Trent Butler is in his second year co-owning and operating BA Family Farms, a 5-acre farm in Indianola, Iowa, where he raises pastured poultry for meat and eggs, bees and produce with a focus on regenerative agriculture. All of the farm’s farm products are sold directly to consumers via markets. Trent also works for the Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Landon Brown raises corn and soybeans, along with relay-cropping soybeans, rye and oats, near New Providence, Iowa. He uses no-till and cover crops on all his acres to help reduce erosion and reliance on chemical control. Landon has taken part in various PFI research trials related to cover crop management practices in the past three years.

Jacob Bolson lives with his wife, Lindsay, and their four children on an acreage outside of Hubbard, Iowa. He has a full-time job while also focusing on increasing cover crop and conservation practices on his own farm, which he found through PFI’s Find A Farmer program, and on acres operated by extended family. Jacob also leads the operations for a custom cover crop business.

Eric Mahaney grows organic row crops in southwest Iowa and is also an entrepreneur experienced in marketing and agricultural business. He has created multiple start-up companies, the most recent being a cover crop application and equipment sales business. The mission of his businesses revolves around innovative on-farm applications and offering services and products directly to consumers.

Ruth McCabe is a certified professional agronomist, an Iowa certified crop advisor and a conservation agronomist with Heartland Cooperative. She works directly with farmers to add in-field and edge-of-field conservation practices to benefit soil health, water quality and wildlife. In 2022 she was selected as a Nuffield Scholar to study conservation farming adoption around the world.

Mike Richards has extensive background in crop scouting, sales, farm operations and management, as well as precision agriculture. He manages his family’s century farm, and also worked as an associate agriculture instructor at Iowa Central Community College. Mike is a licensed crop insurance agent and real estate professional.

Peter Kraus’ various experiences in kitchens and on farms have come together in his current role managing the Iowa Food Hub. After riding out the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter has helped grow the Iowa Food Hub’s operations and positively impact the local producers he cares about. Peter finds joy in exploring the world through food, while also maintaining a strong connection to the Midwest’s Driftless Region. Having experienced many distinct regional cuisines around the world, his work to identify Driftless cuisine is an ongoing project.

Ashley Wenke and her husband, Zachary Wenke, operate Pleasant Grove Homestead near Montezuma, Iowa, providing meat, produce, eggs and honey to surrounding communities through farmers markets, cooperatives and other direct-to-consumer channels. They also work with a variety of food hubs to extend their market reach. In 2023, they raised over 1,500 meat birds, 300 laying hens and diverse vegetables in three high tunnels and a large market garden.  In 2024, Ashely and Zach won Iowa Farm Bureau’s Grow Your Future Award. They are current participants in PFI’s Savings Incentive Program and past participants in PFI’s Produce Safety Cost-Share program.

Teresa Wiemerslage is a farm, food and enterprise development education extension field specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. She is also a cofounder of the Iowa Food Hub and an organizer of the Food Hub Managers Working Group. In her extension role, Teresa specializes in farm-to-school and early care; food hubs and supply chain logistics; and on-farm food safety and GAP certification.

John Hendrickson is a farm viability specialist at the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work focuses on farm management and profitability, with an emphasis on specialty crops. He conducts farm financial benchmarking research and develops tools to help farmers calculate their cost of production, measure enterprise profitability and manage their farm businesses to be sustainably profitable. In the past, John operated his own certified organic vegetable farm.

Tom Frantzen farms 320 certified organic acres at Frantzen Farm north of New Hampton, Iowa, with his wife, Irene Frantzen, son James and daughter-in-law Amanda. They currently raise corn, soybeans, small grains, hay and pasture, as well as 30 brood cows. As Tom and Irene are semi-retired, their farrow-to-finish hog operation ended after 50 years.

April Prusia is the owner and operator of Dorothy’s Range, a small-scale pork operation specializing in farrrow-to-finish hogs near Blanchardville, Wisconsin. She is also a retired vegetarian and the founder and president of Meatsmith Co-op. April spends her extra time serving her community on many boards, hosting guests at her Airbnb and teaching and sharing her belief that how we eat can change the world. April has been farming for two decades, and is a food activist, citizen scientist and community organizer in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region.

Randall Cass se unió a la Universidad Estatal de Iowa en 2017, convirtiéndose en el primer especialista en extensión de abejas de la institución en más de 70 años. En su cargo, coordina la investigación sobre las abejas, administra el colmenar de miel de la universidad, da conferencias y desarrolla programas de divulgación para apicultores, agricultores y propietarios de tierras.

