2010 KSFM Conference for Vendors: Speaker Biographies

Below are the speaker biographies for the 2010 Kansas Farmers Market Conference for Vendors.

Rosanna Bauman is one of the founders of the Garnett Farmers Market which opened in 2008. In its short life, the Garnett market has become an important part of the community hosting numerous annual events and offering EBT and debit access. The Bauman family is best known for its pastured chicken and eggs, but Cedar Valley Farms  is a diverse family farm that also produces beef, lamb, turkey, duck, milk, and traditional row crops. Although the Baumans began farming just eight years ago, Rosanna grew up in the family retail business explaining CVF’s emphasis on relationship marketing. When the Baumans moved to their small 180-acre farm in 2001, they realized the best recipe for small farm success was to become a sustainable, direct marketing business. Today, the Baumans are the only producers in Kansas who raise and process their poultry on farm in a USDA-inspected facility.

Laura Christensen is an Extension Assistant with K-State Research and Extension and operates Blue Door Farm, a small, organic market garden that sells at market and through a CSA. growers [at] ksu [dot] edu (Email Laura)

Jennifer Church is currently the Physical Activity and Nutrition Program Manager for the Kansas Department of Health & Environment. Ms. Church completed a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Utah, and is a Registered Dietitian. Her major work with the State of Kansas has focused on improving community environments to promote optimal nutrition and increase physical activity. Ms. Church manages the Wednesday Capitol Midweek Farmers’ Market in Downtown Topeka and is now responsible for coordinating the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. JChurch [at] kdheks [dot] gov (Email Jennifer)

Betsy Conner is an ATTRA research specialist specializing in sustainable poultry.  She received a B.S. in Poultry Science from the University of Arkansas.  Her farming experience includes raising pastured broilers and layers for market and CSA and market gardening.  She farms with Farm Girl Natural Foods in Perryville, AR. betsyc [at] ncat [dot] org (Email Betsy)

John Crisp is the founder and pastor of the Grace Bible Church in Americus, Kansas.  He is a 6th generation farmer, who was raised in western Kansas on the farm his great-grandfather homesteaded. Together with his wife Ramona, they own and operate Shepherd’s Valley CSA farm–a diversified family farm that has been on the cutting edge of sustainable and organic practices for nearly 30 years. John also teaches a variety of classes integrating the Bible and spiritual principles with nature, organic gardening, and livestock management practices. John and Ramona practice what they preach–living a simple, frugal, debt-free, agrarian lifestyle, seeking to honor their Creator. jcrisp [at] tctelco [dot] net (Email John)

Jill Elmers owns and operates Moon on the Meadow, a 4.5 acre certified organic farm within the city limits of Lawrence, Kansas. She has experience growing a wide variety of vegetables and small fruits as this is what truly makes farming fun for her. Along with selling at the Downtown Lawrence Farmers' Market, Jill operates a CSA with four distribution sites and an on-farm pick-up in Lawrence. Believing that product diversity, an extended growing season and adding value to crops are important, Jill has made several key investments in her business. She erected a hoop house to extend and diversify her offering in the early and late market seasons and, in 2008, Moon on the Meadow became a certified organic farm. Jill is a KRC Farmer Educator. JElmers [at] cfaconsulting [dot] com (Email Jill)

Don Flory is a second generation farmers market vendor. In 1983 his mother, Mary Flory, began selling produce at the Lawrence Farmers’ Market. Soon after she added homemade baked goods to her stall and could not meet the demand. Don kept thinking about the success McDonald’s was experiencing with its sausage biscuit sandwich and was inspired to offer his own version at market. So begins an odyssey stretching over many years. Hear the tale of Flory Foods and its licensed mobile unit. dflory [at] mobileenvirowash [dot] com (Email Don)

