Name: Small Farm Viability Reality Through Case Studies
Start: 2026-09-22T15:30:00-0600
End: 2026-09-22T17:00:00-0600

Small Farm Viability Reality Through Case Studies

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

Alvarado G

Small farms struggle with financial viability and livelihood satisfaction. Are you working with farmers and still wondering, how do small farms really make it work? This session will take a case study approach to showing how small farms find success, as defined by their own goals. Organizations providing business advising will share client case studies of clients who found both financial success and livelihood satisfaction.

Panelist business advisors will share the following, as relevant to each case: the farm client’s story; goals and how they reached them; what was attenable/not attainable; are they profitable; what support or intervention was required; how does the client now define success; what are they working towards next? What are the particular family, enterprise, geographic, or resource contexts important to this client’s story, goals and success?

Learning Objectives:
1. Learn diverse ways small farms find and define success
2. Learn how business advising and attention to farm financials was a part of the path to viability for each farm
3. Gain exposure to how different programs support farmers to find viability, and interventions that can keep farmers on track, reduce risk, and avoid business failure

Audience:
Beginner/Generalist/Policy maker – people who work with farms in some capacity but don’t look at farm financials every day and want to understand more about
how small farms make it work, and what the financial reality through a story (not wonky spreadsheet) approach.

Speakers

Megan Hunter

Senior Program Specialist, Transfarmation

Jeff Cole

Client Services, The Carrot Project

Christina Lynch

Chief Financial Officer, Potlikker Capital, Inc.

I am a management accounting leader and fractional CFO who helps mission-driven organizations strengthen financial systems, manage capital, and make informed decisions that support long-term sustainability. At Potlikker Capital, I bring a financial strategy lens to advancing equitable... Read More →

Ellen Polishuk

Owner/Consultant, Plant to Profit

Ellen Polishuk Ellen Polishuk is a small farm consultant and business advisor. She leverages her 35 years of biological vegetable farming experience to help growers around the country to achieve more satisfaction and better profitability from their farm businesses. Her client work... Read More →

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

Business Planning and Development

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National Farm Viability Conference

Megan Hunter

Jeff Cole

Christina Lynch

Ellen Polishuk

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Success you have shared X tickets.

National Farm Viability Conference

Megan Hunter

Jeff Cole

Christina Lynch

Ellen Polishuk

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