Grant Brooke is a partner at Grey Swan, an investment firm dedicated to making a positive impact through regenerative agriculture. Previously an agriculture entrepreneur himself, Grant has raised over $150 million in capital for his ventures and exited them to top global investors. Grey Swan is an evergreen fund that specializes in supporting projects focused on water and soil conservation.

Ben Penner grows organic small grains and continuous living cover crops like Kernza and winter camelina on his farm near Mankato, Minnesota. As consultant for various organizations, he focuses on developing new marketing and sales channels through distribution networks.

Kathleen Delate is a professor and extension organic specialist at ISU. In this role, she leads organic research and education for both horticulture and agronomy programs. Her research focuses on pest and soil fertility management strategies for transitioning and certified organic farmers.

Todd Whiting is a retired John Deere engineer who has worked independently and alongside fellow researcher Bob Recker to evaluate wide-row corn in north-central Iowa. Research efforts have focused on growing a companion cash crop between the high-density corn rows.

Bob Recker, a retired John Deere engineer, has been researching wide-row corn and working with farmers for several years. He has looked at soil health, water, cover and companion crop growth, effects on corn yield and more. His current emphasis is on what he describes as farmers’ “triple bottom line.”

Elana Gingerich grew up on a conventional hog operation but developed a passion for tree crops. Today, she operates Olivia’s Orchard (formerly East Holbrook Chestnut Grove), a 40-acre farm near Parnell, Iowa, with over 10 acres of chestnut trees, a few acres of pawpaw trees and a handful of other fruit and nut trees. Grass-finished beef cattle play a crucial role on the farm: They are rotationally grazed to manage pasture and timber. Elana also operates a nursery supplying chestnut and pawpaw trees for other growers who want to get started in agroforestry.

Bailey Yotter has been Iowa’s state forester since February 2024. Prior to her time with NRCS, she was an area forester with the National Wild Turkey Federation, covering southeast Iowa for nearly four years. From 2013-2019, Bailey acted as a consultant forester in central Missouri. She holds a bachelor’s degree in forest resource management from University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dan Fillius is the commercial vegetable and specialty crop specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. Prior to this role, Dan spent more than 12 years managing vegetable farms in Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa. He brings a wealth of practical knowledge and vision to commercial horticulture in Iowa.

As Iowa’s state climatologist, Justin Glisan compiles and processes Iowa climate data for current and future weather data research needs. Justin graduated from ISU in 2012 and continued as a post-doctoral atmospheric scientist until he was hired by ISU as a research atmospheric scientist. He has also taken part in many research projects at Iowa State and the University of Missouri, including in-depth research on extreme precipitation and temperature extremes and their causal mechanisms.

Madelynn Wuestenberg is an agricultural climatology specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach working with farmers and the farm community to support climate resilience in Iowa’s agricultural and food systems. She earned her bachelor’s degree in meteorology from ISU in 2022 and her master’s degree in agricultural meteorology in 2023. Madelynn grew up in Slater, Iowa, and both of her parents come from farming families.

As insurance commissioner for the state of Iowa, Doug Ommen leads the Iowa Insurance Division, which is the state regulator that supervises all insurance business transacted in Iowa. He was appointed by Governor Terry Branstad in January 2017, after serving as interim commissioner since December 2016. Doug has a strong and varied public service background. His dedication to serving the public began while seeking justice for victims of fraud in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. Over three decades there, he led the fight to protect consumers, first as an assistant attorney general and then as chief counsel.

Zach Knutson farms near Zumbrota, Minnesota, where he has converted over 100 acres of row crop ground to perennial pastures using several methods. He rotationally grazes registered shorthorn seedstock and Katahdin hair sheep on these multispecies pastures. He has used continuous cover crops, nurse crops and no-till drilling to transition the former conventional row crop ground to thriving perennial pastures. During this whole-farm transition, Zach also evaluated forage quality and soil properties in each field.

James Holz raises cattle, row crops, small grains and his family near Grand Junction, Iowa. He is also the co-owner of Iowa Cover Crop, a full-service cover crop seed and application business located in Jefferson, Iowa, with a dealer network spanning Iowa and surrounding states. When he’s not busy on the farm or in the seedhouse, he enjoys flying his 1946 Stinson airplane, dreaming up new business ideas and cheering on the Cyclones.

