2026 SPEAKER BIOS

Rosebud Bear Schneider is a farmer, food producer, Indigenous food educator, and community organizer serving the Detroit Indigenous Community and beyond. Rosebud also works with the Wiba Anung team, a collaborative partnership between Michigan State University and the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan to support the health and well-being of indigenous children and families in Michigan.

Rosebud is the co-director of Education and Engagement at Keep Growing Detroit, a non-profit urban farm with the mission to cultivate a food sovereign city where the majority of produce consumed by Detroiters is grown in Detroit by Detroiters.

Chris Bardenhagen is a Farm Business Management Educator with Michigan State University Extension specializing in cost of production and succession planning. Raised on and active in a mid-scale diversified farm, he brings practical experience across production systems and marketing channels, along with firsthand insight from recently transitioning his family farm to the next generation.

Wendy Bell is an herbalist, energy practitioner, early childhood Waldorf educator, artist, writer, and homeschooling mama to five wildlings in the northern woods of Michigan.

Mariel Borgman is a Community Food Systems Educator serving the southwest Michigan region and collaborating on statewide programs, since 2014. Mariel’s areas of focus include supporting new and beginning farmers with resources, peer-to-peer learning and mentorship; assisting farmers in developing local markets for their offerings; and facilitating the development of local and regional food systems. Mariel's educational background includes a B.S. in Sustainable Business from Aquinas College and a M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan. She is also a graduate of the MSU Organic Farmer Training Program.

Katie Brandt works with beginning, urban, sustainable and small farmers as part of the MSU Extension Community Food Systems team. She started her farming adventure as a farmworker, before co-founding Groundswell Community Farm and farming full-time for 11 seasons. In 2017, she shifted to teaching the MSU Organic Farmer Training Program, a mix of field trips, online and on-farm learning to help people make their farm dreams a reality. Katie co-leads Michigan's Transition to Organic Partnership Program and assists with programs for Michigan's Emerging Farmers, SARE grants, Tribal SARE and several farm mentorship projects. You can contact her at brandtk7@msu.edu.

Claire Butler is the Content Strategy Specialist for Taste the Local Difference and uses storytelling to uplift entrepreneurs and the local food movement. Claire weaves a degree from Great Lakes Culinary Institute with her interest in farming and food systems to bring a nuanced perspective to eating for everyday consumers.

As the most tenured trainer at ZingTrain, Elnian Gilbert has trained on absolutely every content area we offer! Her particular areas of specialty are Customer Service, Visioning, Employee Training, Open Book Management, Change Management, and Leadership. Elnian shares Zingerman’s approach to business in ZingTrain’s public 2-day seminars and workshops as well as delivering customized training and facilitation for clients across the country (and world!) Elnian’s style is engaging, humorous, and full of real-world stories. Her down-to-earth approach, thorough preparation, and extensive experience help her connect with participants from a wide array of industries.

Small ruminant lover and ever-curious land steward Taylor Hartson (also known as Tig) has been farming in varying capacities for a decade, discovering their kinship with dairy goats & excitement for cheesemaking in 2019 and never looking back. On all the land they tend, Taylor centers the complex relationships between all beings and the value of mutual support in a shared ecosystem. When they're not milking goats or making cheese at Verdant Hollow Farms, you can probably find them tangled in fencing at Come and See Farm, bark-tanning beloved small ruminant hides, or spinning piles of wool into yarn.

Originally from Michigan, Dana Hilfinger has over a decade of experience on diversified fruit and vegetable farms. She earned a master's degree in Horticulture and Crop Science from Ohio State (studying lettuce production in high tunnels) and worked for Extension in Ohio before joining Johnny’s in 2022. Dana has been a Johnny’s customer since she started farming and loves the company’s dedication to quality products and supporting farmers.

Scott Kallek is led by a deep care for and curiosity about the natural world. He is an accomplished woodworker, a former horticultural/wilderness therapy guide, a regenerative farmer, and all-around woodsman. Scott has dedicated his life to understanding how people connect to natural environments and to designing systems that engage individuals with nature. At his home, Scott focuses on growing perennials for agroforestry installations while learning how best to be a steward of the land.

Michael Lordon is the Assistant Director of Research at Organic Seed Alliance, bringing experience as an organic seed producer, scientific author, and ecological data analyst. He holds an M.S. in Conservation Ecology from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. in Biological Science from DePaul University. Since joining Organic Seed Alliance in 2021, he has supported seed research and extension efforts across the Midwest and nationally, through the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program, the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, and other projects.

Amy McIntire is the Finance Manager for Oryana Food Cooperative. While her “traditional job” has always been in Finance, for 10 years she ran City Girls Farm which created and sold goats milk-based products at markets and to local and national retailers. She has always had a passion for local farming and the community it fosters. Amy brings knowledge of what it takes to bring a farm-based product from dream to reality and what it takes to make that happen while staying true to your vision.

Ben McMurray is a 40-year-old dad of three children. He spends most of his time as the primary Domestic Engineer and works part-time as an RN. Since 2013, Ben and his wife Brittany and have been blessed to trial many experiments on their small farm where they farrow-to-finish pigs, grow a wide variety of small grains and propagate trees. Ben caught the chestnut bug around 2019, which appeals to his science background, with a B.S. in Biology.

