National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

1:30pm MDT

Supporting Farmers Through Stress and Change: Practical Relational Tools for Advisors

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

This workshop explores the role of business and technical assistance providers not only as advisors and problem solvers, but also as sources of grounding, connection, and community for farmers navigating stress and uncertainty. Designed as a peer to peer learning experience, the session equips advisors with practical relational skills to support farmers during difficult moments. We will draw from the field of interpersonal neurobiology to understand how stress affects communication. Participants will learn how the left hemisphere drives task oriented thinking, while the right hemisphere supports relational presence. High stakes situations often push both farmers and advisors into left brain functioning, reducing our ability to connect. By understanding basic brain science, advisors can intentionally shift into language and behaviors that activate the relational circuitry associated with warmth, curiosity, and emotional attunement—helping farmers feel accompanied rather than alone. Participants will learn: • How different types of language activate different neural networks • Why some conversations soothe while others strain • How to shift from task oriented mindset into relational presence • How to use these skills to create safety, resonance, and connection during stressful conversations We will practice applying these tools to scenarios involving farmer stress, change, fear, and loss. Participants will leave with new perspectives on working with stress and concrete skills they can use immediately in the field.

Speakers

Claudia Kenny

Agricultural Farm Land Access and Transfer Senior Specialist, American Farmland Trust

Claudia Kenny brings the skills of a conflict specialist, the grounded experience of a long time farmer, and a deep commitment to a just, community rooted food system to her work with the Farms for a New Generation team at American Farmland Trust. As part of a first generation farm... Read More →

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

Other

11:00am MDT

Ethical Quandary: Holding both farm profitability and food system change, when they don't always pull the same direction

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

Fireplace

As service providers we are all passionate about seeing a future where our agricultural producers are thriving personally and professionally. We also play a unique role in the food system: working with individual farmers while uplifting food systems change. Yet, we are confronted with the harsh realities of farmers who struggle to make ends meet for a myriad of reasons including individual mindset and access, to our economic system and other factors like inflation and regulations; to more global factors, such as climate change and global market competition; and lastly, simply due to luck and chance. Moreover, we recognize the additional barriers faced by those without inherited wealth, individuals experiencing systemic racism and oppression, and those from diverse cultural backgrounds. In this roundtable discussion, we will grapple with our focus on both farmers and food systems: our commitment to farm profitability, to sustainable livelihoods for farmworkers, to healthy food access for low and no income communities, and to investment in long term ecological stewardship. We'll share regional challenges, stories of hope, personal anecdotes, and strategies for navigating individual and systemic change. Join us as we reflect on our ethical duty and how we each tend our own moral compass in this vital work.

Speakers

Paige Phinney

Regional Program Director, Kitchen Table Advisors

James Smith

James Smith is a farmer, food systems activist, and technical service provider with Croatan Institute. James grew up in North Carolina eating wild-foraged edibles and exploring the oak-hickory forests of the Piedmont region. At Croatan Institute, James works through the Soil Wealth... Read More →

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

Other