Jenny Horner y su familia administran Spring Lake Organic Farm en Red Oak, Iowa. Lo que comenzó como un pasatiempo de jardinería se convirtió en una operación orgánica certificada que vendía cultivos hortícolas especiales en su mercado de agricultores local y cultivaba alrededor de 100 acres de heno. Las cabras son la última incorporación a la granja para ayudar a revivir la tierra con pastoreo rotativo. 

First-generation farmers Tessa Parks and Wyatt Parks own and operate W.T. Farms, a direct-to-consumer beef operation raising Holstein steers from calf to butcher. They also produce certified organic hay for themselves and for sale on 100% rental ground. Tessa and Wyatt graze certified organic pasture at Sharing Our Roots Farm in Northfield, Minnesota, and are part of a larger land transition from conventional commodity row crop farming to a resilient and regenerative farm landscape.

Leslie Schroeder is a cofounder of Midwest Linen Revival (formally Wisconsin Linen Revival), which is working to establish flax for fiber as an environmentally sustainable crop in the Midwest. Her background in textiles is self-taught and includes sewing, knitting, weaving and hand-processing deer hides into buckskin. With her current work, Leslie is transitioning her curiosity with growing flax at a garden scale into work toward market-scale production in the Midwest.

Landon Plagge operates Plagge Farms Inc. with his wife, Anne Plagge, near Latimer, Iowa, and Green Acres Milling in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Together with family, they raise oats, corn, soybeans, livestock and a variety of cover crops. They use cover crops and no-till on all of their acres with a focus on reducing synthetic inputs.  The Plagges also run a manure handling operation that involves writing environmental plans, brokering and applying manure as natural fertilizer. Green Acres Milling is focused on bringing sustainable, economically viable third crops to the region.

Stephanie Nelson is optimistic about opportunities for vibrant habitat to coexist with profitable farms in Iowa. As the Iowa precision agriculture and conservation specialist for Pheasants Forever, she analyzes data for farmers and landowners to help identify unprofitable areas they can target for conservation practices. She is a PFI member and the farmer owner of Tuuli Farm near Turin, Iowa, where she continues to create a diversified landscape.

Mark Peterson farms about 500 acres of corn and soybeans with his wife, Melanie Peterson, at Bent Gate Farm near Stanton, Iowa. They also rent and are transferring acres to their son, Monroe, for his hay business. Mark is a past board president of PFI, and a long-time promoter of cover crops.

Mary Buchanan grew up in Iowa, got a chemistry degree from University of Northern Iowa and worked as a high school science teacher for 34 years, mostly in Wisconsin and California. After retiring, she and her husband returned to Iowa to the family homestead, eager to embrace retirement-level farming. They’ve been applying their scientific knowledge to gardening and converting cropland to Conservation Reserve Program prairie. Mary and her siblings also manage 100 acres of rented farmland, some of which they recently converted to prairie strips and planted with cover crops in partnership with Pheasants Forever.

Nick Thompson is one of Pheasants Forever’s farm bill biologists in southwest Iowa. Using farm bill programs, Nick works with private landowners to create and enhance wildlife habitat on farms ranging in size from half an acre to 500-plus acres. His goal is to create diverse, native ecosystems where a suite of wildlife can thrive.

Sam Oschwald Tilton runs Glacial Drift Enterprises, where he consults with farmers, companies and organizations to improve weed management, draft farm plans and deliver engaging educational programming. Sam has worked in many roles on and around vegetable farms – as a farmhand, running his own CSA and managing an educational farm. He also worked throughout Europe and the U.S. as a sales rep for KULT-Kress weeding tools; was an instructor of sustainable landscape management at Lakeshore Technical College; and served as the direct-market vegetable specialist for University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. For the past six years, Sam has organized the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day. He now lives in Minneapolis and enjoys sharing his love of plants with children in his community.

Dan Fillius is the commercial vegetable and specialty crop specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. Prior to this role, Dan spent more than 12 years managing vegetable farms in Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa. He brings a wealth of practical knowledge and vision to commercial horticulture in Iowa.

John Hendrickson is a farm viability specialist at the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work focuses on farm management and profitability, with an emphasis on specialty crops. He conducts farm financial benchmarking research and develops tools to help farmers calculate their cost of production, measure enterprise profitability and manage their farm businesses to be sustainably profitable. In the past, John operated his own certified organic vegetable farm.

Morgan Hoenig has been farming for more than 15 years at Mogo Farms in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Her farm started as an organic vegetable farm, but she has diversified the farm to include floral design and greenhouse plant production. After farming full-time for several years, she started a family and found stability in picking up an off-farm job while still maintaining her farm business.

