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Photos from the 2023 Annual Meeting

About the Keynote Presenter

Ashley Dulaney, Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)

Ashley Dulaney is the Communications Director at the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), where she brings over a decade of marketing expertise to advancing the organic movement. She leads the advancement of OFRF's Organic is Regenerative toolkit, equipping farmers and advocates with the tools to communicate the benefits of organic practices effectively. With a background in strategic communication across diverse sectors, Ashley is committed to engaging with organic producers, researchers, and partners to amplify their efforts in building a thriving future for organic farming.

About the TOPP Organic Mentorship Panelists

Patricia Daigle

New to farming in the last year. Raising hogs, chickens and have a small herd of Herefords and the start of our organic milking Jersey herd. Long time home organic gardener and I love dirt. Big believer in organic farming and organic livestock. Happy to be helping my other half make the transition of the family farms to organic methods and to organic milking with Jersey cows. As a nurse I see patients with cancer, auto-immune diseases and obesity and believe it is related to the quality, nutritional value and genetic engineering of our food.

Denise O'Brien

Denise is an organic farmer at Rolling Acres in Atlantic, Iowa. Denise and her husband, Larry, have been involved with organic production and cultivating local food for over 36 years. Denise is also founder of Women’s Food and Agriculture Network, was a candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 2006, and former agriculture adviser in Afghanistan, and founder of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network.

Gary Welsh

Gary and his two sons Clay and Clinton own and operate Welsh Family Organic Farm in Lansing. The Welsh family raises approximately 120 beef cattle and 12,000 turkeys while farming 600 acres of crops in one of Iowa's leading organic family farming operations. Gary organizes a monthly organic farmer meetings sponsored by the Iowa State University Extension Office. These meetings are roundtable discussions on organic farming practices and techniques to learn what is working and what is not working through this network of organic farmers.

About the Regenerative Organic Farmer Panelists

Jordan Clasen

Jordan Clasen, of Grade A Gardens, began working with produce at the age of 14 at a local grocery store. Before taking the leap to full-time farming, Jordan spent 5 years managing the produce department for the Gateway Market & Cafe, a specialty grocery store in Des Moines. During that time he developed an interest in growing garlic and that led him to want to grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Now Grade A Gardens grows fruits and vegetables on 30 acres in Earlham, Iowa. They market through a CSA, the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market, and Des Moines' finest restaurants and specialty grocers. Recently Jordan has begun to add livestock to his vegetable farm and is a strong proponent of cover crops and reduced tillage.

Noah Wendt & Caleb Akin

Noah and his farm partner, Caleb Akin, started A&W Farms in 2006. Their farm is located near Cambridge, IA. As a farm team, they feed cattle, produce conventional corn and soybeans on 1,100 acres and also grow a variety of organic grain on 1,800 acres.

Kate Mendenhall

Kate Mendenhall owns and operates Okoboji Organics, an 18.5 acre farm in Okoboji, IA, Dickinson County. The farm is in perrenial pasture and she raises certified organic pastured pigs, turkeys, and broilers. She also raises laying hens. Her market is local with an on-farm store and local online sales. She purchased the farm in 2016 and was certified organic in 2019. In addition to running her small farm, Kate is the Executive Director of Organic Farmers Association, of which Iowa Organic Association is a member and serves on the policy committee. At OFA Kate works to make sure the priorities of organic farmers nationwide are heard in Washington, DC and that farmers continue to drive the U.S. organic market. Operating a certified organic farm helps her do a better job representing organic farmers on the Hill.

This year's Annual Meeting will also feature an extended opportunity for attendees to connect with a variety of IOA Sponsor Exhibitors within the Iowa Organic Association network.

In-Kind Sponsors

This event is based upon work that is supported by the USDA's Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the TOPP and U.S. Department of Agriculture.