Meet with an Expert
Elizabeth Henderson, Agricultural Justice Project
Managing a CSA, Fair Policies for Labor on a Farm
https://www.agriculturaljusticeproject.org/en/
Elizabeth Henderson farmed at Peacework Farm in Wayne County, New York, producing organically grown vegetables for one of the first CSAs in the country. She is lead author of Sharing the Harvest. As NOFA’s representative to the Board of the Agricultural Justice Project, she has spent two decades observing and studying work conditions on farms and farm labor policies and practices with the goal of transforming farmwork into the respected vocation it deserves to be given the significance of food for human like. She blogs at - https://thepryingmantis.wordpress.com
Available to meet: Friday PM, January 20, 2023 & Saturday AM, January 21, 2023
Email to set up an appointment time: elizabethhenderson13@gmail.com
Peter Ruddock, Resilient Foodsheds
Food Policy
Peter is the founder of Resilient Foodsheds, a clearinghouse for food policy for small food and farm businesses, providing entrepreneurs with guidance and resources on how to work within the law and advocating for policy change to create a more resilient food system, while celebrating those businesses that thrive within it.
Available to meet: Thursday, January 19, 2023 any time after 10:30 AM
Email to set up an appointment time: PeterRuddock@yahoo.com
Elizabeth Vaughan, Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Digital Business Technologies
Elizabeth brings over 10 years of experience in strengthening
healthy, just, and sustainable food systems. At CAFF she manages the Small Farm Tech Hub, supporting farmers across California with their technology and business needs. Any farm business is welcome to drop by the “office hours” listed below with their digital technology questions or to learn more about the resources & services CAFF’s Tech Hub provides for free to farmers operating out of CA. Elizabeth’s education is in business economics from UC Santa Barbara and sustainable horticulture from Cuyamaca College.
Open office hours during conference:
Friday morning, January 20th, between 9:30-10:30am in Embers Living Room
Friday evening, January 20th, between 5-6pm in Embers Living Room
Link to set up an appointment after EcoFarm: calendly.com/evaughan
Sasha Pesci, Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Digital Business Technologies
Tecnologías Digitales Apropiadas
Alianza Comunitaria de Agricultores Familiares (CAFF)
Sasha Pesci es una consultora de tecnología en el Tech Hub de la Alianza Comunitaria de Agricultores Familiares (también conocida como CAFF). Sasha es originaria de Mendoza, Argentina e hispanohablante. También es candidata a Doctora en Geografía en la Universidad de California, Davis. Su investigación del doctorado se focaliza en cómo los agricultores están afrontando la tendencia hacia las tecnologías digitales. En CAFF, apoya a agricultores con el uso de tecnologías digitales apropiadas para su negocio.
Session C | 3:30 Pasos sencillos para aumentar la presencia en línea de su granja
Horario de oficina de la conferencia:
Viernes 9:30-10:30am en Embers Living Room
Viernes 5-6pm en Embers Living Room
Elizabeth Whitlow, Regenerative Organic Alliance
How to get Regenerative Organic Certified®
www.instagram/regenerativeorganic/
Se Habla Español
Elizabeth Whitlow's role as the Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) is the culmination of over 20 years working in the field of organic agriculture. Whitlow began her career as an advocate for shade-grown, fair-trade, and organic coffee growers in Central America. She has worked across the spectrum of elevated certifications with some of the largest certification programs in the U.S. At the ROA, she oversees the finest details of the holistic and high-bar on Regenerative Organic Certified®The term “regenerative” risks becoming the next buzzword as it is adopted by large chemical ag. Elizabeth is leading the charge to ensure that regenerative is intrinsically linked to organic. Regenerative organic agriculture is farming in a way that heals our precious topsoil, draws carbon down, creates thriving ecosystems and equity for those who live and depend on Earth.
Available to meet: Wednesday PM, January 18, 2023
Email to set up an appointment time: info@regenorganic.org
Mireya Gomez-Contreras, Esperanza Community Farms
Community-based Farm/ing
https://esperanzacommunityfarms.org/
Se Habla Español
Mireya Gomez-Contreras is a non-profit consultant and social change practitioner. She has been the lead strategist for Esperanza Community Farms, a non-profit based community-farming program model based in Watsonville California. Mireya was raised by farm laborer parents who migrated from Mexico and followed the crop harvesting route between San Joaquin Valley and the CA central coast in the 70’s and 80’s. She became intimately connected to the land, especially farmland, and through her studies at UCSC, where she received a BA in sociology, gained a unique perspective and expertise on the economic and social dynamics between land, farm laborers, ranchers and consumers. She has found her niche as a non-profit administrator and consultant in the areas of public outreach/engagement, language & cultural interpretation and movement-building.
