2026 Speaker Lineup
*As we finalize the schedule, you can find it posted here
A Farm Assessment for Regeneration
Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (Soil Science Society of America) and a respected authority in soil health and regenerative agriculture. With over 30 years of experience in soil conservation, water quality, and agronomy, he brings a unique wealth of knowledge to the table.
In his talks and field-work, Ray emphasizes that soil is a living, complex ecosystem, and that by mimicking nature (through practices such as cover crops, minimal disturbance, diversity, and integrating livestock) farms can reduce dependency on external inputs and improve resilience.
We will look at creating a full farm assessment to practically implement profitable regenerative practices to your production.
Following Nature's Path Leads to Healthy Soils, Healthy Animals and Healthy profits
By mimicking on our farm what nature has perfected for centuries we can eliminate most of the expensive inputs that we are told that we need to farm. Greg and Jan Judy of Clark, Missouri, run a regenerative grazing operation on 2,200 acres of owned and leased land. After facing near bankruptcy in 1999, they paid off their 200-acre farm and home in just three years through custom grazing—and have remained debt-free since.
Their diverse operation includes South Poll cattle, St. Croix hair sheep, guardian dogs, and Shiitake mushrooms. Greg has authored three books—No Risk Ranching, Comeback Farms, and How to Think Like a Grazier—sharing proven methods for soil regeneration, multi-species grazing, and profitable land management.
Greg’s YouTube channel, Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher, has over 132,000 subscribers and provides practical insights into regenerative agriculture. The Judys host spring and fall grazing schools and offer internships to teach others how to build successful, land-healing operations.
Natural Beekeeping that Works & Selling Honey for $50/lb: Crafting and Marketing Premium Hive Products
Dr. Leo Sharashkin will be preventing twice during this conference. He is founder of HorizontalHive.com and editor of Keeping Bees With a Smile, a comprehensive resource on keeping bees naturally in horizontal hives. He contributes to American Bee Journal, Bee Culture, The Beekeepers Quarterly (UK), and many other publications, and speaks internationally on sustainable beekeeping, organic growing, and Earth-friendly living. He holds a PhD in Forestry from the University of Missouri and a Master’s in Natural Resources from Indiana University. Author of world-renowned research in sustainable agriculture, he lives on a forest homestead in the Ozarks in southern Missouri raising bees in a variety of low-maintenance, easy-to-build horizontal hives.
Roots to Resilience -Regenerative Principles for Navigating Stress, Challenges, and Uncertainty.
Organic farming is a tough business and lifestyle at baseline. Uncertainty in weather, markets,
and life’s circumstances add to the challenges. We often think we can solve a problem with a
new tool, a different technique, or more technology; but the most powerful tools for navigating
challenges on our farms come from what we put in our heads, not what we put in our sheds.
How we think drives how we see and react to life’s challenges. This interactive workshop
introduces concepts from nature and neuroscience that help us reduce our stress, navigate our
challenges with more creativity, and become more successful organic farmers.
Growing Flowers for Pleasure & Profit
Kimby will talk about growing ranunculus in the Ozarks; covering the how to and the numbers. Her experience growing flowers at Millsap Farms for the last 8 years, selling through a collective for the last 3 years and starting her own flower farm this year, Kimby brings practical knowledge and experience to the table.
Farm Taxes
Uncertain what to include in your farm expenses? Know the difference between farm income and value-added? This presentation will cover the basics of farm taxes, as well as answer many common tax questions encountered by farmers. Additionally, the presentation will address the pros and cons of different business structures, depreciation, determining employees vs contractors, types of deductions, 2026 tax changes that could impact small farmers and more.
Budgeting for Crops Under Cover: Planning Tools for High Tunnel Vegetable Farms
High tunnels extend the growing season, join this session to see how to customize free planning tools to make every square foot count. Learn how enterprise budgets help Missouri producers estimate the costs of constructing and operating high tunnels for vegetable production, manage labor needs, and compare estimated returns across 9 high tunnel crops. Before committing to changing a crop plan, use enterprise budgets to evaluate capital needs and built in sensitivity tables to see how price or yield changes affect profitability.
Mallory Rahe is an Associate Extension Professor at the University of Missouri who focuses on building stronger farm and food businesses. She leads the Missouri Agriculture, Food and Forestry Innovation Center which provides no-cost technical assistance to value-added agricultural farms. She has developed a number of resources to aid producers who are making on-farm decisions about how to start and scale their operations including specialty crop enterprise budgets, product pricing calculators, direct marketing educational resources, and broader industry studies.
