Friday, March 5th, 2021

 

8:00 am - 9:00 am:  Registration open

Coffee & Pastries (Registration desk open all day. Check in required)

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9:00 am – 9:05 am:  Welcome and Opening Remarks
Todd DenBesten, Owner, Dakota’s Best Seed >>BIO

 

9:05 am – 9:30 am:  Keynote & Discussion 

Dr. Katrina Heinze, President of KH Principles (Virtual), Former General Mills Organic Executive  >>BIO

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9:30- 9:45 Randy Stratton & Katrina Heinze Discussion and Commentary on Organic Marketplace trends 

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9:45 am - 10:00 am: Coffee Break

Coffee Break

 

10:00 am - 11:00 am:  Strengthening Organic Rules and Certification, Q&A Panel
Moderator: Mae Petrehn, Dakota's Best Seed and Organic Inspector
Rebekah Ritson, Organic Regulatory Specialist, Grain Millers, Inc. (Virtual)  >>BIO
Angela Jackson-Pulse, Prairie Sun Organics  >>BIO
Kate Mendenhal, Director, Organic Farmers Association (Virtual)  >>BIO
 

11:00 am – 12:00 pm:  Advancements in Organic Agronomy, Q&A Panel

Nicholas Podoll, Farmer & Organic Crop Consultant, the Rodale Institute (Virtual) >>BIO

Danielle Kusner, Agronomist with The Andersons (Virtual)

J. Drew Foster, Fertility and Soil Health Specialist, Dakota’s Best Seed

Moderator: Herb Hasenkamp, Organic Farmer & Sales Manager, Dakota’s Best Seed

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12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch

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1:00 pm – 1:30 pm:  Organic Farmers Association Updates
Kate Mendenhal, Director, Organic Farmers Association (Virtual)  >>BIO

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1:30 pm – 2:30 pm:  Specialty Crops and Markets 101
Randy Stratton, President, SecurCrop

Organic Markets, Regenerative Organic and Trends, Q&A Panel
Annie Brown, Director of Development, the Rodale Institute (Virtual) >>BIO

Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, Blue Dasher Farms & Director of Ecdysis Foundation  >>BIO
Moderator: Randy Stratton, SecurCrop

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2:30 pm – 3:30 pm:  Finance and Insurance: What You Need To Know
Megan Vaith, Organic Crop Specialist, Northbourne Organic Crop Insurance  >>BIO
Paul Dietmann, Senior Lending Officer in Diversified Markets, Compeer Financial  >>BIO

Brandon Welch, Director of Radical Capital, the Perennial Fund & Mad Agriculture (Virtual) >>BIO 

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3:30 pm – 3:45 pm:  Coffee Break

Coffee Break

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3:45 pm - 4:00 pm:  Developing Carbon Credits in Regenerative Agriculture
Larry Arndt, President of Simply Ag, NORI Trading Platform (Virtual)
 

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm:  Reducing Inputs and Enhancing Soil Health: Advancements in Conventional and Organic Systems
Scott Heinemann, Nebraska Farmer and Soil Health Pioneer
Herb Hasenkamp, Organic Farmer & Sales Manager, Dakota’s Best Seed
Charlie Johnson, Organic Farmer & Board Member with Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (Virtual) >>BIO

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5:00 pm - 7:30 pm:  Reception and Dinner

Dinner served starting at 5:45

• Prime Brisket - farm sourced, Organic steamed veggies, horseradish mashed potatoes, fresh baked bread (Pre-pay for meal tickets)

• South Dakota Beer, Wine and Badlands Distillery Whiskey Tasting

 

Saturday, March 6th, 2021  

 

8:00 am – 9:00 am:  Registration Open

Coffee & Pastries (Registration desk open all day. Check in required)

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9:00 am – 9:05 am:  Opening and Recap of Day 1
Mae Petrehn, Production Protocol Manager, Dakota's Best Seed

 

9:05 am – 10:00 am:  Examples & Benefits of Livestock Integration in Cropping Systems
Mae Petrehn, Sheep Grazier & Production Protocol Manager, Dakota’s Best Seed 
Austin Carlson, South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Technician (Virtual) >>BIO

Doug Voss, Farmer & Grazing Lead with Sustainable Farm Association of MN

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10:00 am - 10:30 am:  Coffee Break

Coffee break

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10:30 am – 12:00 pm:  Discussion of Management Practices, Q&A Panel
Scott Heinemann, Nebraska Farmer and Soil Health Pioneer
Paul Hunefeld, Central NE Farmer, Pioneering in Organic Crop Management for 30 years

Pete Kapustka, Owner of Red Pill Organics and Account Executive with AgriSecure  >>BIO

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12:00 pm – 1:00 pm:  Lunch

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1:00 pm – 1:45 pm:  Agronomy and Crop Physiology Considerations in
Organic Systems, Presentations:

Oats: Considerations and Breeding
     Melanie Caffe, Assistant Professor in Agronomy, SDSU (Virtual) >>BIO
Research and Feeding Trials in Hybrid Rye
     Peter Sexton, Beresford SD Experiment Station Manager, SDSU >>BIO
Alfalfa Management and Organic Marketing Options
     Mike Velde, Alfalfa Breeder & Sales Agronomist, Legacy Seeds  >>BIO
     Moderator: J. Drew Foster, Fertility and Soil Health Specialist, Dakota’s Best Seed
 

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm:  Specialty Crops: Value Added Marketing Panel
Mark Venner, Organic Ancient Grain Farmer, Belle Valley Ancient Grains >>BIO

Carolyn Lane, Independent Consultant Specializing in Organic Grain Marketing
Doug Hilgendorf, Organic Farmer & Founder of Whole Grain Milling Co. >>BIO
Moderating: Randy Stratton, SecurCrop

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2:30 pm:  Closing Remarks
Todd DenBesten, Owner, Dakota’s Best Seed

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2:30 pm:  Exhibitor Teardown

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Interested in Learning the Basics of Organic Transition? 

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2:45 pm – 4:00 pm:  Organic Transitioning and Certification 101 Session

Mae Petrehn, Production Protocol Manager, Dakota’s Best Seed
Learn about the transition process, record keeping requirements and resources available.
Located in Dakota's Best Seed Office

Pre-Registration recommended.

Please call Mae at 605-682-0006 or mae@dakotasbestseed.com with questions!

Limited to 20 attendees.