Speakers

Dr. Ana Legrand is an entomologist with expertise in IPM and biological control. She obtained her PhD in entomology from the University of Maryland and currently works in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at UConn. Research projects in her lab focus on conservation biological control, trap crops for insect pest management and the use of remote sensing and drones for monitoring potato leafhoppers.

Steve Munno is the Farm Manager at Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge, Connecticut, a non-profit, certified organic farm, which operates a CSA, sells to local markets, offers on-farm educational programs and events, and donates at least 10% of its annual harvest to hunger relief organizations. Steve was a co-founding member of the New CT Farmer Alliance and currently serves as a CT NOFA board member.

Director of Advocacy for CT NOFA since January 2023. Former CT NOFA Board member and co-founder of the Organic Land Care Program. Long-time activist for climate, environment, and peace. Retired scientist at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station.

Dr. Yonghao Li, a plant pathologist, works in Plant Disease Information Office at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT. He has more than 30 years of experience in gardening, disease diagnosis, and pest management.

Freedom Gerardo is co-founder of SEAmarron Farmstead and E&G Community Builders, both of which were founded with one thing in mind: building people power in BIPOC communities. His life is dedicated to organizing youth, teaching them about their individual and collective power – and the power and potential of their communities. Coming from a career focused on ending food insecurity, he is now building a multi-layered, long-term agenda to leverage farming and community organizing to build power and reimagine a new justice and equity centered food system connected to a regional economic ecosystem and revolution in natural building, materials, medicines, and urban revitalization.

Christine is a paralegal and certified compliance professional. She obtained a master’s in Food Studies at NYU and is a legal and policy manager at Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, helping farmer and food producer members across the country navigate the food regulations that govern their ability to get their products to their customers.

Danielle Larese owns and operates BOTL Farm, a pasture-based livestock farm in Connecticut where she rotationally grazes pigs, sheep, goats, and laying hens. Her farm is Animal Welfare Approved for all species and Certified Grass Fed for the ruminants. Danielle graduated from Yale University in 2013 with a PhD in molecular physics.

Will’s farming roots go back to high school on Waldingfield Farm in Washington, CT. In 2020, Will and his partner founded Hungry Reaper Farm, where they grow 8 acres of vegetables in Morris, CT. Will served on the Steering Committee of The New Connecticut Farmer Alliance, a chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition, from 2017 to 2023, finally serving as president from 2020-2023. Will continued his work with Young Farmers as a Land Advocacy Fellow in the lead up to the 2023 Farm Bill (still waiting…). He is the Chair of the Farmland Preservation Advisory Board, sits on the Working Lands Alliance Steering committee, and serves on the Farm Service Agency State Committee. Will is adamant that bold action needs to be taken to improve farmland access and affordability as well as agricultural viability, and that local food must be affordable and available to all.

Sefra Alexandra – The Seed Huntress – is an ethnobotanist on a perennial quest to preserve the biodiversity of our wild and cultivated lands through seed conservation. Sefra is the co-founder of The Ecotype Project (which began as a CT NOFA initiative), the mission of which is to increase the amount of ecoregionally local native seed available for ecological restoration through the farmer-led Northeast Seed Collective. In 2020 she began BOATanical Expeditions, ‘paddlin’ for the pollinators,’ planting autochthonous species along riparian corridors. ​She started the Southport Globe Onion Festival- reviving the prolific allium heirloom in its origin terroir.​ Sefra has conducted fieldwork around the globe, including fortifying community seed banks on island nations after natural disasters. The Seed Huntress holds her M.A.T. in agroecological education from Cornell University, is the Northeast Bioregional Education Coordinator for the Ecological Health Network, is on the steering committee of the Northeast Seed Network, is a fellow of the Crop Trust, and is a WINGS WorldQuest expedition flag carrier and member of the Explorers Club.

