Marbleseed Conference 2025 - Session
Half Day Sessions
Start / End: 01:00 PM - 05:30 PM Thu
Strategies for Resilient & Brilliant Farming (with the Midwest Vegetable Growers Network)
Presenters:- Rue Genger
- Nick Olson
- Emilee Gaulke
- Elizabeth Makarewicz
- Fresh Roberson
- Trish Clarkweiss
- Josh Clarkweiss
- Kelly Maynard
- Sarah Janes Ugoretz
Part 1: Climate Adaptation, Resilience, & Mitigation for Vegetable Growers
Presenters:
- Rue Genger, UW-Madison
- Nick Olson, Land Stewardship Project & Prairie Drifter Farm
Part 2: Balancing Farming with Family Care - A Live Podcast Roadshow!
Presenters:
- Elizabeth Makarewicz, Land Stewardship Project
- Fresh Roberson, Fresher Together
Part 3: Collaborative & Cooperative Structures in Diversified Farming
Presenters:
- Trish & Josh Clarkweiss, Sandhill Farm
- Kelly Maynard, UW-Madison Center for Cooperatives
- Sarah Janes Ugoretz, UW Ext Dane County
Organic Fruit Farming the Upper Midwest (with the Organic Fruit Growers Association)
Presenters:- Chris McGuire
- Madeline Wimmer
- David Roy Bohnhoff
- Ben McAvoy
- Rachel Henderson
- Juli McGuire
- Deirdre Birmingham
- Andrew Zwald
Join the Organic Fruit Growers Association for an afternoon of learning about the challenges and rewards of growing organic fruit! We’ll focus on farmers’ practical experience and encourage open discussion. After a welcome and introductions, we will divide the afternoon into three sub-sessions: at 1:30 pm, an agricultural engineer and two farmers will discuss alternatives to treated wood posts on organic fruit farms: can we use posts made from metal, concrete, or untreated rot-resistant woods to support trees, trellises, deer fencing and bird netting? At 3:00 pm, we will have an open facilitated discussion on challenges faced and lessons learned during the varied weather of 2023 and 2024. At 4:15 pm, a panel of organic fruit farmers will discuss value-added processing: on our busy farms, how can we efficiently process blemished or excess fruit into valuable foods?
Managed Grazing Crash Course: Practical Skills for Success
Presenters:- Jason Cavadini
- Laura Paine
- Tom Manley
- Ariana Abbrescia
- Alex Steussy-Williams
- Carl Wepking
- Adam Abel
Join Grassland 2.0 Academy for an interactive, personalized workshop on managed grazing. Learn to implement skills and calculations that will lengthen your grazing season, reduce feed costs, and increase the resilience of your farm. In this session, you will learn how to:
• Match livestock numbers to your land and farm goals
• Develop a forage inventory
• Customize a forage plan for your land and livestock
The Academy leadership team offers depth of experience and diversity of perspectives based on years of work with farmers to implement successful grazing systems. A deeper understanding comes through practicing a new skill rather than just watching someone else do it. In this session, you will ‘learn by doing’, working with a group of peers on a specific farm scenario, as well as having time to consult one-on-one with Academy team members regarding your own operation. Bring your grazing plan, soil map and other information!
