National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

1:30pm MDT

When Does Wholesaling Work? Helping Your Farms Understand Wholesale Readiness and Costs of Distribution

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

This session will provide Farm Business Planners with Key Questions they should be asking their farm clients when a client is considering the Wholesale Channel. Participants will come away with the most current detailed list of considerations and questions farms need to ask themselves when considering Wholesale. These include detailed questions around 7 topic areas: Capital improvements; Operating expenses; Distribution/Logistics; Food Safety; Customer Service; Cash Flow; and Income/Profitability. The questions have been formatted into a workbook as well as excel spreadsheets that both planners and farm clients can utilize in a "question and answer format" to assess whether pursuing wholesale is a viable, feasible and desirable channel for the farm.

Speakers

Rose Wilson

Principal, Rose Wilson Consulting LLC

Over the past 22 years, Rose Wilson has helped more than 500 farms and food producers with business launch, expansion, and exit; enterprise analysis; market development; and grant writing/capital raise. Rose brings a broad set of technical and people skills to each client and project... Read More →

Elisa Clancy

Farm Viability Advisor, University of Vermont Extension

Elisa is a Farm Business Advisor, providing farmers with one-on-one business planning and coaching and she coordinates the University of Vermont Extension Farm Viability Program with the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. She works with farm owners in developing and updating... Read More →

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

Farm Financial Management, Food and Farm Marketing and Distribution

3:30pm MDT

Inside the Machine: Tactical and Strategic Approaches to Institutional Food Markets

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

Alvarado F

Most farm viability professionals already sense it: no matter how well-prepared a producer is, no matter how committed an institution claims to be, something in the system keeps getting in the way. This session names that something directly and gives attendees the tools to work around it, through it, and eventually against it. Built from five years of field experience running BIPOC and regenerative sourcing pilots with hospitals, universities, corporate dining programs, and school districts, this workshop offers a three-part arc: Part 1 — The System (30 min): How consolidation in foodservice management (the "Big Three": Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Group) and broadline distribution (Sysco, US Foods, PFG) creates structural barriers to local and values-based sourcing. We'll cover lock-in, network effects, the hidden role of rebates and kickbacks, and a practical taxonomy of institutional buyer types, including what makes each one more or less accessible to regional producers. Part 2 — What You Can Do Now (35 min): Tactical tools drawn directly from SupplyChange's field work, including: the 3Cs framework (Connections, Capabilities, Commitments) for assessing buyer readiness; power mapping to identify champions and decision-makers inside institutions; variance analysis to expose distributor markups and make the case for local alternatives; food hub dynamics and when they hit a wall; and farmer archetypes (Sovereignty, Mixed Market, Commercial) to match producers to appropriate market channels without exposing them to harm. Part 3 — The Long Game (15 min): Situating tactical work within the longer arc of antimonopoly advocacy, including an accessible history of antitrust enforcement, the laws already on the books (Sherman Act, Robinson-Patman Act, Clayton Act), and how political education connects to structural change. Attendees will leave able to: explain how market consolidation creates structural sourcing barriers and communicate this to farmers and institution partners; apply the 3Cs and power mapping frameworks to assess a specific institutional opportunity; match producer archetypes to appropriate market channels and identify TA gaps; and connect near-term tactical wins to longer-term advocacy goals.

Speakers

Heather Nieto-Friga

CEO, SupplyChange

Heather "H" Nieto-Friga (she/her) is the founder and CEO of SupplyChange, a nationwide food systems and supply chain consultancy specializing in institutional procurement and regional food system development. Her background spans food justice and labor organizing, local government... Read More →

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

Agricultural Policy and Advocacy, Food and Farm Marketing and Distribution

9:00am MDT

New Ideas for Our Intractable Problems

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

Alvarado F

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

8:00am MDT

Resilience Meets Recordkeeping: Building Whole‑Farm Strength

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:00am - 9:30am MDT

Alvarado F

Good recordkeeping is one of the most overlooked tools for improving farm viability—and it becomes even more powerful when integrated with conservation and risk‑management planning. This session helps participants connect financial records with whole‑farm resilience by showing how everyday numbers can reveal the economic value of water management, soil‑building practices, and climate‑smart decisions. Building from NCAT's Finish Strong: Practical Farm Recordkeeping framework and the Abundant Ogallala project's producer-led conservation approaches, attendees will explore how to track not only cashflow, income, and expenses but also the impacts of conservation actions on long‑term profitability, risk exposure, and operational stability. Participants will practice linking financial and conservation data to answer essential questions: Which practices actually save money? How do drought and water insecurity show up in the numbers? What records help farmers make better decisions in an unpredictable climate? This session equips advisors, planners, and farmers with low-barrier tools that improve business clarity, strengthen resilience, and support whole-farm planning aligned with the conference priority areas of financial management and climate adaptation.

Speakers

Darron Gaus

Assistant Director of Agriculture, NCAT

Darron Gaus is the Assistant Director of Agriculture at the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), where he leads producer-centered projects focused on farm resilience, water conservation, financial decision-making, and climate adaptation. He manages the Abundant Ogallala... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 8:00am - 9:30am MDT
Alvarado F

Climate Adaptation and Risk Management, Farm Financial Management

10:00am MDT

How to Grow and Cultivate Farm Stories and Land Succession Through Technical Assistance Support

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

Alvarado F

A moderated panel discussion on land retention and transfer from Michael Carter Jr with Africulture, Ebonie Alexander of Black Family Land trust (and two to other farmers not yet confirmed) to discuss through land retention and transfer plans related to their story and farming practices and principles. This will be a moderate panel discussion and workshop, providing tools and takeaways to use in the field.
We will heavily delve into the cultivating all farmers most consistent crop and that’s their story.
Intended audience: Technical assistance providers, heirs property advocates, legislative influencers, landowners, and anyone with family that owns land
The key skills are land transition plans, strategies and approaches, land valuation and framing how the land and farming is perceived. Benefits of trust, wills, communication and different ways of farming to make the farm viable, profitable and transition worthy will be discussed sharing our personal stories and experiences.

Speakers