2025 Session Hosts

Treffler-Man@Machine is official importer for  Treffler Organic Machinery in North America. We partner with the team at Clearwater farms that are our ears and eyes close to your farms in Michigan and Ohio. 
When it comes to mechanical weed control, the Treffler harrow is a different category of machine: superb in its simplicity, perfect flexibility, light-weight for little compaction, an environmental people friendly ag machine.The Treffler TS Precision harrows for in Row Harrowing is designed to manage early emerging weeds in your vegetable, herb, nursery, plugs and field crops. Treffler offers the widest adjustable tension range on the market and our tines always follow the contour of your field, ridge, hill, or raised bed with the same downward pressure. Therefore always guaranteeing that your field will be worked evenly. Treffler helps you beat the weeds. Our Treffler cultivators are designed for an 1inch 100% cut of cover crops, for minimal soil disturbance. The art of harrowing and shallow cultivation supports better soils and crops, people friendly agriculture for healthy people. Equipped with seeders, that can easily be removed when not in use, with our machines you make the most of every pass. 

Léa grew up on a grain farm, which nurtured her deep-rooted passion for agriculture. She holds a MS in Agronomy and Agroecology and brings over nine years of experience as a dedicated agronomist. Léa takes a holistic approach to her work, collaborating closely with farmers and researchers to promote and advance organic and sustainable farming practices.

Cover crops play a pivotal role in enhancing soil fertility, preventing erosion, and promoting overall soil health. This presentation will equip farmers with actionable insights for choosing and managing cover crops to improve nutrient cycling and resilience against climatic variability, enhancing both yield and soil health outcomes in organic farming systems.

Karen Cichy is a Research Plant Geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Plant Soil and Microbial Sciences Department at Michigan State University. Dr. Cichy holds a BS degree in Horticulture from Penn State University and MS and PhD degrees in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Michigan State University. She works on dry bean breeding and genetics. Dry beans are a nutrient dense food and Dr. Cichy’s primary goal is to increase consumption of beans and other pulses by addressing consumer acceptance via improvements to nutritional and culinary quality treats. She works to develop varieties with superior end use quality and nutritional quality for use as whole cooked and canned beans and as flour ingredient in products such as pasta. 

DF Seeds is an independent seed company founded in 1969 and created to lead Michigan agriculture forward with research-based, field-tested seeds. We offer corn, soybean, wheat, and alfalfa products including organically certified seed options and non-GMO, food-grade soybeans. Our passion for seeds is matched only by our commitment to the people, farms and communities at the heart of Michigan agriculture. We are Michigan grown and Michigan proven. Ty Bodeis, Product & Operations Manager, will speak about the organic varieties we offer and the specialty soybean markets we support. Ty is a fourth-generation farmer himself from Mayville, MI and has worked with DF Seeds in various role for over three years.

Rachel Nelson is a market analyst/reporter at Argus Media, specializing in North American organic food grade grain and oilseed markets. Rachel works closely with market participants to evaluate and provide insights into industry trends and news. Rachel holds a B.S. with three majors in Agriculture Policy, Political Science, and International Agriculture from Iowa State University.

Mark Torregrossa has been a meteorologist for 35 years.  He graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology in 1989.
 
He started his career working for a meteorology consulting company in Chicago, called Murray and Trettel. There he forecasted for utility companies, nuclear power plants, trucking companies, state highway departments, radio stations and newspapers.
 
His first television job was in Cedar Rapids, IA – where he learned that farmers are an important group for a meteorologist to get to know.  Then he moved to Michigan and Traverse City.  After three years in Traverse City, he moved to the Saginaw/Bay City/ Midland/ Flint television market and worked at WNEM TV5 and WEYI NBC25. 
 
In the early 2000s he formed farmerweather.com and began to specialize in agricultural weather.  Mark provides a subscription service for daily dedicated-to-farming weather forecasts.  You can sign up for the service by texting Mark at 989 780-2071
 
In 2007 he was awarded Michigan Farm Bureau Agricultural Communicator Of The Year.
 
Now he is also MLive.com’s chief meteorologist, and can be found every morning on the MLive Facebook page with an in-depth live weather update.  MLive is one of the largest statewide news sites in the U.S.  It was formed by 10 Michigan newspapers.

James Copher works as Specialty Grain Merchandiser with Quality Roasting, LLC and The DeLong Company. Quality Roasting, LLC is an organic soybean crush plant located in Reese, MI, that sources organic soybeans from over 200 growers and supplies organic soybean meal and organic soybean oil to more than 30 customers across the U.S. They are currently completing construction on a refinery, which will enable them to further process organic soybean oil for the food-grade vegetable oil market.

“Sharpening the Pencil in 2025-Calculating a new breakeven” Eric Richer, Associate Professor and Field Specialist in Farm Management, Ohio State University Extension
 
Eric Richer has worked at OSU Extension for the last 12 ½ years, first as a county agent and now in his current role as a Field Specialist in Farm Management.  His specialization is farm business analysis, enterprise budgeting, new and beginning farmer planning and value-added enterprises, including organic grains. Outside of his Extension work, he is a partner in the family grain farm which has been partially organic since 2020. Eric, his wife Ami and three kids reside in the northwest corner of Ohio in Fulton County (across the border from Lenawee Co., MI). Eric will discuss Sharpening the Pencil in 2025 utilizing some budgeting tools he has created.
 
