways to reconnect communities, one block at a time through working with local nonprofits across the US to create, improve, and enhance community gardens and urban farms, volunteering time and offering support to nurture neighborhood spaces and unite communities.  

In 2025, in the spirit of helping support the Farming community in North Dakota, Tito's gifted FARRMS $45,000 to help champion farmers learning from fellow farmers, through the Farm Beginnings Course and Mentorship Program. To learn more about Tito's and the ways they are spreading love and goodness in their communities through Love, Tito's, the philanthropic heart of Tito's Handmade Vodka, visit: titosvodka.com/love-titos

Interested in participating in 2027?

FARRMS’ Summer Mentorship program runs from May to October. If you are interested in participating in the 2027 program, please sign up using the button below or for questions reach out to our Farmer Educator, Jake, at jcallander@farrms.org.