Dina Brewster founded The Hickories in Ridgefield as a one acre vegetable garden and has overseen the development of new products and new acreage as the farm business has grown, including the farmer-led Northeast Seed Collective, making ecotypic restoration seed locally available in ecoregions 59 | 58 & 84. Committed to connecting people with working land, the Brewsters have stewarded The Hickories since 1936. She is the former Executive Director of CT NOFA. In an effort to strengthen the resilience of her family farm, she co-founded the Ecotype Project, a program at a non-profit partner Northeast Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA). The Ecotype Project consulted and oversaw the initial development of protocols at Dina’s farm and soon many others – and the efforts of this program resulted in more farmers growing restoration seed throughout the region. Farmers growing this ecotypic seed then share the work of labeling and distributing that seed – work that is done by the Northeast Seed Collective, a business Dina now runs out of her farm.

Eric is a Sustainable Agriculture Specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology – ATTRA Program. He educates throughout the northeast and mid-west teaching about small scale and minimal tillage vegetable production, beekeeping, and community farming. He is the former Executive Director of MEVO (Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization, Inc.), an environmental not-for-profit organization he founded when he was 16 years old. Among the many honors Eric has received for his work in 2014 he was declared a “New Jersey Hero,” by the Governor.

Jacqueline Kowalski is a UConn Associate Extension Educator with a primary focus on urban agriculture. She is focused on increasing agricultural production in Connecticut’s cities. In addition to offering an annual Urban Farmer Training Program, her current projects include vacant lot activation in southwest CT and Equity in Conservation in Connecticut in collaboration with NRCS.

Dr. Leigh Whittinghill is an Assistant Agricultural Scientist in the Department of Environmental Science and Forestry at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Leigh’s research has focused on urban vegetable production. Her recent research interests include investigating nutrient leaching in various ground level systems, including small plastic pool containers, raised beds, and on urban farms. She has worked on a variety of high value crops and is currently examining cut-and-come-again, or repeat harvesting, in greens.

Lori Martin is a lifelong environmentalist with a passion for sustainability, particularly through reuse and community-driven solutions. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Haven’s Harvest, an environmental organization dedicated to food recovery and redistribution.

As a community organizer, Lori believes deeply in the power of individual empowerment and collective action to create meaningful change. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with concentrations in Women’s Studies and Sociology, as well as a Sustainable Building Advisor Certificate. Recently, she earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of New Haven’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute, enhancing her expertise in organizational development and community impact.

In addition to her work with Haven’s Harvest, Lori serves on the Board of Directors of EcoWorks, a creative reuse center in North Haven. Lori enjoys gardening, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and spending time with her four adult children & friends. She loves living in New Haven, a vibrant and diverse city filled with environmental justice communities committed to creating a sustainable and equitable future.

Antonio Tovar is the Senior Policy Associate at the National Family Farm Coalition in Washington DC. He has been advocating for the organization, in which NOFA is part of a national collective of organizations representing 42 States and territories. Antonio studied at University of Florida (UF) and worked for 17 years at the Florida Farmworker Association, at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences for 10 years, and at the Florida Department of Health for 2 years. He is a medical anthropologist who grew at his grandmother farm in Mexico.

Jasmine T. Williams-Jacobs (all pronouns) is the founder and director of Black Remote She, a community-driven job platform connecting Black queer, trans, nonbinary people, and allies with inclusive work cultures and gender affirming resources. Using their passion and background in digital organizing, communications, and community engagement, their previous work included freelancing as a ghostwriter, working in digital communications and marketing for cooperatives, program coordination with a conference network for women, and marketing and sales for a music industry vendor. With a passion for collective liberation, transformative change, and dismantling systemic oppression, Jasmine manages Black Remote She as a progressive system of job and resource sharing.

Julie Michaelson is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. In this position, Julie collaborates with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the American Farmland Trust (AFT) to provide technical support, training, and conservation planning assistance to producers and land managers seeking to develop pollinator and beneficial insect habitat in the Connecticut River Valley.

