National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

1:30pm MDT

Designing Business Assistance Programs for Farmer Success

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

This session will provide an overview of two business assistance programs that provide in-depth, individualized, or "one-to-one" business and financial advising to farm and food businesses in California and Vermont. Attendees will learn about the program design, staffing, outcomes, and funding. The session is structured as a moderated panel with time for audience Q&A. This session is most useful for program managers or funders, business advisors, and those who want to update or add a business advising program.

The Vermont Farm and Forest Viability Program was started in 2003, and was also the founder of the National Farm Viability Conference. The program serves all stages of businesses from year three through established. In 2025, 71% of clients reported increased gross sales; clients increased their sales by an average of $52,000 and 82% added jobs; and, 78% of farm transfer planning clients reported that their business will continue because of participating in the Farm & Forest Viability Program.

California Farmlink has recently updated its business advising approach to building client skills. They have integrated their business assistance program to support their client and lending objectives. California FarmLink offers education and business assistance to help clients overcome barriers and increase long-term business viability. These include the Resilerator™ education course and the Spanish-language El Resilderador™, providing cohort-based business training. California FarmLink frames their education and business assistance work within a Client Journey (map) to coordinate client interactions across the organization.

Speakers

Liz Gleason

Vt Farm & Forest Viability Program Director, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board

iz joined the Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program in 2010, becoming Director in 2021. Liz leads all program activities, funding awards, outcomes evaluation and reporting. She also fosters a robust set of partnerships with partner organizations across the state and leads fundraising... Read More →

Asia Hampton

Business Skills Advisor, California FarmLink

Asia is a Business Skills Advisor specializing in financial operations, strategy and capital access for farmers. She supports clients navigating loan readiness, standing up or standardizing their bookkeeping practices and business planning through California FarmLink. A practitioner... Read More →

Dorothy Suput

Principal, DSuput Consulting

Dorothy has over 30 years of non-profit leadership experience. I work with non-profits to design and strengthen programs. My work helps expand capital and land access and the availability of business development programs that promote farm and food-business economic viability. I am... Read More →

Chuck Ross

Board Chair, Intervale Center

Chuck Ross lives in Vermont on his 240-acre family farm where they incubate and support start up and early stage farm businesses. He currently serves as the Chair of the Intervale Center Board and on the Vermont Nature Conservancy Advisory Board. Ross has also served as the Climate... Read More →

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

Program Design Development Management and Funding, Business Planning and Development

3:30pm MDT

Rooted in Trust: Culturally Responsive Farm Viability for Latino Farmers

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

Ballroom

A growing number of next-generation farmers in the U.S. are immigrants who began as farmworkers and later transitioned into farm ownership. While many bring strong production knowledge and deep agricultural experience, they often face barriers in accessing farm viability services such as bookkeeping, credit readiness, succession planning, business planning, and financial literacy support. This moderated panel discussion will explore how organizations across the country are building culturally and linguistically responsive farm viability programs for Latino farmers and other underserved producers. American Farmland Trust California and University of California, Davis will share findings from the Risk Management for Latino Farmers survey, highlighting current needs, barriers, and opportunities for stronger support systems. Panelists from nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and farmer-serving programs will discuss successful outreach models, trust-building strategies, and lessons learned in delivering business technical assistance that reflects the cultural, linguistic, and operational realities of the farmers they serve. Participants will leave with: - A stronger understanding of the diversity within Latino farming communities - Practical examples of culturally responsive outreach and technical assistance models - Strategies for improving farmer engagement and long-term participation - Ideas for adapting farm viability services to better support underserved producers - New opportunities for peer learning and cross-regional collaboration

Speakers

Tania Zuñiga

Business Advisor, Kitchen Table Advisors

Mercedes Rodriguez

Danny Jacobo

Anna Chotzen

Director of Farm Viability, Viva Farms

Anna has nearly 15 years of experience supporting beginning and immigrant farmers to build thriving farm businesses. As Viva Farms' Director of Farm Viability, she leads the organization's land access, capital access, and business management programs. She works closely with capital... Read More →

Natalia Pizon Jimenez, PhD

Research Scientist, University of California, Davis

Deborah Nares

Andrea Levy

Senior Program Manager, California FarmLink

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

Program Design Development Management and Funding, Business Planning and Development