Carol Ford and Chuck Waibel were confronted with a problem one Fall–the end of summer vegetables. "Somebody needs to do something about this! Oh, maybe WE need to do something." The result was three years of research and designing, leading to the Garden Goddess Greenhouse. Carol applied her Master Gardener skills, and Chuck his Backyard Engineer expertise, to create a low-energy, high-production greenhouse that cranks out bushels of fresh vegetables through the harsh Minnesota winters. They produce twelve boxes of food every week from their 16*22 structure, which they sell through a CSA system. They have a waiting list several times that long. Training others how to do what they've done has become their "mission from God." newworld [at] fedteldirect [dot] net (Email Chuck and Carol)

Pete Garfinkel MSW, works with local producers, institutions, educators and the public to provide information on the benefits of local food production on the health and economic well being of our communities. Pete also works to increase tangible marketing opportunities for locally produced foods. krvfoods [at] ksu [dot] edu (Email Pete)

David Heidebrink and his wife, Jamie, started The Heide-Way Farm on 15 acres in N.E. Kansas, in 2007. They produce a variety of organically-grown fruits and vegetables, herbs, cut-flowers, and a few value-added products. They also enhance the farm’s biodiversity with small-scale beef, pork, and chicken production. Their products are direct-marketed to farmers’ markets, food co-ops, and through a small, winter CSA. They’ve also recently added the use of high tunnels to extend their marketing season. David serves as an elected officer of the Board of Directors for the Downtown Farmers’ Market of Manhattan, Kansas. david [dot] heidebrink [at] us [dot] army [dot] mil (Email Dave)

Dianna Henry has been a organic gardener all her life and has been pro-active in the food co-operative movement since the early 1970's. She began seed saving when she discovered 400 year old pumpkin and corn seed remains on an archeological dig near Lyons, KS in the 1980's. She now grows and teaches others about growing the many varieties of our local primary (open pollinated) food seeds.  She is co-founder of the Kaw Valley Seeds Project and the Central Prairie Seed Exchange. She is also a life member of the Seed Savers Exchange and member of the Herb and Flower Exchange. diannahenry [at] yahoo [dot] com (Email Dianna)

Mark Jirak operates Jirak Family Produce with his wife, Theresa, and their six children. Jirak Family Produce is an Atchison, KS family owned business producing fresh vegetables for the Atchison and Leavenworth Farmers Market, Atchison Area Community Supported Agriculture, and several restaurants and grocery stores for the last six years.   On twelve acres in the Missouri River bottoms, they grow sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, honey dew melons, bell peppers, tomatoes, green beans, squash, cucumbers, and operate a pumpkin patch.   Mark is a Kansas State graduate in Horticulture and works for Syngenta Seed Care. mark [dot] jirak [at] syngenta [dot] com (Email Mark)

Rebecca McMahon is a Horticulture Agent in Sedgwick County, specializing in food crops and turf. She has a degree in Horticulture and International Agriculture from Iowa State University. She gained experience with commercial scale production of fruits and vegetables during time working on both a research farm and a specialty vegetable farm. rmcmahon [at] ksu [dot] edu (Email Rebecca)

Dan Nagengast’s interests are horticulture, local and regional food systems, food safety and human nutrition, renewable energy - especially wind and biomass, and world trade and industrialization as it impacts rural places and society. He has farmed in one fashion or another most of his life. At present he works with his wife, Lynn Byczynski and their two children on their cut flower farm south of Lawrence. He Co-Chairs the Governor's Rural Life Task Force and Heads the Kansas Food Policy Council. nagengast [at] earthlink [dot] net (Email Dan)

Rick Newson and his wife Cindy started Camp Creek Farms in 2003. They are a small scale, hobby-type farm that began producing farm fresh eggs and changed over to organic egg production in 2006. They sell their eggs through several avenues; straight from the farm, at the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market, and the Mission Farms Farmers Market. They are members of the Kansas City Food Circle. Eye catching, informative and entertaining advertising has been a constant for promoting the farm. rwn45 [at] embarqmail [dot] com (Email Rick)

