Name: The Algorithm in the Room: Generative AI and Farm Viability Roundtable
Start: 2026-09-24T10:00:00-0600
End: 2026-09-24T11:30:00-0600

The Algorithm in the Room: Generative AI and Farm Viability Roundtable

Thursday September 24, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am MDT

Potters

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude have rapidly moved from novelty to fixture in many industries — and agriculture is no exception. Farmers are arriving at advisor meetings having already used AI to: Generate business plans, enterprise budgets, and grant proposals Brainstorm ideas and work through decisions Answer production and management questions Develop standard operating procedures and other farm documentation Draft marketing materials, including social media content, website copy, and outreach Meanwhile, other farmer-facing technologies — record keeping systems, CRMs, marketing platforms — are integrating AI features that blur the line between traditional software and generative AI. Most of us have been navigating this in real time, without much chance to step back and ask: what are we actually seeing, and what does it mean for our work? This roundtable is an opportunity to pause, compare notes, and share what we are seeing on the ground. We will open with a brief grounding presentation to query group experience/expertise and establish shared language. Our facilitated peer discussion will be structured in two parts. The first two-thirds of the session will focus on direct farmer and TA interactions with generative AI: Where is it proving useful? Where has its use been surprising, innovative, or concerning? How are farmers using it, and how are we responding? Are these tools accessible to all of the farmers we serve? Are we seeing them used differently across farming communities? The final third will shift to how are we as service providers using AI in our own work, and what broader questions are emerging as a result. Rather than debating AI's merits in the abstract, we will ground this segment in practitioner ethics and real-time decisions: Do we disclose when we used AI to help draft a resource for a farmer? How do we respond when a farmer brings us for example, an AI-generated business plan we know is unreliable? Is there a risk to farmers using AI to replace research-based consultations? Are we seeing these tools work differently for different farming communities? Are inherited biases in large language models showing up in our work? How do our personal feelings about AI impact our reactions? What policy or systemic questions are we being asked about, and do we have good answers? Our goal is not simply to react to AI's growing presence, but to surface what we are collectively learning — and to leave with a clearer sense of how peers across the country are navigating these tools in their farm viability work. Learning Objectives Participants at this roundtable will walk away with: A clearer picture of how generative AI is showing up in farm viability work across different regions and sectors Real examples from peers of what's working, what's concerning, and what remains unanswered A stronger sense of how colleagues across the country are navigating these tools — and the ethical questions that come with them A shared list of questions to keep exploring in their own organizations and communities

Speakers

Stevie Schafenacker

Principal, Independent Advisor

Stevie Schafenacker is an independent farm advisor who has worked with New England farmers for the past four years, providing business planning, financial literacy support, and strategic decision-making assistance to more than 60 individual farm clients. Prior to that, she coordinated... Read More →

Jesse Wright

Agricultural Business Management Field Specialist, UNH Cooperative Extension

Jesse Wright is an Agricultural Business Management Field Specialist at UNH Cooperative Extension. In this role, she works with farmers throughout the state to build strong business skills and develop supportive networks. Her education and technical assistance center on marketing... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am MDT
Potters

Business Planning and Development, Program Design Development Management and Funding

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National Farm Viability Conference

Stevie Schafenacker

Jesse Wright

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National Farm Viability Conference

Stevie Schafenacker

Jesse Wright

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