National Farm Viability Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am MDT

1:30pm MDT

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

A Model Chart of Accounts for Farm and Ranch Business One way to unify our various approaches to farm and ranch bookkeeping and to create reports that are comparable and can be used for benchmarking is to agree on a model chart of accounts. In this session we will workshop a model chart of accounts proposed by California FarmLink and discuss how to get additional buy-in and widespread adoption. There is a great diversity of approaches to categorizing farm and ranch assets on the balance sheet. Depreciable assets are categorized in different ways, prepaid supplies and materials are used inconsistently, and inventory methods also vary widely. On the income statement there is even more diversity of presentation. Some people use a cost of goods sold approach without a corresponding inventory account on the balance sheet. Others follow the Schedule F, or the QuickBooks default chart of accounts. Few use a chart of accounts intentionally designed to present a clear picture of farm or ranch operations. Participants in this session will learn about different approaches to constructing a chart of accounts and have the opportunity to work together to make recommendations for best practices.

Speakers

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 →

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

Farm Financial Management

3:30pm MDT

What goes into a Farm Transfer Plan?

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

Fireplace

Learn about successful programs that assist farm families in developing a plan for transferring their farm to the next generation – whether within the family or not. Models from CA, MA and VT will be shared - how each program was developed, how they are implemented, and what goes into each farm transfer plan – both the content as well as the effort. Then join the group discussion to further the conversation on how to identify needs, bring in resources, and customize plans for each specific farm transfer situation. This workshop will include an overview of each program (20 min each including Q&A for 3 programs) then open into a group discussion guided by questions around related topics (30 min). Proposed questions for group discussion: • How to ensure interests and goals of all stakeholders are included? • What financial info is needed from retiring owners and for successor businesses? • What else should be included in a plan or process that hasn't been mentioned? • What is the best timing to bring other professionals into the process? Learning Objectives: • Better understanding of key components of a transfer plan and what's involved in terms of communication, relationships, financials and resources. • Raise awareness of importance of identifying all stakeholders' interests in the process. • Learn from successes and challenges of innovative program models directly supporting farms in the important transfer planning process. • Understand importance of team approach to ensure farms can access a variety of resources and skill sets to get the help they need.

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 →

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 →

Melissa Adams

Programs Manager, Farm Viability and Agricultural Business Assistance, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

Melissa Adams is committed to helping farm businesses succeed. As Programs Manager for Farm Viability and Agricultural Business Assistance at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, she manages 4 programs that provide business and technical assistance and > $2 million... Read More →

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

Land Access Retention and Transfer, Business Planning and Development

9:00am MDT

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

8:00am MDT

Identifying Policy Problems and Developing Advocacy Campaigns

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

Fireplace

Farmers and practitioners often encounter that there are policy solutions that do not properly address the problems they face. It is important for that reason to have policy solutions grounded in the experience of farmers and practitioners who operate on the ground and who implement policy programs. This session centers hands-on experience in identifying and addressing programming problems that farmers and practitioners encounter in their daily work by engaging with policy and advocacy experts who will facilitate discussion on how to appropriately engage with policymakers and agency administrative personnel. The session will illustrate how to find solutions in partnership and coalition to hurdles farmers and food producers encounter in making use of the programs made available to improve farm operations and practices in our food and agricultural system. Attendees to this session will hear first from advocacy experts who will present steps to be considered when launching an advocacy campaign, as well as different tactics used in efficient advocacy geared towards educating the general public, agency personnel, and policymakers. Attendees will then identify problems that they are facing or witnessing in farm operations including in existing programs or programming that could help fill a gap. Attendees will break into groups where session presenters will facilitate an advocacy exercise while guiding attendees through the steps and considerations to be taken when bringing the problem they select to work on to light, and specific and effective advocacy tactics to consider. The session will close out with short sharebacks and a panel discussion where participants will get to ask questions to the presenters to address barriers they encountered as part of their advocacy plan. The session will be divided in time with 20 minutes to hear from presenters on steps and considerations in developing an advocacy campaign, 40 minutes to work in self-select groups based on common interest and participate in the exercise. In the last 30 minutes, participants will share back with the rest of attendees and presenters their approach and ask the presenters the most pressing questions their group faced. By the end of the session, participants will have: - Advocacy basics, who can advocate, and the rules around lobbying - identify policy issues that can be improved in their area of work - reviewed tools and strategies to evaluate how these issues are experienced by the diverse populations they serve - Discuss specific tactics available and how your organization may employ them in a campaign - The importance of storytelling, and how you can turn that into a tool for effective advocacy

