Conference speakers

Keynote

Jesse Frost

No-Till Growers

No-Toil Farming: Making Your Soil Practices Complement Your Farm Goals

Keynote

Michael Carter, Jr.

Agriculture in the age of AI

Presenter

Aaron Grigsby

Deep Roots Milling

Growing Together: Farmer-Miller Collaboration

Presenter

Ale Aguirre – Bustos

Virginia Tech

From Restoration Need to Farm Opportunity: Exploring Native Seed Production in Virginia

Presenter

Alex Tuchman

Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary

Creating a Pollinator Sanctuary · Biodynamic Beekeeping in the Blue Ridge: Who Are the Honeybees? What Do They Need? How Can We Serve Them?

Presenter

Andy Borak

Red Fern Farm

Overwintered Snapdragon Production

Presenter

Annie Jane Cotten

Appalachian Sustainable Development Herb Hub

Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub: A Deep Dive Learning Journey

Presenter

Ashley Hoffman

Fox Haven Farm & Learning Center

Farming with Care: When Farming Promotes Physical & Emotional Resilience

Presenter

Ashley Jernigan

Virginia Tech

Exploring Soil Biota: Who is in your soil? What are they doing? How can they be managed?

Presenter

Betsy Trice

Rodale Institute

Strengthen your Farm with the Rodale Farm Fund

Presenter

Bonnetta Adeeb

Ujamaa Seeds and the Ira Wallace Seed School

Community Seed Keeping: Collards · Seedkeeping, Cooperation and Community Building: Everyday Acts of Resistance in Agriculture

Presenter

Cam Terry

Garden Variety Harvests

Strategies for Building Capacity from a Community Farm

Presenter

Cassie Vanderhart

Good Agriculture

Farm Bookkeeping 101: Preparing for Tax Season

Presenter

Charlotte Hanes

Riverridge Farm

Farming at Scale: Navigating 1,500 acres at RiverRidge Farm

Presenter

Chris Smith

Utopian Seed Project

On Farm Seed Saving in the Southeast · Community Seed Keeping: Collards

Presenter

Craig McClung

All Farm Organics

Growing Together: Farmer-Miller Collaboration

Presenter

Curtis Childress

VSU

From Seed to Sale: Aligning Crop Planning with Flower Marketing

Presenter

Dan Gagnon

Broadfork Farm

Beginning Farmer Soil Building Crash Course · Solving the Cucumber Mystery · Growing Great Transplants

Presenter

Dan Sweet

Blackbird Farms

Feats and Failures in Scaling Pasture Raised Poultry Production

Presenter

Dani Baker

Cross Island Farms

Three Agritourism Ventures to Consider for Your Farm

Presenter

Daniel James

Herd Ventures

Seen & HERD: Storytelling as Infrastructure for Farms and Food Systems

Presenter

Edmund Frost

Common Wealth Seed Growers

On-Farm Variety Trials and Plant Breeding Research

Presenter

Emilie Tweardy

Appalachian Sustainable Development, ShireFolk Farm, Shenandoah Permaculture Institute

Coppice Agroforestry for Any Farm

Presenter

Eric Boatti

FACE (Farmers for Animals, Communities, and the Environment) Ag Network

Organizing to Advance Policy Solutions that Support Regenerative Livestock Production

Presenter

Hailey Sowden

Crooked Porch Farm

Profitable Winter Greens: Is Supplemental Heat Worth It?

Presenter

Immanuel Jarvis

Jireh Family Farm

Multiple Revenue Doors, One Small Footprint: Running a Farm Store, Airbnb, Event Barn, and CSA off Four Acres

Presenter

Ira Wallace

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Community Seed Keeping: Collards · Seedkeeping, Cooperation and Community Building: Everyday Acts of Resistance in Agriculture

Presenter

Jason Pall

Glade Road Growing

See all Farm Tour (on-site in Blacksburg) · The Root Crop Dream Team: Onions into Carrots

Presenter

Jeff Poppen

Barefootfarmer

Integrating Biodynamic Principles in a Market Garden · Watering Without Irrigation

Presenter

Joseph Martinez

Rockbridge Cider Vinegar

The Inner Life of an Apple Tree

Presenter

Karl Hambsch

Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery

Organic Grapes Are Not Impossible in Virginia

Presenter

Kate Watts

Carys Consulting

Beyond THC: Hemp as a Permaculture Plant

Presenter

Kelly Parker

Junction City Farm

From Seed to Sanity? Three Years of Building a Farm

Presenter

Lee Rinehart

NCAT-ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture

How to Raise Certified Organic Livestock

Presenter

Liza Dobson

Yarrow Springs Farm

Everlasting Florals: Adding Dried Flowers to Your Operation for Winter Cash Flow

Presenter

Mark Highland

Organic Mechanics Soil Co

Biochar Breakthroughs!

Presenter

Meredith Morgan

Quality Certification Services

Choosing the Best Certification for Your Farm Operation

Presenter

Nate Miller

Simply Sustainable Landscapes

Creating Native/Edible Landscapes with Curb Appeal

Presenter

Pam Dawling

Twin Oaks Community

Success with Tomatoes in the Mid-Atlantic · The Best Vegetable Cultivars to Grow in the Mid-Atlantic

Presenter

Sally Walker

Glade Road Growing

Hiring Staff to Help Build Your Farm Dream · Poultry Processing for 1000+ birds a year

Presenter

Sherry Buttrick

Virginia Outdoors Foundation

Protecting Working Lands: Financial Benefits of Conservation Easements

Presenter

Stasia Greenewalt

SG Farm Services

Food Safety Recordkeeping that Actually Works

Presenter

Steve Haring

Virginia Agroecology Services

Spray application techniques for small and regenerative farmers

Presenter

Stewart Lundy

The Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Inc.

Introduction to Biodynamics

Presenter

Tzvi (Kipi) Kipnis

Organic Roots Farm

The Foraging Food Park: A Model to Regenerate Soil, Communities, and Farmers.

Presenter

Valarie Jarvis

Jireh Family Farm

Food Is Medicine: What 25 Years as a Nurse Taught Me About Farming