The Upper Midwest Urban and Rural Agriculture Innovation Conference is focused on exploring the unique challenges and opportunities facing farmers, ranchers and producers in both urban and rural settings.

Thursday, February 6	Regenerative Organic Tracks
7:00 – 8:00 AM 8:00 – 9:30 AM	Vendor Set Up Registration/Vendor Floor open – Coffee and Tea
9:30 – 10:30 AM 10:30 – 10:45 AM	Keynote Speaker Benjamin Fahrer – Farming for Resilience: Cultivating Ecological Systems for Abundant Food Production; Fahrer will explore the transformative potential of ecological farming as a pathway to resilience. Networking Break
10:45 – 11:45 AM	Session Two Doug Voss – Soil Health Academy; Voss will share his passion for healthy soil and how it can cross all tribal boundaries in real practice and affects everyone who eats and breathes. Dr. Angela Jackson – Crafting Your Organic System Plan as a Living Blueprint for Your Farm; Jackson leads programs to assist South Dakota producers interested in transitioning to organic and regenerative agriculture through education, technical assistance, and outreach. Jon Frank – The BRIX Masterclass; Frank is a soil consultant and citizen scientist. He will discuss how to use BRIX to increase plant health, improve flavor, and lock in customer satisfaction.
12:00 – 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 PM	SDSPA Annual Meeting
2:15 – 3:15 PM	Session Three Charlie Johnson – Soil, Steward, and Community; Johnson is a self-employed operator and partner with Johnson Farms and was selected as Organic Farmer of the Year in 2013. Dr. Angela Jackson – Rooted in Resilience: Exploring the Key Pillars of Regenerative Organic Certified by ROA; Jackson leads programs to assist South Dakota producers interested in transitioning to organic and regenerative agriculture through education, technical assistance, and outreach. Darrel Duvall – Introduction to USDA Resources Available and How to Use Them (Featuring: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and Rural Development)
3:15 – 3:45 PM	Afternoon Coffee/Snack Break
3:45 – 4:45 PM	Session Four Matt Kleinhenz – Common Challenges and Opportunities; Maintaining Soil Productivity During and After Organic Transition; Kleinhenz is a professor and extension specialist and will summarize challenges and opportunities common during and after transitioning to organic production, emphasizing ones associated with maintaining soil productivity. Dr. Angela Jackson – Introducing the EQIP OTI Organic Management Practice Standard 823 for Conservation Success; Jackson leads programs to assist South Dakota producers interested in transitioning to organic and regenerative agriculture through education, technical assistance, and outreach. Benjamin Fahrer – Rewilding and Integrative Ecological Systems Management; Fahrer will explore the integration of rewilding and working with nature into agricultural practices as a pathway to resilience and regeneration
4:45 – 5:00 PM	Close Day One
5:30 – 7:30 PM	Dinner and Entertainment – Sponsored by ISP The South Dakota Specialty Producer of the Year award recognizes one specialist who provides visionary leadership to South Dakota’s agricultural industry and advocates for specialty crops. Thank you to our sponsors: South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) and the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.
Friday, February 7	Business Development, Advanced Practices, Urban Ag Tracks
8:00 – 9:00 AM	Registration/Vendor Floor open  Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM 10:00 – 10:30 AM	Keynote Speaker  Erika Tebbens – Taste the Local Difference | Build Your Brand on a Budget: Focusing Your Time & Money to Build Loyalty; Tebbens is a marketing expert, author, and Director of Impact at Taste the Local Difference. She believes the key to long term success is prioritizing relationship-building over making transactions. Networking Break
10:30 – 11:30 AM	Session Two Kelly Scheetz – A Legacy of Care with Sustainable Packaging; Scheetz is the owner of Scheetz Mercantile and will discuss the importance of sustainable packaging. Shannon Mutschelknaus – Engineering a Better High Tunnel; Mutschelknaus will discuss his findings from the 2023-2024 winter and growing season in my custom designed solar high tunnel. Isabel Nazarian – Transforming Urban Farms with Pollinator Habitat; Nazarian is a Biologist with Pollinator Partnership and will discuss her work helping urban and rural agricultural producers establish pollinator friendly habitat by providing Farm Bill application and conservation planning support.
12:00 – 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 PM 1:45 PM – 2:15 PM	Session Three Dirk and Kjersten Oudman – Income Diversification Through CSAs, Farmers Markets, and Food Hubs; The Oudman’s will share about their farm Blue Sky Vegetable Co., and their mission to farm in a way that is in balance with the ecosystem, using beneficial microorganisms and compost for much of their nutrients and pest solutions.  Harlene Hatterman – Let’s get M.A.D. with Drip Irrigation; Hatterman is a professor, assistant head, and high-value crops specialist in the plant sciences department at North Dakota State University. Jim Ristau – Who Lives in Good Compost? Ristau works with farmers on their regenerative journey and provides products to support that effort. Networking Break
2:15 – 3:00 PM	Session Four Rhoda Burrows – Farm Food Safety Plans; Burrows will share not only what a farm food safety plan is, but why they are a good idea for any farm producing fresh produce. She will also share what is needed to put one together. Timothy Schoonhoven – South Dakota Specialty Crop and Local Foods Programming 2025; Schoonhoven serves as a Policy Advisor in the office of South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) and administers grant programs investing in specialty crops and the South Dakota local food system. Malisa Niles – Urban Ag Lesson Plans and Bee Educator Project; Niles works with the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association (SPSPA) as the Urban Agriculture Liaison. She collaborates with the NRCS and industry partners to develop and deliver educational programs, provides producers with technical assistance, and build partnerships between food system stakeholders and NRCS.
3:00 – 3:30 PM	Door Prize Drawing
3:45 – 4:00 PM	Close Day Two