With her partner Shae, Anna Pesek co-owns Over the Moon Farm & Flowers LLC, a diversified direct-to-consumer livestock farm located in Delaware County, Iowa. The pair is also working to build their new business, Iowa Meat Marketplace LLC, a protein-specific food hub. Since 2019, Anna and Shae have been serving their community through a CSA and a la carte sales through their online farm store, along with developing wholesale clients for their products. Since June 2024, Anna has also served as PFI’s digital content coordinator.

Ross Kurash and his family farm near Fort Atkinson, Iowa, producing corn, soybeans, rye, hay, beef cattle and pasture chickens. They no-till, cover crop all fields and plant cash crops into living covers. Cattle grazing is intensely managed on pasture, warm- and cool-season cover crops and crop residues. The Kurash family constantly evaluates and changes enterprises for economic and environmental sustainability while balancing family, fun and off-farm careers.

El fundador de NaTerra Regenerative Farm, Sandro Lopes, es miembro de la Comunidad Tradicional de Itacoã-Miri en la Amazonía brasileña, quien llevó su pasión por la agricultura sostenible y la sabiduría indígena a David City, Nebraska. En NaTerra, Sandro y su familia creen que la salud de la comunidad está intrínsecamente ligada a la salud del suelo y a la forma en que se cultivan los alimentos. En sus prácticas agrícolas, la familia Lopes se compromete a utilizar métodos de agricultura regenerativa que prioricen el bienestar a largo plazo de la tierra y las criaturas que la habitan. 

Tom Frantzen farms 320 certified organic acres at Frantzen Farm north of New Hampton, Iowa, with his wife, Irene Frantzen, son James and daughter-in-law Amanda. They currently raise corn, soybeans, small grains, hay and pasture, as well as 30 brood cows. As Tom and Irene are semi-retired, their farrow-to-finish hog operation ended after 50 years.

Jill Beebout runs Blue Gate Farm with her husband, Sean Skeehan. They steward 40 acres of family land in southern Marion County, Iowa, where they raise Certified Naturally Grown produce, hay and alpacas, marketing through CSA and VegEmail custom sales.

Rob Faux and his wife, Tammy Faux, operate Genuine Faux Farm, a CSA, produce and poultry operation near Tripoli, Iowa. Since launching the farm in 2005, Rob has been an inquisitive farmer, testing products and concepts on his own and through PFI’s Cooperators’ Program. Rob also works as an Iowa communications associate with the Pesticide Action Network.

Meghan Filbert lives on a farm near LaFarge, Wisconsin, with her husband, Omar de Kok-Mercado, and son Owen. A passionate grazing advocate, Meghan works for NoFence, and previously worked at PFI as the livestock manager from 2014 to 2022.

Christine Ross lives in Ankeny, Iowa, where she serves as the state refugee health coordinator for Iowa. In 1995, she immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee from South Sudan, initially settling in Omaha. There, she obtained a master’s degree in public health and in 2013 founded the Refugee Women Organization of Nebraska. Since 2018, RWON has partnered with Omaha Home for Boys, which provides garden space for RWON’s New American Urban Farmers Program. The initiative helps participants grow culturally important foods often unavailable locally while offering training in sustainable urban farming. RWON also supports the refugee community, with a focus on elderly women who engage in gardening as a means of sustenance and as a way to socialize and continue the activities they have cherished throughout their lives.

Eric Lee-Mäder is a co-founder and principal at Northwest Meadowscapes, a prairie seed company based in Washington state. His 25-year career in conservation includes prior work as a director at Xerces Society, where he led multinational pollinator conservation initiatives with major food companies and partnerships with farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eric continues to advise food companies on integrating conservation into their supply chains, and his recent book, “The Milkweed Lands,” was awarded the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award. 

Eric Lee-Mäder is a cofounder and principal at Northwest Meadowscapes, a prairie seed company based in Washington state. His 25-year career in conservation includes prior work as a director at Xerces Society, where he led multinational pollinator conservation initiatives with major food companies and partnerships with farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eric continues to advise food companies on integrating conservation into their supply chains, and his recent book, “The Milkweed Lands,” was awarded the 2023 National Outdoor Book Award.

Beth Romer, Choose Iowa’s program director, grew up on her family’s century farm where she learned firsthand the value of hard work and respect for stewarding the land for future generations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Wayne State College and a master’s degree in business administration from ISU. Beth’s marketing and communications expertise align with promoting and supporting Iowa’s farmers and the foods they raise through the Choose Iowa program.

