Workshop Descriptions

Speaker: Tucker Manley, Russell Mills Flower Company

Location: Floriculture

Most farms don’t fail because of a lack of demand, they stall out because their systems can’t keep up. In under a decade, Tucker Manely and Beth Costa grew Russells Mills Flower Company into the second-largest dahlia farm in the U.S. by building systems that made growth possible and by taking calculated risks at the right moments. Tucker will share how they approached scaling production, managing labor, tightening operations, and making big decisions with imperfect information. You’ll walk away with concrete ideas for building systems and positioning your own farm for sustainable growth.

Speaker: Lizzie Hunt, Plant Community LLC

Location: Room 1301

Lizzie Hunt from Plant Community LLC in East Greenwich, RI will share her experience growing ecotypic plants and why they are so important for biodiversity. She will discuss what an ecotype is, and the role genetic diversity plays in climate change and inter-species relationships. She will then go into detail about propagation practices from wild seed collection, to cleaning, stratification, and planting, and highlight local efforts to increase the production of native seed. You will leave knowing how to grow and source ecotypic plants locally.

Speakers: Susan Scheufele & Ali Shokoohi, UMass Extension

Location: Climbing Lab

Learn about the basic biology and management of key pests affecting these crops, including potato leafhopper, Colorado potato beetle, onion thrips, and allium leafminer. They will share results from recent UMass Extension Vegetable Program research on new insecticides for managing these pests in potatoes and other vegetables, along with their field-tested recommendations for getting the most out of organic insecticides in these systems. Lastly, they will work on identifying disease pests of concern and discuss management options for conventional and organic systems.

Speaker: Michelle Nikfarjam, Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust

Location: Room 1307

This nuts-and-bolts session is for farmers who want to use grants to move their business forward, but do not know where to start- or are tired of getting rejected. We will cover how and where to find current grant programs and other potential funding sources for farms in the region, how to match your project to the right funder, and how to write a simple, convincing proposal that clearly tells your farm’s story.

The workshop will also include a practical “Farm Funding Playbook” overview of updates to major federal and state programs. We will then move beyond cost share to explore more creative funding strategies, including local and regional regrants, private foundations, municipal opportunities, community partnerships, and blended approaches that can reduce match barriers.

Participants will leave with concrete tools for submitting stronger applications including clear problem framing, tighter alignment with funder priorities, measurable outcomes, and a narrative-to-budget connection that holds together. I will share practical writing tips, budget basics, and lessons learned from successful farm grants.

Speakers: Ian McSweeney (Farmers Land Trust), Caroline Pam (Founder of Kitchen Garden Farm), Ellie Angerame (Equity Trust) & Dee Levanti - moderator (Land for Good )

Location: Student Commons

As farmland prices continue to rise and many farmers are priced out of purchasing land, there is an increasing need for alternative models of farmland purchase and ownership. This session will center a panel of speakers each presenting about a unique model for equity building and farmland ownership. We'll hear from Farmland Commons about land decommodification and farmer autonomy, Land For Good about equity building through the ground lease model, and from Caroline Pam, Founder of Kitchen Garden Farm. Each speaker will cover strategies and tools for enacting the model so that participants may come away feeling both inspired and empowered. We will leave plenty of time for Q&A. Session moderated by Land For Good.

Speaker: Morgan Eldredge, The Fishing Partnership

Location: Student Commons

For farmers and fishermen, unpredictable factors like weather, regulations, illness or injury, and equipment breakdowns can make estimating yearly income a real challenge. Yet accurate income projections are essential for determining eligibility for financial help with health insurance. In this session, you’ll learn practical tips and simple strategies to confidently estimate your income for the year ahead, so you can get the coverage and savings you deserve.

Speakers: Elowyn McCarthy (4H), Molly Quin (4H)

Location: Room 1304

Are you a 4-H or FFA student who is always scrambling to find the documents, receipts or all the things you need for your projects? If so, this workshop is for you! We will go over all the different documents, records and forms you need to meet project requirements so you are organized and ahead of schedule and you can hand in the best projects possible. Getting this system down will not only help you meet your 4-H and FFA project requirements, but can set you on path for success on all your future endeavors!

Speaker Pat McNiff, Pat’s Pastured

Room: 1303

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your poultry operation, this session is for you. This will be a farmer-to-farmer deep dive into pastured poultry production, driven by your questions. Pat McNiff of Pat’s Pasture has spent 2 decades raising chickens, turkeys, and ducks on pasture for both meat and eggs and recently opened a USDA-inspected poultry processing facility. Topics will include brooding, pasture systems, housing, feed, predators, labor, flock health, scaling up, profitability, and the realities of slaughter and processing. There’s no formal presentation, just practical, real-world answers from someone who’s built a successful pastured poultry operation from the ground up.