Available to meet: Friday AM, January 20, 2023
Email to set up an appointment time: mireya@esperanzacommunityfarms.org
Laura M. Ridenour, Laura Ridenour Coaching
Body-based Resilience Practices
https://www.lauramridenour.com and Instagram: @Laura.m.
Laura M. Ridenour (she/her) is a cis-gender queer female-identified human. She lives in Bellingham Washington, and is an organizational development consultant, facilitator, writer, philanthropy professional and resilience coach. Laura has 25+ years experience in the nonprofit sector and a lifetime of experience in the organic sector. She also holds a BA in food systems and social change, a MA in sociology of food and agriculture, a certificate in ecological horticulture, and a certificate in somatic trauma healing therapy. She is a beginning Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). Laura’s mission is to help people build capacity, practice resilience, and center equity so we can transform the world. As a coach in this “meet the experts” context at EcoFarm 2023, Laura offers psychology, neuroscience, and embodiment practices so that you can attune to your own ability to heal and feel relief from stress.
Available to meet: Thursday AM & PM, January 19, 2023; Friday AM, & PM, January 20, 2023
Text 970-372-8344 with your name to set up a 45 min appointment.
James Nakahara, Kitchen Table Advisors
Business Advising
I support small scale family farms and ranches with developing better skills and habits for their businesses, we center on 7 learning areas ranging from access to capital to record keeping and financial management.
Available to meet: Wednesday PM, January 18, 2023 & Thursday PM, January 19, 2023
Email to set up an appointment time: james@kitchentableadvisors.org
Monica Clark, Grow for Food
Reframing Food Access/Justice in the 21st Century
bit.ly/mentorthegardenmentorgrowforfood AND linktr.ee/growforfood
Se Habla Español
My research focuses on fresh food access for low income, vulnerable, and/or ethnic populations and the barriers that prevent specific populations from securing healthy, fresh, nutritious food. I am a lifelong activist with a passion for social justice, a resilient and healthy community, economic equity, the environment and citizen-driven government. I'm a grant recipient from the National Wildlife Federation to promote regenerative agriculture incorporating cover crops and animal rotation. I was the lead organizer for the 43rd annual National ACGA Conference that was held in New Orleans in October 2022.
Available to meet: Wednesday PM, January 18, 2023;Thursday PM, January 19, 2023; Friday AM & PM , January 20, 2023
Email to set up an appointment time: monica.stephanie.clark@gmail.com
Chad Reznicek, Colorado AgrAbility Project
Behavioral Health Consultation
https://agrability.colostate.edu/
Chad Reznicek is the Behavioral Health Specialist with the Colorado AgrAbility Project and committed to helping expand and improve behavioral health support and resources in rural communities. Prior to joining the AgrAbility Team, Chad spent 20 years as a licensed therapist, providing behavioral health services in diverse settings with special focus areas in suicide prevention, trauma, mood disorders, and substance abuse. Both of Chad’s parents were raised on farms and he grew up in a small farming community in central Nebraska with a deep respect for agriculture as the heart of our rural communities. Chad works with producers across the Western states to develop customized farm stress management plans along with resource linking and behavioral health consultation.
Available to meet: Wednesday, January 18th PM, Thursday, January 19th AM/PM and Friday, January 20th AM
Text to set up an appointment: 1-970-744-9011
Sarah Carson, New Mettle Farms
Educational Exhibit Design
Sarah Carson a transformative force working to engage and motivate the next generation. Wearing the hats of innovator and entrepreneur, her company New Mettle Farms creates ecology-based, regenerative teaching aids, exhibits, and experiential opportunities in partnerships with schools in central California. She successfully works with a consortium of organizations to build relatable materials that connect urban, agricultural, and conservation communities.
Available to meet: Thursday PM, January 19, 2023 & Saturday AM, January 21, 2023
Text to set up an appointment: 209-484-7148
