2020 Speakers
Ray Archuleta
Ray Archuleta is a farmer from Seymour, MO. He teaches Biomimicry Strategies and Agroecology principles on a national scale for improving soil function. He has over 30 years of work experience has a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist, and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He worked in the following states: New Mexico, Missouri, Oregon, and North Carolina. He is also a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with Soil Science Society of America. He also served two years in Guatemala as a Livestock Specialist in the Peace Corps. He received A.S. in Livestock Science from Northern New Mexico College and a B.S. in Agricultural Biology plus 30 hours of graduate school in soil related classes from New Mexico State University.
Bob Kremer
Bob Kremer practices soil health principles on our diversified family farm in Osage County, Missouri. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in agronomy from the University of Missouri and Ph.D. in soil science and biochemistry from Mississippi State University. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Soil Microbiology at the University of Missouri. In 2014 he retired after a 32-year career as a microbiologist with U.S.D.A, Agricultural Research Service. He began studies in soil quality in the early ‘90s and was among the first to show the association of microbial activity with soil health in various agroecosystems and subsequently correlated other microbial properties including microbiome structure with other soil health indicators. He shows how on-farm observations of good soil health are associated with sustainable agricultural practices by using robust assessments that include biological indicators. Demonstrating that soil health can be improved sustainably is exciting because this stimulates better ecologically-based management of soils and moves farming toward reduced soil disturbance and chemical inputs that also degrade the environment. This experience has been applied to teaching lessons in soil microbiology and sustainable agriculture classes at the University of Missouri.
Quintin Eason
District Manager, Compass Group and Chief Grow Officer for Iama Culture Co
Studied Biology at University of Mississippi
Studied Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona
Sustainability coordinator in Phoenix Arizona for new programs
Worked in the special projects division for U.S. State Dept for Food Security via John Kerry and World Food Expo
Director of New Business Development at Baker Creek Seeds
Local Foods Coordinator for Whole Foods Market in Southern Pacific Region
Private Contractor for the State of Missouri for Agri Missouri
Closed Loop System designer for Missouri State Plant Science Department
Chief Grow Officer at Iama Culture Co.
Husband of 19 years and father of 8
Terry Durham
Owner of River Hills Harvest ElderBerry Products, Terry’s work with elderberries in Missouri is over 20 years old, starting with his contributions to the Elderberry Improvement Project as a donator of germplasm from wild elderberries on his acreage in central Missouri. At one time he grew the largest elderberry acreage in the United States, but his passion has always been “wealth for farmers.” So he created the value-added product line and began ‘growing growers’ to fulfill the market needs, giving growers a place to sell their elderberries. Prior to growing elderberries, Terry grew vegetables, providing over 90 families a year through his CSA in the Columbia, Missouri area, and he co-founded Missouri Organic Association in the mid-1990s.
Patrick Byers
Patrick Byers is Commercial Horticulture Field Specialist with University of Missouri Extension, serving 9 counties in southwest Missouri. His educational background includes degrees from the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, and University of Arkansas, all in horticulture. Job experience includes 3 years at the University of Arkansas Fruit Substation, 18 years as Fruit Grower Advisor at the MSU State Fruit Experiment Station, and 12 years in his current position. Current job responsibilities include advisement to fruit and vegetable farmers with the goal of supporting sustainability and profitability. Research interests include elderberry, blackberry, pawpaw, persimmon, and garlic. Byers has an interest in international agricultural issues, having provided outreach training for farmers, scientists, and governmental/non-governmental agencies in Uzbekistan, Moldova, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, and China.
Londa Nwadike
In a unique joint appointment between Kansas State University and the University of Missouri, Londa (Vanderwal) Nwadike serves as State Extension Consumer Food Safety Specialist for both Kansas and Missouri. She works with county/district Extension Family and Consumer Science agents and other stakeholders in both states to develop programming and resources in food safety, focusing on consumer issues. Londa has worked for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization based in Rome, Italy. She also has extensive experience living and traveling in Africa. Immediately prior to moving to the Kansas City area for this new position, Londa served as Extension Food Safety Specialist for the University of Vermont. She grew up on a farm in South Dakota, so is excited to return to the region with her family.
Dan Kuebler
Farmer, market grower and value-added producer, Dan has been active in farming and agriculture organizations since the early 1980s. He currently produces ‘Farmer Dan’ brand fermented raw probiotic food products from organically grown vegetables, some from his own farm, some he purchases. ‘The Salad Garden’ has been a staple Columbia Farmers Market booth on Saturday mornings, and Dan served as President of that organization, as well as President of Sustainable Farms and Communities, Missouri Organic Association and Missouri Farmers Markets Association.