Speakers

Duncan Orlander

Policy Specialist, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

One Policy Specialist from NSAC will co-present and share components of their work in engaging directly with policy makers. Policy specialists at NSAC have extensive experience working to develop policies that reflect the needs of our diverse coalition, rooted in the experiences of... Read More →

Emily Liss

Will likely be Tim Fink, AFT's VP of Policy

Tim Fink

Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli

Nezahualcoyotl "Neza" (he/him) is a Senior Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Neza brings nearly 20 years of experience working in rural communities in Mexico and Central America and in the US South. His training in anthropology... Read More →

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

Agricultural Policy and Advocacy

10:00am MDT

Guarding the Ground in Eastern New Mexico: Sentinel Landscapes, Water Security, and Farm Viability

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

Fireplace

In Eastern New Mexico, producers are on the frontlines of severe climate stressors, particularly extreme drought and the rapid depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer. To keep farms and ranches viable, agricultural advisors need innovative, regionalized approaches.
This 90-minute session will explore how the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape approach provides a model for climate adaptation and farm viability that is applicable to advisors across the country. The session will begin with a 15-to-20-minute broad overview of the Sentinel Landscape program nationally and locally, highlighting its direct impact on farmers and the broader New Mexico region.
For the remainder of the session, the panel will dive into specific farmer case studies. Rather than focusing on program eligibility, we will share an inquisitive, replicable approach to farm resilience. We will talk through real-world scenarios using a three-part framework: (1) identifying primary risks, (2) selecting appropriate land management or operational responses (showcasing a range of both low/high cost and low/high tech solutions), and (3) examining the ultimate result for farm viability. Attendees will leave with an adaptable framework to help producers in any region assess risks, select management responses, and improve their bottom line through the SL model.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the broader regional and national impacts of the Sentinel Landscape approach on agricultural operations and local ecosystems. Apply a three-step framework used by Sentinel Landscape practitioners to evaluate on-farm risks and select operational responses, utilizing a spectrum of low-to-high cost and low-to-high tech solutions. Abstract and apply these risk-management and land-management strategies to different regions and farming operations outside of the Sentinel program to improve long-term farm viability.
Intended Audience: Farm and food business advisors, conservation planners, and climate adaptation professionals who support producers in arid environments.

Speakers

D'Llaynn Bruce

District Conservationist, US Department of Agriculture

D'Llaynn Bruce is a natural resources professional based in Eastern New Mexico with experience supporting conservation, agriculture, and community-based initiatives. Her work focuses on fostering collaboration among landowners, agencies, and partner organizations to advance sustainable... Read More →

Dylan Marks

Board Member, Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District

Dylan Marks serves with the Roosevelt Soil and Water Conservation District in Eastern New Mexico, where he works closely with agricultural producers, landowners, and local partners to support sustainable land and water management practices. His work focuses on advancing conservation... Read More →

John Tunberg

Contractor, New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts

John Tunberg serves with the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, where he supports and advocates for conservation districts across the state in their efforts to protect and enhance natural resources. His work centers on strengthening partnerships between local districts... Read More →

Marco Lueras

Eastern NM Sentinel Landscape Coordinator, LegacyWorks Group

Marco Lueras is a program coordinator and strategic partnerships professional focused on conservation, land management, and community engagement in Eastern New Mexico. He currently serves as the Coordinator for the Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape (ENMSL), where he works at the... Read More →

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

Climate Adaptation and Risk Management, Land Access Retention and Transfer