Dani has been living and working at the intersections of agriculture and open ag technology for over a decade. After years of working on vegetable and dairy farms, often as a draft horse teamster, they and two collaborators purchased 222 acres in Corinth, VT, and started Shepherd Moon Farm in 2022. They are building a dairy flock and co-operative creamery business on land which will also host folks engaged in social justice work for organizing, retreat, and respite. Dani has served on the board of the Draft Animal Power Network (DAP-Net), as a network facilitator for the open-source farm tool community, FarmHack, and as a trainer and convener with IfNotNow Pittsburgh, organizing American Jews against the occupation of Palestinian land. Dani is an employee owner of the farmer- and staff-owned Farm Generations Co-operative and helps farmers use the co-operative’s e-commerce software, GrownBy. Dani also loves building and making things, cooking and feeding people, and eating cheese.

Jared Krawitz came to farming relatively late in life. After cooking in NYC, he moved to North Carolina where he apprenticed at Fickle Creek Farm, learning the basics of low-stress animal management, rotational grazing, pasture health, crop planning, market gardening, and much more. After the apprenticeship, he moved to Hopewell, NJ, to manage the poultry program at Double Brook Farm. When the opportunity came up to start Closter Farm, Jared jumped at the chance to rejuvenate a piece of land in an amazing community.

Since it’s first season, Closter Farm has maintained organic certification for a 1 acre market garden, 2500 broilers, and a small apple orchard. In addition, they run on on-site Farmhub 5 days a week to sell their own as well as many other growers/producers’ products.

Dr. Amelia Magistrali is the Associate Extension Educator in Soil Health at the University of Connecticut. Originally from Northwest Connecticut, her work centers on regenerative and agroecological farming and diversified food production systems that enhance soil health and support vital ecosystem services.

Amelia holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Middlebury College, a master’s degree in organic farming and food production systems, and a PhD from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. Her doctoral research focused on evaluating the impact of alternative fertilizers on the yield and quality of spelt and rye under organic and conventional management systems. She has a decade of experience working with English and European farmer networks to promote and implement sustainable farming practices.

Cian Dalzell works with The Carrot Project and operates Three Maples Market Garden, which he started with his wife in 2010. Cian’s areas of expertise are financial analysis and planning, including cash flow and enterprise budgeting, competitive analysis, business planning, and systems for efficient time management. Cian also brings a decade of experience working in natural foods retail, which informs his market understanding and business planning approach. A former farmer client, Cian now spends his winters working with other farmers both in educational settings and 1:1 at The Carrot Project. On the farm, he works toward the mission of reviving fallow farmland in Berkshire County and producing nutritious vegetables that are accessible to all members of the community. He has slowly built both the soil and the financial records and systems at Three Maples and finds meaning in working with other farmers to achieve their goals.

The Carrot Project works side-by-side with farm and food businesses to achieve their business goals and thrive long-term. Their personalized services have a long track record of increasing farm profitability.

Diane Dorfer is the farmer/owner of Cobblestone Farm, a small-scale diversified vegetable farm in Mansfield Center, CT. Diane has also recently joined UConn Extension as the Farm Viability Service Coordinator.

MC Whelan is the Farm Manager at Massaro Community Farm, a truly community based vegetable farm in Woodbridge, CT. Previously, MC was the Coordinator of the New CT Farmer Alliance.

Orly’s passion for farming began in Winter 2018 when he began cultivating his own cannabis as a gift from his aunt. He joined Green Village Initiative (GVI) as a volunteer in Spring 2019 and also volunteered at Wepa HEMP Farms from September 2019 to March 2020. Concurrently, he cultivated vegetables in his backyard from September 2019 to Winter 2022. In Winter 2020, he began volunteering at his friend Freedom’s farm, SEAMarron Farmstead, gradually decreasing his time there as his own farming journey progressed at GVI.

Orly is currently pursuing a Horticulture Certificate at Connecticut State Community College. He is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and a graduate of the Venture Farming Institute and Leaders of Color in Conservation.

