Mentoring graduate students is a far different task than teaching undergraduates, involving a different set of skills and a high level of long-term commitment. This article discusses a number of principles important to the task of mentoring, from choosing one's students well, to loving what you do, and helping students to navigate the realities of the job market. Additionally, the article examines the problems and possibilities of advising students in agricultural/ rural history, an area with which many of our peers in history departments are largely unfamiliar.