Presenters:
- Jason Cavadini, UW-Madison Extension
- Alex Steussy-Williams, Grassland 2.0 Academy
- Carl Wepking, Grassland 2.0 Academy
- Laura Paine, UW-Madison Extension
- Adam Abel, USDA-NRCS
- Derrick Raspor, USDA-NRCS
- Ariana Abbrescia, UW-Madison Extension
- Tom Manley, Marbleseed
Shaping The Future of Organic Grain Marketing
Presenters:- Carmen Fernholz
- Oren Holle
- Steve Boyda
- Will Ortman
- Ed Reznicek
- Tom Wanquist
- Paul Drake
- Alexander Schultz
An Interactive Session with OFARM: How Producers will Shape Organic Grain Production and Marketing
Part 1: Maneuvering Through the State of Organic Grain,
Livestock Feed Demand and Marketing - Strategies for Success
Part 2: Producer Panel: Connecting Organic Grain Production Practices with Successful Marketing Partnership
Part 3: Cooperative Organic Grain Marketing - Myths & Realities
Wisconsin Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (WI LFPA) Gathering
Presenters:- Mike Racette
- Laura Mortimore
- Dustin Ladd
- Rachel Henderson
- Kyle Buehner
- Martice Scales
- Tara Roberts-Turner
- Jodi Cronauer
- Dace Cronauer
- Kara Black
- Beth Heller
- Heather Toman
- Angel Flores
- Ying Lo
- Stephanie Dodge
- Paulina Baker
- Ann Vang
This session is primarily for current and past WI LFPA producers but open to anyone interested in the Wisconsin Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (WI LFPA). This session will cover WI LFPA outcomes and celebrate accomplishments from the program over 2023 and 2024. There will be two panel sessions, with time for group discussion, highlighting specifics of the relationship building work of the WI LFPA and how culturally relevant products were grown by farmers and delivered to communities. Learn from WI LFPA producers, program staff, food security partners and community partners about the successes and next steps for farm to food access work and opportunities for producers to reach expanded markets in Wisconsin.
Panel 1: Building Relationships: What worked for people in different parts of the state? What are some key ingredients for successful relationships that can build into the future?
Moderator: Sarah Lloyd, Supply Chain Development Specialist
Panelists:
Juneau County Mobile Pantries: Dustin Ladd & Orange Cat Community Farm: Laura Mortimore
Stepping Stones: Mike Racelette & Mary Dirty Face Farm LLC: Rachel Henderson
Hunger Taskforce: Kyle Buehner & Full Circle Healing Farm: Martice Scales
Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative: Tara Turner & Skenandore Farm: Isaiah Skenandore
Panel 2: Culturally Relevant Food: What were some key ingredients for you to successfully get culturally relevant food from farmers to food access partners through the WI LFPA work?
Moderator: Yolibeth Rangel Fitzgerald, REAP Food Group & LFPA Community Partner
Panelists:
Feeding America Southeastern Wisconsin: Kara Black and Stephanie Dodge
Wello: Beth Heller & Slo Food Coop/Full Circle Community Farm: Heather Toman
REAP Food Group: Paulina Baker & Tortillas Los Angeles: Angel Flores
Central Rivers Farmshed: Ann Vang, Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative: Tara Turner, and Greengold Gardens: Ying Lo
Agricultural Policy & The Future of Organics
Presenters:- Alice Runde
- Milo Petruziello
- Michelle Ramirez-White
- Sheila Everhart
- Jean Bahn
- Sylvia Burgos Toftness
Part 1: Join Alice Runde from the National Organic Coalition (NOC) and Milo Petruziello from the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) for an in-depth workshop on advocating for organic agriculture in Congress. This session will demystify the legislative process, including how the Farm Bill works and the current state of its reauthorization, and share good practices for engaging with legislators and their staffs. Whether you’re building a new relationship or engaging with an office that may not share your views, this session provides actionable tips for framing organic issues in ways that focus on farmers’ stories, resonate with policymakers, and foster collaboration. Walk away with the confidence to amplify the voice of organic farmers and make a meaningful impact.
Part 2: How can conservation and climate programs at the federal and state levels expand programming in the future to more effectively achieve goals of strengthening our local food systems? In this session we will examine programs that work to achieve farm to food access goals, and discuss how federal and state funding for climate and conservation work in agriculture could be re-imagined to achieve more local food systems goals in tandem. This will touch on ways current climate-smart funding is limited to large-scale producers, and to three main commodities, corn, beef, and soy. Federal and state programs that blend local food procurement and outreach work, like what was accomplished through the WI LFPA program, could achieve farm to food access goals in collaboration with conservation goals.
Part 3: Learn why a centralized office would meet high demand from farmers, and rural businesses involved in agricultural tourism. An increasing number of states and foreign countries now offer agritourism economic development assistance because it is a sustainable economic engine on the farm and in rural communities. This presentation will describe the demand for this technical assistance and how it would be provided in an Office of Agricultural Tourism and Rural Innovation (WIAgTRI). A panel of farmers and leaders from the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association will describe steps being taken to move forward with this effort, including a biennium request: Jean Bahn, Government Relations Chair; Sylvia Burgos Toftness, Board President; and, Sheila Everhart, Executive Director.