Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association

Sunday January 26, 2025

View Pre-Conference Events Here | Welcome Reception: 5 - 6:30 PM | Trivia Night Hosted by CTYF: 7PM

Monday January 27, 2025

Tuesday January 28, 2025

Speakers according to Session Tracks
Speakers and their session names are subject to change.

Specialty Crops

• Dr. Genhua Niu (TAMU): Allium and Cucurbit Seedling Production Using Organic Fertilizers
• Dr. Daniel Leskovar (TAMU) & Dr. Kevin Crosby (TAMU): Latest Research Results for Tomato and Pepper Production in Texas
• Troy Swift (Swift River Pecans): Working with Nature to Grow Pecans
• April Harrington & Katie Lavallee (TCLF): Value Added Product Development for Specialty Crop Farmers
• Dr. Ken Mix & Kyle Krebs (Texas State University): How to Read Your Soil Test (Haney Test Too)
• Cody Brown & Justin Duncan (NCAT): Specialty Melon Production

Livestock and Soil Health

• David Cole (Tarrant County College): Understanding Soils for Growers; Successful Seeding and Transplanting (Home & Urban Track)
• Randy Oakley (Oakley Family Apiaries): Beekeeping Taught By Nature
• David Will (Think Organic Academy): High-Density Zero Rotation Grazing; Disease Suppressive Soils (Home & Urban Track)
• Andie Marsh (Rhizos LLC): Raising Microbes: Practical Composting for Busy Farmers and Gardeners
• Christine Martin (Holistic Management International): Profitable Pastures: Direct to Consumer Meats
• Shawn Kelly (Crunchy Mama Farms): DIY Chicken Processing

Community and Policy

• Tyler Cox (Texas TOPP): Organic Transitions: What it Really Takes
• Joshua Coleman (USDA FSA) & Wilma Richler (USDA NRCS): USDA Resources for Small-Scale Texas Farmers and Ranchers
• Donna Dorman (Square Mile Community Development), Brady Clark, Amanda Rohlich, Erin Flynn, David Barrow, Edwin Marty: Codes and Carrots: Local Government Support for Agriculture
• Judith McGeary (Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance): Changing the Landscape for Farmers at the TX Legislature
• Lorig Hawkins (Austin Community College), Ashly Tamayo (Recipe for Success), Michelle Akindiya (Farmshare Austin): Pathways to Agriculture: Training the Next Generation of Producers
• Rachel Caldwell Hill (Central Texas Cherokee Township): Lessons from the Three Sisters Garden

• Joshua Coleman (USDA FSA) & Wilma Richler (USDA NRCS): USDA Resources for Small-Scale Texas Farmers and Ranchers
• Greg Rickert (Ranch Properties): Profitability for Small Scale Farmers
• Sue Beckwith (Texas Center for Local Food) & Jose Aguirre (UTRGV SARA): Regional Food Business Centers in Texas
• Tammy Howard & Robert Maggiani (NCAT): Getting to Know the Farm to School Supply Chain
• Annelies Lottmann (UTRGV), Hayley Wood (Hot Spell Farm), Michelle Akindiya (Farm Share Austin), Lynn Saenz (RGV Meat Producers): Innovative Organization Models for Small Farmers
• Hallie Casey (Common Market Texas), Candace Biehle (Smithville ISD), Kyle Massey (Lone Star Growers), Megan Steele (TDA): Farm to School in Texas: Small Producers Wanted

Home and Urban

• Greg Joel (Opal's Farm): Bio-Intensive Urban Farming for Small Plots
• Laurie Dixon: Landscaping for Beauty, Health, and Saving the World
• Austin Davenport: Sterile Techniques for Mushroom Cultivation, Strategies for Success at Farmers Markets (Farmers Market Managers)
• Angel Schatz (Central Texas Mycology): Mycelium Builds Community

Farmers Market Managers (Monday Jan. 27 Only)

• Susan Barker and Anna Wright Smith (TCLF): Maximizing Food Access at Your Farmers Market: Accepting SNAP, Creating a Welcoming Market, and More!
• Tommi Ayala and Eduardo "Lalo" Garcia (Brownsville Wellness Coalition):  Nurturing Partnerships, Growing Communities: Lessons from Brownsville Wellness Coalition's Urban Farms, Farmers Market, and The Happy Kitchen/ La Cocina Alegre

Preconference Speakers/Tour Guides

• Savannah Rugg
• Matt Batchelder
• Jeremy Graves
• Lisa Attaway
• Greg Rickert
• Matt Powers
• Natalie Weber
• Philip Drake
• Rob Cunningham