Wren Almitra is the grants advisor at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, a nonprofit organization addressing the challenges of soil fertility, water quality, climate resilience, racial equity, food security and farm success through research, policy and education. MFAI is based in East Troy, Wisconsin, and serves diverse farmers and communities in the Upper Midwest and beyond.

Christa Hartsook is the small farms program manager at the Food and Enterprise Development Center at ISU Extension and Outreach and Heartland Regional Food Business Center. She helps connect people to resources at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA. Christa’s team works with farm businesses looking to scale into food businesses.

Dana Dinnes, an agronomist with USDA-ARS, has investigated topics like nitrogen fertilizer management and the effects of humic products on crop production. Dana has worked with research partner Dan Olk since 2010. Together, they have been evaluating how humic products affect row crop systems.

Dan Olk is a research soil scientist and soil biochemist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service who has been researching the effects of humic products on corn and soybean yields for over a decade. Dan and research partner Dana Dinnes have been looking at the impacts of humic products on crop growth and soil properties. Dan also studies the biochemical composition of soil organic matter.

Ben Miller grows organic corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa near Maxwell, Nebraska. He has been exploring various cover crop management strategies over the past 25 years and has been farming organically since 2005. As asset manager with Clear Frontier Ag Management, Ben works with growers as they transition to organic and regenerative practices.

Brian Magarin operates and manages organic farms near Holstein, Nebraska, where he grows corn, soybeans, wheat, rye and alfalfa. He started exploring organic no-till in 2018 and has seen success by using roller-crimping and flaming equipment. Brian enjoys sharing with and learning from his peers new ways of moving organic and conventional agriculture toward a regenerative focus.

Seth Watkins runs Pinhook Farm, his family’s heritage farm near Clarinda, Iowa. Seth raises corn, soybeans, winter wheat and alfalfa along with a cow-calf herd. Seth has implemented a variety of conservation practices like cover crops, no-till, integrating livestock into crop fields, prairies strips and more. He’s also transitioned many acres out of production entirely, transforming those spaces into valuable habitat.

Jennie Erwin owns and operates Daystar Harvest, a sustainable farm near Boone, Iowa, where she grows vegetables and herbs. She is also a mom and engineer, and works as the farm management specialist with Global Greens, the Lutheran Services in Iowa farm program in Des Moines that connects former refugee farmers with land to grow food and start farm businesses.

Ben Hartman is the author of “The Lean Farm,” a 2016 winner of the Shingo Institute’s Prestigious Research and Professional Publication Award. He and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living on less than 1 acre growing and selling specialty produce to restaurants and at a farmers market. Ben was appointed to the 2017 Grist 50, a list of emerging green leaders in the United States.

Ashly Steinke is a grass-based beef farmer in Cornell, Wisconsin. He is also a grassland ecologist overseeing the new Audubon Conservation Ranching program in Wisconsin. In this role, Ashly helps farmers and ranchers enroll, develop habitat management plans and meet program requirements so they can attain bird-friendly certification through Audubon, which they can use for marketing. Ashly is implementing ACR protocols on his farm, and has over 15 years of experience as an ecologist restoring wetland and grassland habitat.

Krysten Zummo is an avid birder based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in wildlife science and management. Since 2008, she has focused her schooling and career on understanding the impacts of habitat management on bird populations. For the past seven years, Krysten has used her knowledge to help landowners make management decisions and add conservation practices to improve habitat for birds and other wildlife. Since 2023, she has been working with farmers and ranchers in Minnesota as a grassland ecologist for Audubon.

Hannah Bernhardt and her husband, Jason Misik, tend the 160 acres of Medicine Creek Farm, their farm in northeastern Minnesota. Their regenerative family farm sells 100% grass-fed lamb and beef, organically fed pastured pork and livestock guardian dog puppies.

Sam Oschwald Tilton dirige Glacial Drift Enterprises, donde asesora a agricultores, empresas y organizaciones para mejorar el manejo de malezas, redactar planes agrícolas y ofrecer programas educativos atractivos. Sam ha trabajado en muchos puestos en las granjas de hortalizas y sus alrededores: como peón, dirigiendo su propio CSA y gestionando una granja educativa. También trabajó en toda Europa y EE. UU. como representante de ventas para las herramientas de deshierbe KULT-Kress; fue instructor de manejo sostenible del paisaje en Lakeshore Technical College; y se desempeñó como especialista en vegetales de mercado directo para la Extensión de la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison. Durante los últimos seis años, Sam ha organizado el Día de Campo de Control Mecánico de Malezas del Medio Oeste. Ahora vive en Minneapolis y disfruta compartiendo su amor por las plantas con los niños de su comunidad. 

