GLENVIEW, Ill. - Farm Foundation’s 2023 Young Farmer Accelerator Program cohort represents the continuation of an annual series of interactive learning and networking experiences for young farmers aged 21-40. Focused on gaining a deeper understanding of a wide variety of agriculture, agribusiness, and government issues, the program also hopes to help young farmers like Blake Lanphier build a strong, enduring network of peers and agribusiness and government contacts.

“For me, it’s the networking and meeting other professionals in the tight-knit community of agriculture that attracted me to this program. The opportunity to become a more effective leader,” said Lanphier, 30, who has been farm manager at Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois, since 2016.

“I applied for the Illinois Ag Leadership Program (IALP) back in 2018 and I loved the leadership aspect of that program and the things I learned were a huge boost for me early in my career. Post-IALP I wanted to keep going and that led me to the Young Farmer Accelerator Program. When Covid hit I was just focusing on keeping the farm going, but I received a nomination and am absolutely honored to be selected. The journey is just beginning.”  

According to Farm Foundation program manager Jenna Wicks, Young Farmers engage in a variety of activities including the development of working relationships with peers and a senior agribusiness-farmer mentor. They also participate in Farm Foundation Round Table meetings to network and learn from industry leaders, along with other unique opportunities for personal and professional development.

“The Farm Foundation Young Farmer Accelerator program is a great opportunity for producers from across the country to learn from peers with operations that are sometimes very different than their own,” stated Wicks. “Coupled with access to Farm Foundation’s broad network of food and ag industry leaders, the program participants have a rich and fruitful year ahead of them.”

Lanphier plans to apply much of what he learns from the Young Farmer program to his many roles at Wagner Historic Farm, which is a unique working farm museum located amid urban sprawl.

“We’re a living history museum that is a farm. It was owned by the Wagner family, and when the last member died the (City of Glenview) park district was able to purchase it around the year 2000. With that purchase through referendum, the citizens wanted this property to remain a farm. We offer agricultural education that shows how food is produced now compared to in the 1920s,” Lanphier explained.

The farm-slash-museum attracts around 150,000 visitors per year, which keeps Lanphier busy juggling duties that include overseeing the working farm’s daily production and maintenance as well as supervising farm personnel. The farm includes dairy cattle, laying hens, broilers, sheep and a team of horses. He also serves as advisor to a 40-member 4-H club that meets year-round at Historic Wagner Farm. 

“We stay very busy here at the farm,” said Lanphier. “I am very lucky working for the park district in that they encourage my participation in the Young Farmer program. And once you are accepted there is really no cost to you. It just shows that they are sincere in investing in the next generation of agriculturists. I know that all involved are hopeful I’ll be a better leader coming out of the program.”

The 2023 crop of Young Farmers, along with some program alumni, has met once virtually with plans to convene again soon for a workshop to discuss topics of pursuit for the coming year. An in-person roundtable is planned for June in Chicago.

Another Illinois grower, Corey Johnson of Johnson Farms in Peotone, was also selected for the 2023 Farm Foundation Young Farmer Accelerator Program. The fifth-generation farmer raises over 800 acres of corn and soybeans with his father, specializing in organic, cover crops, no-till and strip-till. 

Johnson and Lanphier are joined in the 2023 program by six other Young Farmers, all from outside of the Farm World readership area. Learn more about the Young Farmers and the Young Farmer Accelerator Program at https://www.farmfoundation.org/programs-overview/young-farmer-accelerator-program.