Price dynamics will cause many organic grain farmers to sharpen the pencil in 2025.  A quick review of effective ways and tools to calculate your cost of production could be useful for many farmers.  Eric will discuss key variable cost inputs as well as the ‘tricky two’ fixed costs that often get missed. What crop do you predict will be most profitable in 2025?

Mark Seeley is the executive director of OnMark Certification Services, LLC, founded in 2019 with an emphasis on providing an efficient and common-sense organic certification process. As an inspector of 24 years and operator of his family farm, Mark provides a lifetime of hands-on agricultural experience. His company, OnMark Certification Services, is known for its farmer mindset approach, flat fee structure, and prompt customer service response. Mark is passionate about organic agriculture, his family, and good food.

A lifetime of agriculture experience, Beth was raised on the family dairy farm which she owned and operated from 2008-2016. A graduate from MSU, she specialized in testing and data analysis with CentralStar Cooperative and managed the Human Resource On-Farm Training program with Dairy Solutions. 
Beth recognizes the unique needs of farmers and utilizes her experience in people management and data analysis as Manager of Arlene Resource Management. She enjoys spending time with her family, running, and singing karaoke. 
 
2018 Dairy Herd Information Specialist of the Year
2015 MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator of the Year
2015 Young Cooperator of the Year from Farm Bureau. 
 
Arlene Resource Management
office@arleneresourcemanagement.com
(231) 468-6046

Founded in 1947 in Maumee, Ohio, The Andersons, Inc. is a diversified company rooted in agriculture that conducts business in the commodity merchandising, renewables, and plant nutrient sectors. Embedded in the commodity merchandising segment, the organic grain trading business focuses on serving end use markets through farm-direct originations of organic corn, soybeans, wheat, spelt, rye, oats, sorghum, and more. The organics team brings their customers deep market knowledge and logistics expertise with an emphasis on customer service. During their session, The Andersons will provide their perspective on current market fundamentals and an outlook on the 2025 grain marketing year. They will also discuss marketing options for a variety of organic and specialty crops.

Michael Sahr Crop Insurance Agency LLC of Reese, Michigan has been serving all of Michigan for 30 years.  We offer “at your door” service where we custom tailor your risk management needs on a personal, confidential basis.  All 12 agents and 10 staff use their farm experience or background to allow us a deeper understanding of the needs of farmers to structure proper levels of crop insurance coverage for your farm operations. Mike and John Sahr have been farming organically since 2015, and as an agency have over 23,000 acres of organic crops insured.   Mike and his agents have continuously worked with legislatures and RMA to improve crop insurance coverages, organic factors, actuarial factors, contract pricing addendum, and technology to make the federal crop insurance program work for today’s farmers.  We strive to be the best service in providing coverage the farmer needs as well as helping with all the paperwork involved with crop insurance. 

At Morgan Composting, we’re passionate about soil health for farmers, gardeners, and homeowners alike. With over two decades of experience, our innovative Dairy Doo products deliver sustainable solutions that rejuvenate soil and promote vital plant growth. From large-scale agriculture to backyard projects, we provide nutrient-rich Dairy Doo, soil blends, and fertilizers tailored to meet your needs.

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Our mission is simple: Healthy plants need healthy soil, and healthy soil starts with Dairy Doo. Whether you’re looking to boost yields, improve soil health, or restore balance to your land, we’re here to help you grow with confidence. Let us be your partner in building better soil for the next generation.

Meet Staci Cianek and James Block of Superior Insurance Group

As the Chief Sales Officer of Superior Insurance Group, I bring over 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, with a deep focus on insuring farms. My connection to the farming community runs even deeper—my father-in-law is a retired farmer making me well-acquainted with the unique needs of local farmers.

Joining me is James Block, an experienced agent with an incredible background:

• Raised on a family dairy farm.

• Actively involved in his family’s farm, now specializing in cash crops.

• Over 20 years of experience in grain marketing and operations at a grain elevator.

• 10 years of expertise in writing farm insurance policies.

• Passionate about sustainable living—keeping honey bees, making maple syrup, and cultivating an orchard, herb garden, and hops.

Last year, our CEO Paul Wiese delivered a compelling presentation on how cyber liability plays a critical role in farm insurance. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and it sparked great conversations about protecting farms from modern risks. This year, we’re excited to bring even more valuable topics to the table to support and empower the farming community.

Let us know how we can help you protect what matters most!

Great Lakes Ag Equipment offers premier brands and has become a leading pioneer in weed control. We have partnered with European Agricultural leaders like Einbock, Falc, Meneguzzo, and Homburg Drain cleaners. With Our passion, motivation and partnership will lead to your success in the field exceeding farmers expectations of what the future should look like—sustainable and successful.

Food Safety as a Farmer!

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Tiffany Stephens is an SQF Practitioner and Food Safety & Quality Coordinator at Harvest Ridge Processing. With over 20 years of experience in food safety, Tiffany brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insights into one of the most critical topics for organic farming:  Good Agricultural practices.

These guidelines aren’t just about regulations; they’re the backbone of producing safe, sustainable food while protecting your reputation and your consumers’ trust. From health and hygiene to water management, pest control, and allergen prevention, GAPs provide a roadmap for ensuring the integrity of your crops from field to table.