Marbleseed Conference 2026 - Session

We know there's a concentration crisis in the American food system. Addressing it may be one of the few bipartisan things we can agree on right now. The question is–what do we do about it? Agriculture policy expert Austin Frerick explores actions that can be taken locally and nationally to restore competition to these markets. Please come with your ideas too!

Getting into pasture pigs can sound daunting. In this workshop Ethan Heelein, livestock manager at Alden Hills Organic Farms, will focus on running pigs like a beef stocker enterprise. From a 40-pound feeder pig to finished product, we will cover infrastructure, pasture movement, reducing input costs, and increasing weight gain.

A panel of farmers share their journeys in agriculture and discuss the dynamics of farmer identity: the highs and the lows, times of success and balance, times of burnout and breakdown. They'll discuss decision making around farming full-time, taking off-farm jobs, and sometimes doing both.

As farmers, we have all experienced the push and pull of the demands of farming and the questions that surface: Is this working? Is this worth it? How can I make an effort to take care of myself as I take care of the land? If I take a step back from farming am I still a farmer? Join us in this space to listen, explore, question, and share.