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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDan Brisebois, Author and Seed Farmer Podcast<\/strong> – Dan Brisebois has a secret agenda. He wants you to grow seed on your farm! Dan is the author of The Seed Farmer and Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers; and the host of the Seed Farmer podcast. Dan runs the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy and blogs about farming and seeds at www.danbrisebois.com<\/a>. Dan Brisebois is also a founding farmer at Tourne-Sol co-operative farm in Les C\u00e8dres, Quebec. Tourne-Sol grows organic seeds for an online seed store and a wholesale rack program; and grows organic vegetables for 500 weekly veggie baskets.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sabrina Cerquera, Program Manager of Food Systems Equity, Ecotrust<\/strong>– As Program Manager for Food Systems Equity at Ecotrust, I manage projects dedicated to uplifting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers and land stewards. Currently, I\u2019m leading a 3-year USDA Farm Service Agency cooperative agreement supporting urban producers as they expand their farming operations and adopt climate-smart practices. We deliver this work through listening sessions, climate adaptation workshops, and a microgrants program awarding beginning farmers. Previously, I managed the Viviane Barnett Fellowship, a cohort-based fellowship program designed for aspiring, emerging, and experienced BIPOC leaders in Oregon working across sectors to build equitable, climate-resilient food systems. I also designed and facilitated the Restoration Through Storytelling series, elevating ancestral innovation and agricultural wisdom of BIPOC communities through gatherings in East Multnomah County. My passion for food and land justice meets at the intersection of lived experience under food apartheid, a gazillion hospitality jobs, and storytelling. I\u2019m a first generation Colombian American by way of Miami, Fla. Living with my cat, Salem (named after the Teenage Witch\u2019s), in the Pacific Northwest, I can be found talking with my hands and reacting loudly with my eyebrows over the dinner table.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adriana Cvitkovic, Oregon Food Band<\/strong> – Adriana Cvitkovic will be speaking for Oregon Food Bank.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Matt Davis, OSU Dry Farming Program<\/strong> – Matthew Davis is a fourth-generation dry-farmed walnut grower and a faculty research assistant at Oregon State University. He has coordinated research into site suitability for dry farming, soil management for dry-farmed tomatoes, vegetable grafting, and dry-farmed tomato and melon variety trials for Dr. Alex Stone, Amy Garrett, Dr. Jim Myers, and Dr. Lucas Nebert. His research interests include soil health and management, methods to control blemishes for dry-farmed produce, and plant ecophysiology.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mike Guebert, Friends of Family Farmers<\/strong> – Mike Guebert is the Program Director for the Oregon Pasture Network and has raised poultry on his own farm in Corbett for over 20 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rapha\u00ebl Guzman, Program Manager of Food Systems Equity, Ecotrust<\/strong>– In my role at Ecotrust, I serve as a community connector and educator. It has been a gift to explore my passions for regenerative agriculture, community development, and social justice for over 20 years. Growing up in California, as a first-generation Black Latina, provided an unconventional foundation that catalyzes and informs my work in the world. In my quiet moments, I find joy in writing creative non-fiction, cultivating beautiful spaces, and long dinners in good company.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caleb Hale, OSU Organic Agriculture Program<\/strong> – Caleb is a postdoc with the OSU Organic Agriculture Program and works on breeding multi-use naked (hull-less) barley for organic systems. He works with researchers here at OSU and around the country to improve the agronomics and end use quality of naked barley. They collaborate with farmers, bakers, chefs, and brewers to guide research goals in order to come up with new barley lines that farmers can grow as a value added grain in their rotation. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rose High Bear, Elderberry Wisdom Farm<\/strong> – Rose High Bear (Deg Hit\u2019an Dine, Inupiaq) is Founder and Executive Director of Elderberry Wisdom Farm, the Native American 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Born and raised in a remote subarctic Athabascan village of McGrath on Alaska\u2019s Kuskoquim River, her grandmother\u2019s lineage is from the Yukon River and the 14,500-year-old traditional village of Anvik, Alaska. She moved as a young child to rural Coos County, Oregon where she went through public schools in Coquille, and then graduated from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon (B.S.). Since 1993, she has founded and directed Native American nonprofit corporations to serve diverse local and regional communities. In 2021, Rose formed Blue Elderberry Farm LLC in rural Marion County, Oregon. She is currently growing a crop of Sambucus nigra ssp. Cerulea, the elderberry plant species native to Oregon to produce a line of organic elderberry syrup, with plans to develop additional food and health care products. In 2021-2, its feasibility study and business, marketing and financial plan was developed to help the farm provide this value-added specialty product to today\u2019s increasingly discriminating and health-conscious consumers. As Founding Director of Elderberry Wisdom Farm, she created the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workforce Project, a 5-year career pathway planning initiative in partnership with Chemeketa Community College. It continues to provide academic and experiential service-learning training for Native American and other students pursuing conservation, agricultural and horticultural career pathways. She developed the Native American Biodiversity Accelerator in 2022, the social and economic development initiative supported by eleven partners, resulting in several microenterprise businesses, and ongoing cohort development. In 2024, she created the Native American Climate Adaptation Partnership to help strengthen community resilience to climate impacts by integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge and indigenous practices for increasing ecosystem biodiversity with Mid-Willamette Valley restoration partners.