Carly Zierke, co-owner of Sweet Season Farm, grows certified organic vegetables in Calmar, Iowa, serving the Decorah area. She and her partner, Ethan Zierke, use regenerative practices that improve the health of the land. Sweet Season Farm’s mission is to preserve Iowa’s rich topsoil while contributing to a resilient local food system.

John and Halee Wepking own Meadowlark Organics & Meadowlark Community Mill in Ridgeway, Wisconsin. They manage 1,000 acres of diversified field crops and cattle and operate a stone mill sourcing grain from farmers to be processed and distributed regionally. John and Halee work to create direct grain markets, helping farmers maximize profitability and keep their grains within the foodshed.

Tracy Skaar grows corn, soybeans, oats and hay with his son, Mic, on a combined 850 acres in Hayward, Minnesota. Half of their beans are no-tilled with a cereal rye cover crop, and their oats are underseeded with a mix of red clover and non-dormant alfalfa or alfalfa for a hay crop. Last year, Tracy was involved in a PFI Cooperators’ Program trial testing termination dates after planting soybeans into green rye cover crops.

Landon Brown raises corn and soybeans, along with relay-cropping soybeans, rye and oats, near New Providence, Iowa. He uses no-till and cover crops on all his acres to help reduce erosion and reliance on chemical control. Landon has taken part in various PFI research trials related to cover crop management practices in the past three years.

Jeremy Gustafson is a lifetime member of PFI who farms just outside of Boone, Iowa, raising corn and soybeans and cover cropping extensively with cereal rye. He also works through PFI’s Cooperators’ Program to complete on-farm research projects. Last year, he completed a trial testing termination dates after planting soybeans into green rye cover crops.

Joe Klingelhutz worked as the full-time farm specialist for SILT between 2018-2022. He is currently working part-time for SILT, and for PFI as a land access navigator. Joe lives in Iowa City, Iowa, where he is involved with farming organic vegetables, honeybees and perennials. He runs his own independent beekeeping operation and has worked for several other farms.

Breanna Horsey serves as the executive director of SILT. She brings a wealth of experience to her role. Breanna has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in organizational development. Previously, she worked to promote sustainable practices and improve water quality as an urban conservationist in western Iowa. She is passionate about connecting farmers, landowners and conservationists to create a more sustainable and resilient Iowa.

Ben Hartman is the author of “The Lean Farm,” a 2016 winner of the Shingo Institute’s Prestigious Research and Professional Publication Award. He and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living on less than 1 acre growing and selling specialty produce to restaurants and at a farmers market. Ben was appointed to the 2017 Grist 50, a list of emerging green leaders in the United States.

Kyle Maxwell farms alongside his partner, Kate Solko, at Root to Rise Farm near Ames, Iowa. He is also a certified yoga instructor.

Gene Schriefer and his wife, Ruth Schriefer, operate a grass-finished beef operation in southwest Wisconsin and raise a flock of grazing sheep. Gene is currently the state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Wisconsin, but previously worked as a grazing specialist and University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension agricultural educator. Gene’s interests and concerns are rural poverty, depopulation in agriculturally dependent regions, loss of community, environmental degradation and loss of resilience in the face of climate change.

John Gilbert farms with his family near South Fork, a tributary of the Iowa River, raising pigs, dairy beef, row crops, small grains and forages. The farm includes John and Beverly; their eldest son John, his wife Sarah and their daughters; as well as John’s brother, Greg, and his wife Barb. Conservation has been an integral part of the farm since John and Greg’s father returned from naval service in WWII. Keeping livestock on the land has been a foundation of the farm that today also includes no till, cover crops, tailored rotations, waterways, terraces, rotational grazing, grassed headlands and a significant riparian habitat. The farm, Gibralter Farms Ltd, has been recognized for its work toward sustainability by both PFI and Niman Ranch.

Dave Brown lives on a small homestead near Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, Trish, and two German shorthaired pointers. He breeds silver- and gold-laced Wyandottes and cotton patch geese, which keep him busy along with a large garden and beekeeping. In his spare time, Dave enjoys hiking, fishing, brewing and woodworking.

Lucia Schulz es asociada de organización comunitaria para el Programa Agrícola y Comunitario del Centro de Asuntos Rurales. Su trabajo se centra en alentar a los agricultores latinos a establecer contactos, educar y liderar.  

