Nothing shortens a learning curve quite like a decent mentor. The people who I have learned the most from were never on a stage giving speeches. They were rough around the edges, and often had never sat in a college classroom. My first (informal) mentor for raising goats was a chain smoking mail lady with a heart of gold. I learned about ranching and cattle from older guys who rarely left the ranch. I learned about sourdough from a retired National Park law enforcement officer (who served in Vietnam as an Army Ranger) originally from Georgia. I learned a ton of fencing tricks from a lady sheep rancher 12 years younger than me. My favorite mentors learned from grandparents or the school of hard knocks. They can be shy about sharing information, and it definitely requires building a relationship to get their help. Most important is to listen to the stories, and the long version.. To ask specific questions, and be ok if they don't have an answer. Often, they may get back to you with the answers you needed. Mentors can save you years of mistakes, and definitely make the journey a lot more fun. You never know when or where you might cross paths with just the person you need to learn from. Keep your ears open and be open to meeting new people of all walks of life. Image: Agnes the cow looking over her new hay feeder.