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Korrie and Robert Hooper, Farm For Our Lives<\/strong> – Korrie and Robert Hooper operate Farm For Our Lives, a micro farm that grew out of their love for farming, community, and each other. In 2021, they moved their farm to the beautiful banks of the Alsea River. In 2024, they became certified organic and focused on soil health to grow nutrient dense produce intensively in a small space. Due to their proximity to the coast, their climate requires the use of both high and low tunnels, and as they move into their fifth season, they are erecting their third high tunnel with a focus on winter growing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim Johnson, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District and 1000 Friends of Oregon<\/em><\/strong> – Jim Johnson has a long and distinguished career as land use planner in Oregon and Washington State. His professional career has bridged local, state and regional perspectives including 28 years as the Land Use and Water Planning Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Agriculture. He has also held positions with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, the Columbia River Gorge Commission, Wasco County, Oregon and Klickitat County Washington. Jim is currently a member of the staff of 1000 Friends of Oregon as Working Lands Policy Director. Jim is widely recognized as an expert in issues related to the protection of working lands. Since his early days as a local government planner Jim\u2019s focus has been on land use issues relating to agriculture and forest lands. Born and raised in the Willamette Valley, Jim grew up in and around agriculture. Jim earned a MA in geography from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a BS from Western Oregon University. Jim enjoys gardening with his wife Cheryl, spending time with his corgi Woody and continuing his quest to break 80 on the golf course. He is an elected board member of the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Megan Kemple, OrCAN<\/strong> – Megan Kemple (she\/her) has over 25 years of non-profit experience supporting Oregon\u2019s agricultural community. In 2017 she founded OrCAN and has focused on building a healthy organization and leading OrCAN’s advocacy efforts. Prior to her work at OrCAN, she founded and directed several other non-profit projects, including the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Steve Knox, Friends of Family Farmers<\/strong> – Steve Knox has owned and operated Fog Hollow Farm in Walton since 2017, where he raises over 6000 chickens and ducks per year for both meat and eggs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrea Krahmer, Oregon Agricultural Trust<\/strong> – Andrea\u2019s lifelong love of agriculture started growing up on her small family farm in rural Washington County. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Business Management from Oregon State University on the La Grande campus and relocated back to the Willamette Valley after college where she now lives in Salem with her family. Andrea operates her own farm primarily raising meat goats, her husband operates his Ag Services farming business and both her kids are very active in FFA ad 4-H with their own livestock projects. In her spare time, she likes to garden and follow her kids to sporting events and livestock shows.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brigid Meints, OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems<\/strong> – Brigid recently changed positions to become an Assistant Professor of Practice and the Organic Grains and Pulses Extension Specialist with the OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems. She is interested in organic weed and pest management, breeding for organic systems, and working with growers to add a value-added small grain crop to their rotation. Additionally, her research focuses on breeding multi-use naked barley for organic systems and early maturing dry beans for western Oregon. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Teagan Moran, OSU Extension Linn, Lane and Benton Counties<\/strong> <\/strong>– <\/strong>Teagan Moran serves as OSU\u2019s Small Farms Extension Coordinator for Linn, Lane, and Benton Counties. She also helps coordinate OSU\u2019s Dry Farming Program, where soil moisture monitoring is highly beneficial. In recent years, she has supported farmers by expanding access to soil moisture sensors and readers, hosting workshops to introduce these tools, and building a network of support for their use. Recognizing that we are all learning together, Teagan is committed to exploring how these tools can strengthen water resilience. She looks forward to continuing to foster a learning cohort and increasing the number of Oregon farmers experimenting with\u2014and benefiting from\u2014this process.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alice Morrison, Friends of Family Farmers<\/strong> – Alice Morrison is the Co-Executive Director of Friends of Family Farmers. As the head of the advocacy program at FoFF, Alice is the main spokesperson for FoFF’s membership of 1,600 small and midsize, highly diversified, local market farmers in Salem, both at the legislature and in state agency spaces. Alice draws on her experience farming for a living for 6 years in the South Willamette Valley, many years of experience on issue based campaigns around food systems, environmental concerns, and workers rights, and her experience living in rural communities to help make change for FoFF’s farmers and the communities they feed. In her free time Alice enjoys keeping her personal garden and food preserving, walking in the woods with her dogs, and serving the Junction City community through her local grange.