Kristy and Bob Walker founded Walker Homestead Farm and Winery near Iowa City, Iowa, in 2018, creating a diverse and sustainable operation that includes gardens, orchards, vineyards, pasture and cropland. The farm also features a small venue, offering a unique combination of farming and agritourism. Over the years, Kristy and Bob have grown their workforce to an average of 28 employees, including 10 full-time staff members, reflecting their commitment to providing quality, year-round jobs. Kristy and Bob are passionate about fostering a supportive work environment that emphasizes sustainable farming practices and creates meaningful employment opportunities within their community.

Rye Carlson owns and operates Fresh Starts Farm in Mora, Minnesota, where he grows organic soybeans, corn and sunflowers, all interseeded with cover crops. At Fresh Starts Farm, Rye mills all the farm’s grain into certified organic feed for poultry, hogs and dairy animals. He also uses cover crops to suppress weeds, cycle nutrients and improve soil health.

Sean Dengler farms with his dad, raising corn and soybeans on his family’s land between Traer and Dysart, Iowa. Sean has participated in PFI’s Cooperators’ Program, completing on-farm research trials to hone nitrogen rates on the family farm.

Nathan Anderson owns and operates Bobolink Prairie Farms near Aurelia, Iowa, raising corn, soybeans, cattle, small grains and hay. Nathan and his family have worked to grow their cattle herd while improving grazing management and incorporating cover crops through on-farm research. Nathan is a lifetime member of PFI. He is also a former board president and current board member for the northwest region.

Ross McCaw farms near Marengo, Iowa, where he owns and operates McCaw Custom Farms. He specializes in corn, soybeans and cereal rye, and has been planting cover crops since 2019 as a way to reduce his nitrogen inputs. In 2024, he strove to bring his nitrogen levels below 100 pounds per acre, down from 120 pounds per acre in 2023.

Mollie Aronowitz is a licensed realtor, accredited land manager and sustainability director with Peoples Company. Mollie manages and consults on farms across Iowa and oversees sustainability initiatives within Peoples Company, with a focus on in-field and edge-of-field conservation. She also advises landowners as part of PFI’s Landowner Coaching Program.

Ana Timmer has worked at The Cornucopia in Sioux Center, Iowa, for the last six years as the field team leader, and she staffs the Falls Park Farmers Market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ana has a passion for agroecology and for teaching people about food through her conversations at the farmers market and through the CSA newsletter she writes.

T.D. Holub owns and operates Garden Oasis Farm with his wife, Sarah Holub, near Coggon, Iowa. Their farm started in 2013 with a half-acre of vegetable production and has grown to 6 acres of outdoor production and five high tunnels. T.D. and Sarah provide all the farm labor, with just a few seasonal part-time staff, so efficiency improvements through mechanization and crop selection are continuous goals. Garden Oasis Farm markets through CSA, on-farm sales, grocery stores and restaurants.

Emma Barber, owner of Rhubarb Botanicals, is a Midwest-based herbalist and farmer committed to growing vibrant botanicals for community health and well-being. A Minnesota native, she farms with partner Jeremy Wilhelm in Linn County, Iowa, where they raise medicinal and culinary herbs and fresh-cut flowers on 1 acre, alongside their newly established 32-acre pasture where they raise grass-fed lamb. The couple were part of PFI’s Savings Incentive Program Class of 2023.

Kevin Fulton owns and operates Clear Creek Land & Livestock, a holistically managed organic farming and grazing operation in the Loess Hills of central Nebraska. The farm has hosted visitors from around the world and been featured in numerous publications, documentaries and videos. Kevin has held leadership positions in various farm organizations on state and national levels. He has also lectured at events from New York City to Los Angeles while educating consumers, farmers, advocacy groups and university faculty and students.

Bee Lutz has been a tenant goatherd to Kiko goats for seven years throughout Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Bee’s primary focus is targeted grazing for ecological resilience, along with raising high-quality meat goats. Bee is motivated by right relationship with land and supporting other emerging agrarians.

Francisco Díaz, nativo de Nicaragua, es un especialista en contabilidad con más de 15 años de experiencia en recaudación de fondos, sostenibilidad, desarrollo comunitario, gestión de proyectos y desarrollo de capacidades. Sus habilidades interculturales y su experiencia en planificación estratégica, gestión de presupuestos y divulgación lo convierten en un candidato natural en las comunidades latinas de Minnesota. Francisco ha trabajado como gerente de finanzas en una escuela primaria y con varias organizaciones internacionales sin fines de lucro. En el Centro de Desarrollo Económico Latino, ayuda a la comunidad latina facilitando el acceso a capital para la compra de tierras agrícolas. 