Karen and John Pendleton planted their first ½ acre of asparagus in 1981. Today John, and Karen own a diversified specialty crop farm. Pickers now harvest over 20 acres of asparagus, and customers can pick-their own on five acres. In addition, three varieties of asparagus are propagated for crowns that are sold each February. The farm still grows corn, wheat and soybeans, but the cattle feedlot has been converted into a parking lot for customers at Pendleton's Country Market. The list of produce has grown to include all kinds of vegetables and flowers, as well as honey and jams made by neighboring growers. karenp [at] pendletons [dot] com (Email Karen and John)

Shannon Rees’ family fruit farm is 109 years old with a roadside market. She has worked on the farm for 26 years and has actively co-operated it with her husband, Rex, for 12 years. Shannon works with every aspect of the market, including marketing, customer relations, and employee management. shansue7 [at] aol [dot] com (Email Shannon)

Jozie Schimke and Brian Henry started Earth Flowers in 1997 and they’ve been growing and evolving ever since. From their beginning as a part-time garden design, installation and maintenance company they have branched out into cut flowers, flowering shrubs, aquatic plants and their favorite – succulents. In addition to the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market, where they’ve been vendors for 11 years, Brian and Jozie sell to numerous local retail outlets including a natural foods store, a nursery and a water garden store. Earth Flower’s mission is to bring “the beauty and diversity of plant life on earth” to its hometown. They are KRC Farmer Educators. thedrygarden [at] aol [dot] com (Email Brian and Jozie)

Jennifer Smith is the County Extension Agent-Horticulture in Douglas County, Kansas. She has a B.S. in Plant Science with an emphasis in Horticulture from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also worked in the Plant Diagnostic Clinic. smithjen [at] ksu [dot] edu (Email Jennifer)

Mercedes Taylor-Puckett is the Farmers Market and Local Food Coordinator for the Kansas Rural Center. Her current projects include developing manager and board training and the annual Kansas Farmers Market Conference, as well as launching the local food branding label, Our Local Food, for the Kaw River Valley in NE Kansas. Mercedes is also the administrator of ksfarmersmarkets.org. Prior to joining KRC, she was the coordinator of the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market. Mercedes enjoys working on issues of local, sustainable agriculture and expanding SNAP access at farmers markets. mercedes [dot] taylorpuckett [at] gmail [dot] com (Email Mercedes)

Stephanie Thomas owns Spring Creek Farm near Baldwin City, KS, and is entering her 5th year of commercial growing using organic and sustainable farming methods. The farm grows about 90 varieties of produce, with the heaviest production in heirloom tomatoes and root crops, including several thousand pounds of sweet potatoes. Produce is sold weekly in Lawrence, KS to a natural foods grocery, several restaurants, Saturday Farmers Market, and a CSA of 21 families in Baldwin and Gardner. springcreekcsa [at] yahoo [dot] com (Email Stephanie)

Don Wambles is the Immediate Past President of the Farmers Market Coalition Board of Directors. For the past fifteen years, Don has served as the Director of the State of Alabama Farmers Market Authority where he has provided marketing and technical assistance to Alabama farmers. Through Don’s leadership the number of farmers markets in Alabama has increased from 17 in 1999 to 114 today. Through this network of market facilities across the state, more than 1,544 small family farmers have benefited. Don initiated the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” campaign for the entire state of Alabama and also started the “Alabama Farmers Market Trail.” He is responsible for the WIC FMNP and Senior FMNP in Alabama. Today the WIC FMNP is operating in 32 counties and the Senior FMNP is a statewide program operating in all 67 counties. don [dot] wambles [at] fma [dot] alabama [dot] gov (Email Don)

Jerry and Jane Wohletz, owners of Wohletz Farm Fresh, are wrapping-up their seventh season as direct marketers of diverse specialty crops raised on two-acres of their 80-acre farm southeast of Lawrence. Last year the family added a 30’ x 60’ high tunnel in which they raised strawberries and tomatoes. In 2010, Wohletz Farm Fresh plans to open a pick-your-own strawberry patch. jwohl66 [at] aol [dot] com (Email Jerry and Jane)

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