Willingness-to-Buy & Willingness-to-Pay Premium for Food Grown Using Regenerative Farming Practices
Dr. Arbindra Rimal is a professor in the William H. Darr College of Agriculture at Missouri State University (MSU), located in Springfield, Missouri. Dr. Rimal’s expertise encompasses marketing of agricultural products, sustainable agriculture, agribusiness management & agricultural economics, and economic impact analysis of agricultural systems. His on-going research projects focus on locally-grown produce and food hubs, with a goal of connecting small producers to institutional buyers and improving local food systems. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed papers and secured over $1 million in external grants for research and teaching.
Don't Bank on Your Banker
Del Ficke, co-founder of the Graze Master Group will discuss the following topics:
“Administrators vs. Specialists,”Seeking out the right skills in your financial partners and advisors.
“Controlling your own destiny,” Flipping the current farm and ranch management process on its ear to improve your operation, gain your independence, and become more profitable.
“Unlearning and Learning,” Del is a huge proponent of learning but didn’t always embrace conventional academic models. He will outline the educational resources producers need to seek out, books to read, and experiences to embrace.
📸 Photo cutline: Del is known nationwide for, “calling a spade a spade.” Here he is in front of a cornfield ready to share all the potential that exists between these ears, and the ears of the farmer.
“What the ears can’t hear, the eyes can’t deny,” Del Ficke.
Agritourism As Added Profit
In this interview-style session, Grace Ames will sit down with Glenda DeShon to discuss the growing world of agritourism—what it means, how to get started, and how to make it work for your farm. Together, they’ll explore how offering on-farm experiences can build stronger community connections, diversify farm income, and showcase the heart of agriculture in engaging and meaningful ways.
Glenda and her husband Jeff live on their fourth-generation family farm in eastern Boone County, Missouri. Their children, Justin and Jessica, along with their families, also live on the farm and play an active role in its daily operations. The DeShons have made it their mission to strengthen and sustain the health of their farmland while creating opportunities for others to experience life on the farm firsthand.
Four Oaks Farm is a year-round agritourism destination featuring U-pick sunflowers, pumpkins, and mums; a farm maze; hayrides; friendly farm animals; and seasonal activities from summer through fall. In spring, the farm offers barnyard snuggles, art and craft classes, and in winter, festive hayrides and wreath-making events where guests gather their own materials. Expanding their offerings even further, their daughter Jessica and her husband operate Goat Yoga of MO, adding a playful and popular attraction to the farm’s lineup.
Whether you’re curious about adding agritourism to your farm or simply want to hear how one family turned tradition into opportunity, this session is full of insight and inspiration.
Getting the Biggest Impact From Cover Crops in Organic Systems
This presentation will address the use of cover crop legumes and mixes in organic row crops, also provide tips on cover crops for organic horticulture operations, including vegetable production, and how to maximize soil health benefits and resiliency. New opportunities with virtual fencing for grazing cover crops will also be discussed.
Rob Myers is Director of the MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture and an Extension Professor in the Plant Science and Technology Division. Since 2010, he has also served as Regional Director of Extension Programs for the USDA North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. His professional expertise encompasses sustainable farming systems, cover crops and soil health, and cropping system diversification. Dr. Myers grew up on a family grain farm in Illinois that he still helps manage. He obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in agronomy from the University of Minnesota. He was named Missouri Conservationist of the Year in 2018 and honored with the national Agronomic Education and Extension Award from the American Society of Agronomy in 2022.
Dung Beetles Eat Barber Pole Larvae; How Regenerative is Your Pasture?
Using regenerative practices create great living conditions for diverse populations of wildlife, beneficial insects, birds and domestic livestock as well as all of your subterranean livestock. Soil health is the key to abundance. When your soil is healthy enough to support dung beetles you have a built in barber pole larvae eater. Come find out more!
Susan Jaster is a Farm Outreach Worker for Lincoln University's Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program. In the West-Central region of Missouri, she provides research-based agricultural information to small, non-traditional, woman-centric, specialty, and underserved farmers and ranchers. She assists producers with adaptive grazing, high tunnels, small ruminants, poultry, soil health, regenerative agricultural practices, and the Missouri AgrAbility Program. She is a regenerative sheep rancher.
What to Expect in Your Organic Transition
Making the transition to organic can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to do it alone. A representative from MOSA will share what to expect during your organic transition, from understanding certification requirements to developing effective management practices. This session will help you gain confidence, clarity, and practical tools to move forward successfully.
Hotel Information:
We have secured a discounted room rate at Stoney Creek Hotel for conference attendees.
🛏️ $89 per night Use booking code: MOA0226
📍 Stoney Creek Hotel – Columbia, MO
📞 1-800-659-2220
This special rate is available while rooms last, so we recommend booking early.
Sponsor & Vendor Opportunities:
Sponsorships and vendor space are now open and will be promoted immediately in our digital and print materials.
Secure your spot early for the best visibility.