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeph Mullins, Tel-tvm\u2019<\/strong> – My name is Zeph Mullins, and I am the Food Sovereignty Program Manager for the Siletz Community Health Clinic. I have been in active land stewardship for almost 10 years and am originally from Texas. I moved to Oregon about 5 years ago to pursue further professional and educational opportunities. I am also a student with OSU\u2019s Natural Resource Program. As a non-Tribal member working for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, I am grateful to have been invited to do this work in the interest of promoting health while being in relationship with the landscape. I am happy to share how our work in the landscape has made a wonderful program and place we call Tel-tvm\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucas Nebert, OSU Dry Farming Program and Dry Farming Institute<\/strong> – Lucas Nebert is an Assistant Professor of Practice who specializes in Organic Seed and Planting Stock within the OSU Organic Agriculture Program. He also leads the OSU Dry Farming Program and serves on the board of the Corvallis-based Dry Farming Institute nonprofit. Based in Corvallis, Lucas works with farmers, researchers, and ag service providers across Oregon on ecological and climate-adaptive farming strategies. His expertise includes organic seed treatments, participatory breeding, soil moisture sensing, dry farming, microbial applications, and seed production.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heidi Noordijk, OSU Extension Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties<\/strong> – Heidi Noordijk is OSU\u2019s Small Farms Extension Coordinator in the Metro Region. She has been working on irrigation scheduling since 2023. For the past two years she\u2019s been conducting research irrigation scheduling using watermark sensors in melons and winter squash at OSU\u2019s North Willamette Research and Education Center. She\u2019s excited to facilitate this panel and learn how producers have been using watermark soil moisture sensors on their farms for irrigation decision making.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shannon Rauter, OSU Extension Clatsop County<\/strong> – Shannon Rauter is the Small Farms and Master Gardener Program Coordinator for OSU Extension \u2013 Clatsop County based in Astoria, OR. Her master\u2019s research focused on using season extension techniques to improve cut flower yields and profitability for small farmers in Utah.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah Rodgers, Indigo Gardens<\/strong> – Leah is the owner and operator of Indigo Gardens, a specialty cut flower farm located in Scappoose, Oregon. She has developed her niche in the wholesale market by growing uncommon foliage, perennials, bulbs, and native plants. She has been farming and gardening professionally in the Pacific Northwest for 21 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kate Sinkins<\/strong> – Kate Sinkins attended American University Washington School of Law in DC and has clerked for 4 immigration courts. She has worked for several faith-based nonprofit organizations, worked for 3 government agencies and now is in private practice in Lincoln City, OR. She speaks Spanish and grew up in rural Michigan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Evie Smith, OSU Extension Lincoln County<\/strong><\/strong> – Evie Smith is OSU\u2019s Small Farms Extension Agent in Lincoln County. She has been working on research and extension programming related to irrigation scheduling and agricultural water use for the last 5 years. In 2025 she partnered with a farmer in Lincoln County to research irrigation scheduling using watermark sensors in winter squash. She\u2019s excited to share preliminary results and lessons learned from that work in this session, and to learn from the other panelists about their experiences with soil moisture sensors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelly Streit <\/strong>– Kelly Streit is a Registered Dietitian with 13 years of experience at the OSU Extension Service as an Instructor for Clackamas County, where she led initiatives in partnership with local organizations to improve access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally relevant food for individuals, families, and seniors. As co-developer of the \u201cField-to-Market\u201d program, she supported small farmers in navigating the Oregon Farm Direct Marketing Law. Now retired, Kelly remains active in her community, cultivating a large garden on her property in Tualatin and sharing the harvest with family and friends. She enjoys walking her dog, reading, jigsaw puzzles, and traveling.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amy Wong, Oregon Organic Coalition<\/strong> – Amy Wong is a Portland-based attorney who is currently serving as the Policy & Program Consultant of the Oregon Organic Coalition (OOC), which she previously led for four years. Prior to joining OOC, Amy was the Policy Director for Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF); the Chief of Staff to Oregon State Senator Jeff Golden; and advocated on behalf of a coalition of nonprofit organizations seeking legislative and agency protection for Oregon\u2019s vegetable specialty seed industry.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OSU Small Farms Conference – February 21st Nick Andrews, OSU Organic Vegetable Extension \u2013 Nick is an associate professor of practice in the Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems. He focuses on organic vegetable production, cover crops, nutrient management and pest management. Dan Brisebois, Author and Seed Farmer Podcast – Dan Brisebois has… Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/3281\/files\/2026\/01\/e-3655_11zon-683x1024.jpg\")
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