National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

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9:00am MDT

Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT

Our current environment is creating an opportunity for small innovative solutions to chip away at some of the big intractable problems that small and Ag in the middle farmers have been facing for years. With the status quo becoming untenable, and trust in large institutions at an all time low, even risk-adverse farmers and food system stakeholders are more willing to try something new. And innovators are out there already, sometimes in unrelated industries, quietly solving problems we think can't be solved. Now is the time for us to bring these solutions into our work. This session will convene three industry thought leaders to introduce three innovative, human-scaled approaches that have the potential to address difficult problems we face in our industry. 1) Lori Greenberg, the Executive Director of Marbleseed, will introduce Direct Family Practice, a model for primary care delivery that is spreading across the country that provides accessible health care at affordable prices. 2) Zach Ducheneau, former FSA Administrator and of , will share his work on Farmer Centered Loans that are structured to set farmers up for future success. 3) Tera Johnson, Founder of the Food Finance Institute, will introduce Self Directed IRAs as a way for ordinary people to become equity investors in farms and food system enterprises. The learning objectives for this session are: 1) To introduce the audience to these three innovative solutions that are "shovel ready" and ripe for bringing into our work. 2) Work with the audience to identify next steps that would enable our technical assistance community to integrate these approaches into their work with farms and food system enterprises.

Speakers

Lori Stern

Executive Director, Marbleseed

Lori Stern, MA Ed has been the Executive Director at Marbleseed since September 2020. Since joining Marbleseed, Lori has brought the organization through a re-brand and strategic planning process that centers ecosystem services for the regenerative and organic farm community. Her... Read More →

Tera Johnson

Founder and Finance Expert, The Food Finance Institute

Tera Johnson is a serial entrepreneur focused on creating the next generation of sustainable food and farm businesses. The Founder of the Food Finance Institute, Tera led the full arc of starting, growing, and selling the nations first organic whey processing facility and national... Read More →

Zach Ducheneaux

Former FSA Administrator, 5th C

Zach Ducheneaux is a relapsing 3rd generation rancher. After divesting his cattle herd to work at the Farm Service Agency, he is now back on the family ranch, currently owned and operated by the 4th generation. His time at the FSA was spent promoting the inclusive use of discretion... Read More →

Wednesday September 23, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am MDT
Alvarado F

Agricultural Policy and Advocacy, Accessing Capital

11:00am MDT

Integrating Climate Risk Assessments & Resilience Strategies into Farm Business Planning

Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm MDT

Alvarado F

There is an urgent need to proactively support farmers to integrate climate risk assessments and climate resilience strategies into their business plans both by using standalone tools and by updating the traditional business plan approach and templates. California FarmLink and NOFA-VT have been developing tools and approaches to do just that. Join us to dive into what tools and planning approaches have been developed, how these tools and approaches are being implemented, and why these tools and approaches can make a critical difference to farm viability by enhancing environmental, economic, and social resilience. Come prepared to both hear what we have been up to and also to actively engage in thinking through differences in tool designs and approaches, what could work well for the farmers you serve, and what you would need to do to proactively integrate these topics into your approach to planning.

Speakers

Amanda Cather

Mid-Atlantic Deputy Director, American Farmland Trust

Amanda Cather is the Mid-Atlantic Deputy Director at American Farmland Trust, where she leads farm viability, soil health, and agricultural resilience initiatives across Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on partnering with farmers, state agencies, and nonprofits... 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 →

Reid Miller

Senior Farm Business Advisor, NOFA-VT

Reid Miller is a Senior Farm Business Advisor at NOFA-VT. Over the last 10+ years, they have provided in-depth business and transfer planning services to farmers, supporting them in reaching their financial, production and quality of life goals. Reid has also worked extensively with... Read More →

Wednesday September 23, 2026 11:00am - 12:30pm MDT
Alvarado F

Climate Adaptation and Risk Management, Program Design Development Management and Funding