Ann Wilkinson
Ann provides business planning and business development expertise to the food industry. She specializes in working with emerging food companies and has extensive experience consulting with producer owned organizations. Industry competencies include organic and natural foods, meat, cheese, and specialty food products.Prior to consulting, Wilkinson worked as a product manager for two Fortune 500 food companies and as a research economist for one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives. She holds degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Mike and Sherry Adams
The Adam’s started Gateway Custom Malt in 2016, establishing the first craft malt house of its size in Missouri since the pre-Prohibition era. In 1-ton batches the couple has worked to reconnect the vital relationship between local farmers and brewers and distillers throughout Missouri and Illinois. By bringing malt home, they endeavor to boost the local economy while helping the consumer rediscover the flavor of the Midwest that was once lost for decades.
Sarah Nizzi
Sarah Nizzi is a farm bill pollinator conservation planner and NRCS partner biologist with Xerces Society. Sarah works statewide in Iowa to provide technical assistance to private landowners interested in pollinator habitat and provides training related to pollinators to NRCS staff and partners
Liz Graznak
Liz Graznak is a Columbia native whose love of gardening and the outdoors is primarily the result of time spent outside with her grandparents as a child. It was in grad school at Cornell University that Liz discovered CSA farms and realized she too wanted to grow vegetables. After working on a number of different farms out east and in the Midwest Liz decided to move back to the Columbia area. She also realized that if she was ever going to be able to afford to purchase her own farm than she was going to have to have a “real” job for a while. After six years of working at Superior Garden Center Liz & Katie were able to purchase Happy Hollow Farm. CSA farming has provided the opportunity to fulfill Liz’s long anticipated goal of growing beautiful, healthy food and sharing it with a community of people that share her enthusiasm and commitment to a local food system. Liz is entering her eighth year of certified organic production and has expanded to nearly 7 acres of veggies, fruit, eggs & flowers that she sells thru the CSA, at the Columbia Farmers Market and to a number of local restaurants and grocery stores.
Hemme Brothers
Jon and Nathan are the oldest two brothers out of four. They both graduated with bachelor degree’s from College of the Ozarks. Here, they were able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. Both of their work station’s on campus were new construction, a skill they would use to help build the infrastructure it took to make Hemme Brother’s Creamery possible. In 2006, they both agreed to buy shares of the family’s dairy. Today, Jon and Nathan work with their dad (David) and two brothers (Michael and Aaron). Jon’s responsibility is to raise the replacement heifers and manage the row crop acres. The last three years he has implemented cover crops on a majority of the acres. Nathan has spent the last three years managing cheese production.
Angie Ates
Entrepreneurial wellness expert, Angie Ates is featured in over 200 online training videos in the natural health industry, where she integrates business principles and holistic medicine. She secured an executive role at age 25. After 20 years in corporate jobs, and struggling with multiple autoimmune disorders, she repurposed herself in holistic medicine. She is the proud mother of three children and the CEO of AcademyEPIC, an unique online collaborative training organization.
Crystal Stevens
Crystal Stevens lives along the bluffs of the Mighty Mississippi River in Godfrey, Ilinois with her husband and 2 children. Stevens is an Author, an Artist/Art Teacher, a Folk Herbalist, a Regenerative Farmer, and a Permaculturist. Stevens has written 3 books published by New Society Publishers: Grow Create Inspire, Worms at Work, and Your Edible Yard (will be released in spring of 2020) Stevens speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the United States. She has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series for over a decade. She and her husband, Eric Stevens, co-founded FLOURISH which encompasses a farm, a plant nursery, an apothecary, design services and educational programming including a Permaculture Design Course, and dozens of workshops throughout each season. Stevens Co-founded Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals with Alex Queathem.
Justin Meyer
Justin is an 8-5'er by day, and Mealworm Farmer by night! It all started with a micro colony of mealworms to supplement chickens 5 years ago, then turned into a business in Jan of 2017. Producing live mealworms and superworms, Midwest Mealworms provides quality live insects to central Missouri as well as Frass (mealworm poop) as a soil amendment.
Will Winter
Will Winter, DVM, is a livestock nutritionist and holistic herd health consultant. He is the inspector for the American Grassfed Association, and consults for Grassfarmer Supply out of Becker, MN. He sponsors pastured pork production, as well as invasive weed eradication utilizing hair sheep and meat goats. He operates The Uptown Locavore, a private buying club for raw dairy, and local sustainable food in Minneapolis. He is also a writer for several eco-agriculture magazines and websites such as AcresUSA and Stockman Grassfarmer Magazine.
Not mentioned above: Bob McCord, Jim Pierce, Tradd Cotter, Christina Blincoe, Paul Huenefeld, Mike Powell, Emily Wright, Dan Krull, Stan Slaughter, Stanton Brothers Poultry, and Leo Sharashkin,