9:00am MDT

Cross-State Approaches to Equitable Farmland Tenure and Purchase

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

Ballroom

Agricultural land consolidation is accelerating across the United States, squeezing out small and mid-sized operators at a time when the next generation of sustainable producers most needs a foothold. This 90-minute session brings together practitioners from California, Georgia and other states to share what policies are actually working in farmland access, what has failed, and where the field needs to go next. The session is structured in two parts: PART 1: Practitioner Presentations (50 minutes) California (20 min): Kitchen Table Advisors and California FarmLink will present findings from the Agricultural Land Equity Task Force (A-LETF) Report, including the $1M TA contract that emerged from California Farmer Equity Act to advance equitable land access. Presenters will be candid about what has moved the needle and what hasn't. We will share lessons for advocates in other states looking to translate policy wins into on-the-ground impact. The Conservation Fund (20 min): The Conservation Fund will present a start-to-finish farmland transition model refined across 25+ transactions in multiple communities and states. A process that combines acquisition, technical support, conservation easement, and stepped-down pricing to make land ownership accessible for small and mid-sized operators at an inflection point and ready to scale. Presenters will share what it takes to replicate this model in new communities and will invite feedback from the room. Q&A for Presenters (10 min) PART 2: Facilitated Panel Discussion (40 minutes) Using the two state examples as a jumping-off point, the session will open into a structured peer discussion organized around three questions: • What are practitioners in your region trying to accomplish around farmland access and where are you hitting walls? • What's working, what isn't, and what do other states' experiences tell us? • Where do we go from here? What policy, financial, and cross-state coordination moves are needed to achieve meaningful land reform? Learning Objectives: Attendees will leave with (1) a concrete understanding of two distinct state-level approaches to equitable farmland transition. One policy/TA-driven (CA) and one transaction/conservation-driven (GA); (2) honest analysis of what has and hasn't worked in each; and (3) actionable ideas for what peer organizations and cross-state coalitions could do next.

Speakers

Liya Schwartzman

Senior Program Manager, California FarmLink

Since 2010, Liya Schwartzman has been a trusted partner for California farmers and ranchers, helping them secure the land, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Through her work with California FarmLink, she has guided hundreds in land access, strong tenure agreements... Read More →

James Nakahara

Program Manager, Ecosystem Building, Kitchen Table Advisors

James Nakahara is Program Manager for Ecosystem Building at Kitchen Table Advisors (KTA), a nonprofit farm business advising organization based in California. In this role, he oversees strategic initiatives that connect food system stakeholders to improve equitable economic opportunities... Read More →

Krisztián Varsa

Director, Farms Fund, The Conservation Fund

Kathryn Lyddan

Principal, Convivial Land Consulting

Kathryn works with land trusts, nonprofits, and local governments on farmland access and conservation projects, including strategic planning, policy development, program design and real estate and financing innovation. Kathryn has served as the Director of Conservation for the Marin... Read More →

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

Land Access Retention and Transfer, Accessing Capital

11:00am MDT

Tax Management Strategies and a Tax Estimator Tool

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

Ballroom

There are many variables that play into the potential success of any farm and ranch regardless of size. When working with farms and ranches the focus is often on financial analysis or business planning including the general categories of risk management (i.e. production, financial, legal). While this is important, often the tax liability is left out. The liability from both income and self-employment tax can be incredibly significant. Without including it in the programming and interaction with farms, unexpected pressures on cashflow may affect farm viability. Three examples of where there can be unexpected liability include: 1) New farms that may only have $10,000 in taxable income, might not expect a significant tax burden, but may owe about $1,500 just in self-employment tax. 2) With current turbulence (e.g. input costs, drought) and projected low farm income, farms and ranches may be looking at selling assets and/or exiting farming. This can have tax liability because of deferred tax from farm inventory, and low or zero tax basis in the assets. 3) Producers moving through the process of succession and transition, moving the operations to the next generation of successors while they transition into retirement or semi-retirement. And 4) Farms and ranches making decisions about production, setting long-term goals within their business plans or simply making decisions about input purchases and or sales of farm products. In times of slim margins when every penny counts, proper tax management strategies can aid farms and ranches to be prepared to consider viable options which should help farms and ranches limit unintended tax liability consequences. This session will provide information on common tax management strategies and the use of a tax estimator tool to assist farms and ranches to remain viable. These strategies and tool can be used to provide awareness of the magnitude of the liability, compare the effects of options, and mitigate the magnitude of the effect on cash flow. The sessions goals and objectives are: 1. Understand the potential effects of tax liability on cash flow and interaction with farm financial analysis. 2. Provide information about common tax management strategies under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) that should be considered and their limitations. 3. Understand when should tax management strategy sessions take place 4. How to use a tax management decision tool. If participants bring a computer, they will be able to download the tool to utilize during the workshop. 5. Provide additional resources on tax and asset protection topics. These resources are available on RuralTax.org and available for public use.

