National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

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1:30pm MDT

Land & Housing Preservation: Heirs' Property

Tuesday September 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm MDT

Heirs' property (sometimes called family land, or inherited land) remains one of the greatest threats to land security, leading to ownership disputes, legal roadblocks, and land loss. This workshop is designed for anyone who supports families and communities navigating these complex property ownership issues. Attendees will gain the tools and insights needed to help families secure their land and protect generational wealth. Key topics include: Understanding the legal and cultural complexities of heirs' property Impacts of fractional ownership and land rights challenges Preventing land loss and preserving family legacies by doing succession planning

Speakers

Fran Miller

Senior Staff Attorney/Adjunct Faculty, Vermont Law and Graduate School

Fran Miller is a senior staff attorney and adjunct faculty member at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS) at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS), where she supervises students in the Food and Agriculture Clinic and leads a variety of projects. Fran focuses predominantly... Read More →

Dr. Kara Woods

Research Analyst, Alcorn State University, National Policy Research Center

Dr. Kara Woods is a native of Montgomery, AL, and alum of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a proud HBCU alum of Tuskegee University where she earned a Ph.D. in Integrative Public Policy and Development. Her dissertation concentrates on the social, economic, and political... Read More →

Lizbeth Davila

Staff Attorney, St. Mary's School of Law

Lizbeth Parra Davila is Practicing Faculty teaching Deposition Skills and a Staff Attorney with the Real Estate Clinic at the St. Mary's University School of Law. Her clinic work and advocacy focus on preserving homeownership and building generational wealth in marginalized communities... Read More →

Tuesday September 22, 2026 1:30pm - 3:00pm MDT
Alvarado H

Land Access Retention and Transfer

3:30pm MDT

An Accountant, a Lender and a Bookkeeper Walk into a Bar - and Spend the Evening with a Balance Sheet

Tuesday September 22, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm MDT

Alvarado H

Re-submitting to correct the title. Everything else in this submission is the same as before. Accountants, lenders and bookkeepers have three different approaches to a balance sheet. All are correct, but on occasion all are in conflict, which can be hard on the business owner, or an adviser. Sometimes the same terms are used in different ways, and often they have very different perspectives on what belongs on a balance sheet and how numbers are calculated. In this session we will go through a balance sheet and discuss how it is prepared by a CPA following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, by a bookkeeper using the modified accrual or modified tax method of accounting, and by a lender for underwriting purposes. We will also discuss best practices for helping a client to develop a balance sheet that can be used to apply for a loan and to anchor a new bookkeeping system. Participants will leave with a new understanding of how common financial terms are used in different specific contexts, and will have improved ability to help clients improve their balance sheet presentation for management and loan-seeking. This session will help anyone who works with farmer on their bookkeeping or lending applications to gain a deeper understanding of technical terms which are often hard to teach, particularly when the teacher does not understand all of the nuances of the term, and the learner does not have any background knowledge of the broader subject of financial accounting. This session addresses a common problem for farmers who do not use standard bookkeeping methods, compile information for loan applications, and then later try to set their bookkeeping up to match the loan application documents.

Speakers

Jane Garcia

Director of Lending, California FarmLink

Jane Garcia is the Director of Lending for California FarmLink, providing loans to under served markets in the agriculture industry. Professional licenses include Mortgage Loan Originator, Realtor and Notary. She is experienced in mortgage, commercial, SBA, USDA, and consumer credit... Read More →

Poppy Davis

Adviser, California FarmLink

Poppy Davis is a business and policy adviser to agricultural and food and beverage enterprises, nonprofits, and local governments. She works through agricultural training programs around the country to deliver programing on topics including agricultural taxation, accounting, credit... Read More →

Winona Dorris

Technical Assistance Director, Potlikker Capital

Winona Dorris is the Technical Assistance Director at Potlikker Capital, where she leads the design and implementation of technical assistance strategies that help agricultural producers build resilient, sustainable businesses. She oversees the development of technical assistance... Read More →

Tuesday September 22, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm MDT
Alvarado H

Farm Financial Management, Accessing Capital