Rich grew up on a small cash crop farm in mid-Michigan where his family grew corn, soybean, wheat, sugar beets, and dry beans. After attending college at Michigan State University, he worked for Monsanto Company as part of their northern corn testing team. He began working at MSU in 2011 while working on a master’s degree in Crop and Soil Science as a research assistant. In 2016, he started to work in Dr. Bruno Basso’s digital agriculture lab using modern technologies like precision equipment and remote sensing tools to discern trends in spatial and temporal variability of cropping yields across the Midwest. In his current position with MSU Extension, he works to educate stakeholders through a variety of ways in learning about how technology can be used as a tool to drive more informed decisions.

Dr. Ellen Batchelder has a background in research in biology and biochemistry utilizing the nematode model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. While a professor at Unity College in Maine, she developed skills in fungi and nematode identification. She joined Woods End Laboratories (WELs) in 2023 and, soon put her educator skills to work as the Outreach and Education Coordinator for a grant awarded to the Basso group at Michigan State University and WELs titled Soil Carbon IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access in highly diverse cropping systems and people in the Northeast US. In this role, Ellen talks to farmers, soil scientists, NRCS staff, and other organizations in the agricultural arena, and develops training and education materials. Outside of work, she is an active volunteer, sitting on the boards of a local Lake Association and a Land Trust.

Dr. Rebecca Harvey has been the CEO of Woods End Laboratories since the spring of 2022. Dr. Harvey brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in analytical, Atmospheric Chemistry (her PhD focus) and Carbon Science (her postdoctoral research), along with experience in Agricultural Science and Lab Administration. As the former Director of the Vermont Agriculture and Environmental Laboratory (Vermont State Lab), which processed dairy, animal health, maple, hemp, fertilizer, feed, water quality, and air quality samples for VT, NY and NH, Dr. Harvey is a game changer for WELs. Her personal interests include running, hiking, camping, and spending time with her family. “I’m excited for the opportunity to use my background and interests in carbon science to contribute to sustainable agriculture as it relates to climate mitigation and adaptation.”

Sely is an urban farmer, herbalist, and mycologist with a deep passion for the intelligence and spiritual connection embedded in the herbs, mushrooms, and land. Guided by a belief in the sacred wisdom of nature, she cultivates vibrant crops/medicines that nourish both the body and soul. Sely is dedicated to fostering resilience, restoring balance, and reconnecting people with Earth’s natural medicines.

Brenna “B” Regan (they/she) is a community herbalist, organic farmer, justice advocate, educator, and devotee to the Holy Wild raised between the forest + sea in so-called “Connecticut.” They have worked on diversified organic vegetable and livestock farms and gardens in Colorado, Connecticut, Nicaragua, and, most recently, in County Mhaigh Eo, Ireland. Other + Earth, B’s community herbalism and nature connection business, centers queer folx and those committed to liberatory social movements while prioritizing solidarity with people most neglected by oppressive systems. Through plant walks and classes, Other + Earth is an offering to the collective in hopes of expanding access to the healing powers of the world we live in.

Jaron Gaier is GROW Windham’s Community Farmer. He has worked at a few different farms since 2011, and with youth in numerous capacities over the years. The Thread City Family Garden in Lauter Park keeps him the busiest these days, where you can find him fending off groundhogs, chatting with passersby, or digging with a hori-hori.

Vania Galicia-Bacilio (she/they) is a 27 year old urban farmer, educator, youth facilitator, and community organizer. Throughout her life she has focused on advocating for immigrants’ rights and local food sovereignty. She first began organizing and developing her mentoring skills when she was 16 years old through GROW Windham’s youth programming, which supported her to become more involved in the immigrants’ rights movement and further develop her leadership. After graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2020, she transitioned into the position of Community Farmer at Grow Windham. As the Community Farmer, Vania facilitated and mentored youth and community members, teaching them how to grow their own food and community, and how to advocate and further develop a more just food system. In 2023, she transitioned into a co-directorship position within the organization as Director of Programs, and they now oversee the development and implementation of the organization’s programming.