Speakers

Adam Kantrovich

ii. Extension Specialist & Program Team Director – Agribusiness and Director of the Clemson Extension Tax School, Clemson University

v. Dr. Kantrovich has been a faculty member in higher ed and or in Extension approx. 30 years and Co-chairs the National Farm Income Tax Extension Committee. Dr. Kantrovich specializes in agricultural financial management, ag labor policy, farm and timber taxation, and other agricultural... Read More →

JC Hobbs

Associate Extension Specialist, Oklahoma State University

Ruby Ward

ii. Professor, Agriculture Tax, Agriculture Entrepreneurship, Community Development., Utah State University

v. Dr. Ruby Ward has been in higher education and or Extension for approx. 30 years.; she has her CPA, MBA and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. Dr. Ward Co-chairs the National Farm Income Tax Extension Committee. Ruby specializes in agricultural entrepreneurship, farm tax education... Read More →

Sarah Campbell

National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator, USDA

Sarah Campbell is the National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator at USDA. Her work focuses on leading and coordinating beginning farmer efforts across the Department, increasing access to USDA resources, and improving programs beginning farmers use to start and grow their operations... Read More →

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

Farm Financial Management, Business Planning and Development

8:00am MDT

Practical Considerations for Ground Leases

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

Ballroom

Ground leases have been promoted in the agricultural context for the past 20 years. As a land access tool, they are promised to ensure long-term affordability by severing ownership of the improvements (buildings) from the real estate (land) for the duration of their 99 year term; they are advertised as a means of building farmer equity in their investments to land, which remain owned by the farmer; they are held out as a means of providing greater community control over land stewardship, since the land is generally owned by a land trust or community-based non-profit. Ground leases are a necessary tool in the community land trust model, which has also been promoted widely. Yet, despite the popular knowledge of ground leases as a farmland access solution, they are not a silver bullet. Very few ground lease transactions have occurred, relative to the amount of conservation easements implemented or other real estate transfers. Even fewer ground leases have transferred from the original stewards to subsequent parties, which is a true test of whether the model is durable for multiple generations of farmers. There are few technical assistance professionals who have experience drafting and executing ground lease transactions, and state by state, there are numerous transactional gaps (and unresolved questions) that can create obstacles to a project. Now, revisiting the topic of ground leases many years on, this panel will reflect on the practical considerations of implementing ground leases as a farmland access tool. The panel will review known ground lease transactions, report their successes / challenges, and outline the lessons learned (legal, financial, social, etc). This panel seeks to further develop ground leases as a viable land access tool by offering reflection and constructive criticism.

Speakers

Margaret Christie

Special Projects Director, Community Involved in Sustainable Agriculture (CISA)

Margaret Christie is the Special Projects Director at CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), which strengthens farms and engages the community in growing the local food economy in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. Margaret has recently conducted... Read More →

Jack Hornickel

Staff Attorney, Pace Law School

Pro bono attorney serving small farm businesses for 10+ years. Currently directing clinical law practice which includes instruction on ethics. Prior NFVC presentations in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

Shemariah Blum-Evitts

Executive Director, Land For Good

Shemariah is Executive Director at Land For Good, a nationally recognized non-profit for their work advancing secure farmland access, tenure, and transfer. LFG operates one of the longest running farmlink websites and accompanying services in the country. They offer one-on-one advising... Read More →

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

Land Access Retention and Transfer

10:00am MDT

Communicating for Change: Navigating Values and Mental Models to Move Succession Conversations Forward

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

Ballroom

Farm succession planning often stalls not only because of financial complexity, but because of the human complexity beneath it. Values, goals, and deeply held mental models shape how individuals interpret fairness, responsibility, legacy, and change. When these internal frameworks go unspoken, even families with shared visions can find themselves stuck, frustrated, or talking past one another. This interactive session helps participants understand and work with these underlying dynamics, skills that are just as essential in land access, business planning, conflict navigation, and everyday client conversations as they are in succession work. Participants will work through a fictional farm family scenario that includes operational, financial, and interpersonal context. Working in small groups, each team will receive direct quotes from one family member and use that character's perspective to identify the values, assumptions, and mental models driving their behavior. Groups will explore how these beliefs can create friction or misunderstanding, and how reframing can open pathways toward progress. The session culminates in a full room discussion where groups share insights, revealing the fuller system of perspectives within the fictional family at play. Facilitators will guide a conversation on how small shifts in language, curiosity, and reframing can help advisors and service providers move conversations from stuck to unstuck, whether in succession planning or any other high stakes decision making process.

Participants will leave with the ability to:

Define values and mental models and recognize how they shape decision making in farm families
Identify sources of friction or misunderstanding rooted in differing assumptions
Practice perspective taking using real world succession dynamics
Apply reframing strategies to facilitate more open, empathetic, and productive conversations
Transfer these communication tools to other contexts, including land access, partnership formation, conflict resolution, and strategic planning

Speakers

Angie Doucette

Midwest Senior Farmland Program Manager, American Farmland Trust

Angie Doucette manages American Farmland Trust's farmland protection, transfer, and access initiatives across the Midwest. In this role, she leads research, develops resources, and provides direct one‑on‑one support to build the capacity of local partners while assisting landowners... Read More →

Anna Sekine

Midwest Farmland Associate, American Farmland Trust

o Anna joined American Farmland Trust in January 2025, where she supports programs focused on farmland protection, access, and transfer across the Midwest. In this role, she also facilitates succession workshops, leads regional forums and trainings, and guides value-based conversations... Read More →

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

Land Access Retention and Transfer