Danny Carper-Jacobo nació y creció en Iowa, pero tiene raíces familiares en Michoacán y Zacatecas, México. Después de recibir su licenciatura en ciencias ambientales de la Universidad del Norte de Iowa, trabajó como técnico ambiental en la refinería de Pine Bend en Rosemont, Minnesota, donde colaboró con una empresa externa para garantizar el cumplimiento de los estándares regulatorios de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental. Como asociado agrícola en el Centro Latino de Desarrollo Económico, Danny trabaja con personas de todos los orígenes ayudándoles a conectarse con expertos en el campo o en LEDC para establecer sus negocios agrícolas.  

Dean Sponheim is co-owner of Sponheim Sales and Services, which has been offering a “one-stop shop” for cover crop seed and seeding services since 2014. Dean contracts over 1,000 acres of rye and oat production, which he cleans and deploys to airplanes, drills or interseeders.

Wade Dooley is a sixth-generation farmer in Marshall County, Iowa, who operates Glenwood Century Farm, a diversified crop and livestock operation focusing on raising cover crop seed. Wade also owns Dooley Ag Stewardship Inc., offering custom cover crop seeding services and seed.

Stefan Gailans is the senior research manager at Practical Farmers of Iowa. Stefan leads the Cooperators’ Program, PFI’s vehicle for empowering farmers to generate and share knowledge through timely and relevant farmer-led research. With teammates, Stefan has helped farmers conduct scientific inquiry on a range of topics in over 700 on-farm research trials since 2013.

Beth and Rick McGeough own and operate Edge of the Woods Raspberry Farm just outside of Indianola, Iowa. Both have a passion for and commitment to sharing their farm and their land with others.

Ben Hartman is the author of “The Lean Farm,” a 2016 winner of the Shingo Institute’s Prestigious Research and Professional Publication Award. He and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living on less than 1 acre growing and selling specialty produce to restaurants and at a farmers market. Ben was appointed to the 2017 Grist 50, a list of emerging green leaders in the United States.

T.D. Holub owns and operates Garden Oasis Farm with his wife, Sarah Holub, near Coggon, Iowa. Their farm started in 2013 with a half-acre of vegetable production and has grown to 6 acres of outdoor production and five high tunnels. T.D. and Sarah provide all the farm labor, with just a few seasonal part-time staff, so efficiency improvements through mechanization and crop selection are continuous goals. Garden Oasis Farm markets through CSA, on-farm sales, grocery stores and restaurants.

Sam Oschwald Tilton runs Glacial Drift Enterprises, where he consults with farmers, companies and organizations to improve weed management, draft farm plans and deliver engaging educational programming. Sam has worked in many roles on and around vegetable farms – as a farmhand, running his own CSA and managing an educational farm. He also worked throughout Europe and the U.S. as a sales rep for KULT-Kress weeding tools; was an instructor of sustainable landscape management at Lakeshore Technical College; and served as the direct-market vegetable specialist for University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. For the past six years, Sam has organized the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day. He now lives in Minneapolis and enjoys sharing his love of plants with children in his community.

Rebekah Ahrens runs Twisted Oaks near Milan, Illinois, with her husband, Mark, and two teenage children. They raise sheep, goats and laying hens while restoring oak savanna pasture. Rebekah and Mark moved back to Rebekah’s family land having grown up away from the farm and establishing information technology careers.

Will Ahrens, a sophomore at Sherrard High School, was 9 when the family moved back to the farm near Milan, Illinois, and his grandpa encouraged him to start his own farm enterprise. For five years, Will operated a laying hen business. In 2024, Will closed that business to focus his time on rotationally grazing Kiko goats in rough terrain. He moves fences, assesses paddock food potential, monitors goat health and does a myriad of other jobs to ensure goats are successful at Twisted Oaks.

Kevin Fulton owns and operates Clear Creek Land & Livestock, a holistically managed organic farming and grazing operation in the Loess Hills of central Nebraska. The farm has hosted visitors from around the world and been featured in many publications, documentaries and videos. Kevin has held leadership positions in various farm organizations on state and national levels. He has also lectured at events from New York City to Los Angeles while educating consumers, farmers, advocacy groups and university faculty and students.

Valeria Cano Camacho se unió al personal de Practical Farmers of Iowa en el invierno de 2023. Es la coordinadora principal de participación latina en el equipo de educación dirigido por agricultores de PFI, donde ayuda al departamento a planificar y facilitar eventos educativos y de creación de redes para agricultores y productores de habla hispana.