Caitlin McSweeney-Steffes is a co-owner of Danu Hof, a family farm in Northern Michigan dedicated to raising pasture-based poultry, heritage breed pork, and beyond-organic produce. Through her work, she focuses on building a resilient farm system that connects soil health, animal welfare, and community access to high-quality local food.

Caitlin is deeply involved in direct-to-consumer sales and regional food networks, and is passionate about sharing the realities of small-scale farming—from daily management to long-term sustainability. Her work is rooted in the belief that farming is both a livelihood and a cultural practice, one that nourishes families while sustaining the land for future generations.

Since 2012, Levi Meeuwenberg has run Realize Homestead on his family’s multigenerational farmland in Traverse City. There, he tinkers with human-scale solutions to global problems like regenerative agriculture, permaculture, food forests, pasture-raised livestock, community-scale composting, tiny homes, and more. The aim is to discover and share practical ways we can radically relocalize our supply chains while restoring the ecological health of the land.

Adam Montri is the MDARD Farm-to-Family Market Development Specialist. He serves as a liaison between farmers and prospective buyers, other MDARD units, state agencies focused on economic value generation, and external partners. He was the MSU Department of Horticulture Hoophouse Outreach Specialist for over a decade and co-owned and operated Ten Hens Farm in Bath, Michigan from 2007 to 2024. Adam earned his BA in English from MSU and his MS in Horticulture from Penn State. He teaches poetry in schools, was a Board Member of The Poetry Room from 2021-2025, and served on the 2025 Michigan Poet Laureate Selection Committee.

Magda Nawrocka-Weekes is a poet, witch, and farmer who loves folklore, plant breeding, and everything in between. After a degree in biochemistry, she worked various environmental and food-based jobs until resigning mid-COVID to pursue farming. She and her partner Zach met on a seed farm in Colorado and went on to start Dog Star Farm in 2025, on unceded Anishinaabeg land outside of Ann Arbor, MI, growing primarily organic vegetables with a focus on soil-building and affordable, community-centered agriculture. Magda is dedicated to breeding genetically diverse, climate-resilient seeds with cultural resonance for herself and her community, and her love for food extends into cooking, preserving, and writing about it as well. She believes in breaking down barriers to knowledge transfer and hierarchies of all kinds.

Abbey Palmer serves as a Community Food Systems Educator based in Alger County and works with schools and farms throughout the Upper Peninsula. She coordinates educational activities for people of all ages at MSU’s Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center (UPREC). Her areas of focus include land-based learning for K-14 students and teachers, farm-to-institution, and small-scale seed system resilience. Abbey holds a MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop in fiction and a BA in Literature from Northern Michigan University. She has worked in food systems since 2011, and spent several years engaged in diversified vegetable production using off-grid farming methods.  

Tricia Phelps is the CEO of Taste the Local Difference, a Michigan-based media and marketing agency for farms and local food businesses. With over fifteen years of experience in the local food system, Tricia brings deep insight to the agricultural community of Northern Michigan.

Robbin Pott is a certified living soil consultant by Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web School and is trained to use a microscope to assess soil biology, to create biologically-active compost and soil amendments, and to provide guidance on how to cultivate the life in the soil to create the best growing conditions. Robbin created and leads Pott Farms, an educational regenerative hemp farm that hosts paid seasonal internships. The farm sells Regenerative Organic certified hemp products and provides Living Soil Services to the public to fund the farm’s training program.

Dr. Remington Rice is an Extension Educator with Michigan State University Extension and leads the statewide Managing Farm Stress program. With a doctorate in Health Psychology and roots in a multigenerational Northern Michigan farm family, he works with agricultural communities to strengthen resilience, improve well-being, and connect farmers with practical stress management resources.

Sarah Smith is the Produce Manager at Grain Train Community Co-op. Sarah came to the Grain Train 16 years ago from a farm market background. She became the Produce Manger in 2025 and brings her expertise in working with local farmers as well as an understand of how local, regional and national foods work together to feed the community. Sarah will share her experience working with local producers and growers as well as how to have a successful wholesale relationship with the Grian Train.

Mindy Taylor is the Marketing and Outreach Manager at Grain Train Community Co-op. She has been a core member of the Local Food Alliance as a representative of the Grain Train since 2012 and continues to champion local food in her role today. She brings her experience working with the food and farm community to bolster local food economies and her passion around building sustainable, reciprocal relationships.

Nate is a Consumer Horticulture Educator for MSU Extension in Leelanau County and the Master Gardener Coordinator for the Northwest Lower Peninsula. He holds an MS and PhD in entomology from Michigan State University where he studied pollinator conservation and organic pest management in Michigan blueberries and apples. Nate is descended from Irish immigrants who began farming on the Leelanau peninsula in the late 1800's. His grandfather ran a diverse 200-acre farm with milk cows, beef cattle, cherries, potatoes, wheat, oats, corn, and hay. Nate currently lives in Benzie County with his wife and 6 children on their herb microfarm and United Plant Savers plant sanctuary.

Devon (Von) Wilson is the heart behind Sunlight Gardens in Battle Creek, MI. Devon is an urban farmer, food justice advocate, and proud Battle Creek native. With over a decade of experience and training from MSU's Organic Farmer Program, he's passionate about growing fresh food and building stronger communities. As a W.K. Kellogg Foundation fellow, Devon leads the farm with a mission: to tackle food insecurity, inspire change, and make farming fun, fresh, and accessible for everyone.

He also currently serves as President of the Michigan Farmers Union, advocating for farmers across the state.