For more than 35 years, Jim Riddle has been an organic farmer, gardener, inspector, educator, policy analyst, author, speaker, and avid organic eater. Jim was founding president of the Winona Farmers Market Association and the International Organic Inspectors Association, (IOIA), and co-author of the International Organic Inspection Manual. Jim served as chair of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Organic Advisory Task Force and was instrumental in passage of Minnesota’s landmark organic certification cost-share program, which now is a Federal program that provides partial reimbursement for organic certification costs nationwide. Jim worked for the University of Minnesota as Organic Outreach Coordinator and as Organic Research Grants Coordinator for Ceres Trust. Jim and wife, Joyce Ford, co-owned Blue Fruit Farm, growing blueberries, black currants, elderberries, aronia berries, honeyberries, and more until 2019. Jim and Joyce were named the 2019 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year and in 2013 received EcoFarm’s coveted Sustie award. In 2107, Jim received Beyond Pesticide’s Dragonfly Award for, “leading the nation in advancing organic integrity through policy and practice.”

Jorrit Becking grew up on a farm in the Netherlands, where his search for sustainable solutions sparked a lifelong passion for agriculture. He holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Science from Wageningen University and a master’s in Environmental Studies from Yale University. Jorrit has worked globally in agricultural research, developing pilots for rotational grazing management in East Africa, studying the resilience of extensive versus intensive farming systems in Europe, and collaborating on the Guggenheim’s Countryside, The Future exhibition. He served as an innovation expert at the World Bank, advancing sustainable cattle ranching initiatives, and contributed to cutting-edge agrivoltaics designs at Pacifico Energy Partners in Germany. Now, as Chief Agriculture Officer at Okovate Agrivoltaics, he combines his expertise in farming, renewable energy, and agricultural science to pioneer innovative solutions that integrate solar energy with productive farmland.

Liza McConnell is a lifelong learner who has found the most joyful, life-affirming work in regenerative, organic farming and local food. She spent the past three years managing the agrivoltaic, diversified-vegetable research farm at Jack’s Solar Garden in Longmont, CO. She now consults on agrivoltaics, is developing an agrivoltaic poultry project, and assists at Wild Wellspring Farm, a regenerative winter vegetable farm.

Liza began her career as a visual artist. Fascinated by the diverse landscapes she encountered while traveling to artist residencies, she became increasingly curious about how humans exploit and steward the biosphere. In a bold pivot, she returned to school to study physics and math, believing quantitative tools were essential for meaningful impact. Six years, an extra degree, and a pile of debt later, she visited a friend’s Idaho farmstead and met a goat named Yaya, who once again transformed her path. This shift into small-scale, local agriculture has persisted, leading her to explore ecological systems thinking, regenerative economics, and whole-grain, natural-yeast bread-making, among other pursuits.

Troy Bishopp is the original “The Grass Whisperer” who is a relentless advocate for grass-based systems in the Northeast. He manages Bishopp Family Farm in Central New York, utilizing a hundred acres of integrity-managed pastures that finish beef animals, feed diverse possibilities, and nourish the local community. With over 40 years in the field, he practices the art of “Linger Grazing” where he observes the little things and how they effect the bigger things on the journey to optimize happiness.

He is the new Northeast National Grazing Lands Coalition Resource Manager. In this role, he works from the ground up with farmers, to meet the needs of Northeast graziers from beginning to novice, form working lands partnerships and farmer grazing coalitions that accelerate grazing management education and adoption.

He’s also a media communication trainer, free-lance writer, and timely photographer for local, regional and national media outlets.

John Suscovich is an author, educator, entertainer, and homesteader who lives and works in Western Connecticut with his wife and daughters.

His main passion has always been about grass-based systems and pastured poultry, but through the years has grown pigs, sheep, hops, apples, herbs, and vegetables for direct sale to local customers.

As an entrepreneur he has started or grown several small businesses including Farm Marketing Solutions, a multimedia publishing company aimed at inspiring and educating the next generation of farmers and homesteaders. Through Farm Marketing Solutions, his books have sold tens of thousands of copies, his videos have tens of millions of views, and his podcast has hundreds of thousands of listens. He has partnered with Troy Bishopp many times to promote grazing planning and resilient implementation while working on life balance.