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Expanding Markets Conference

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Expanding Markets Conference September 23rd-25th

The Rising Tide of Consumer Demand is Propelling Regenerative Agriculture Markets

An increasing number of people are actively seeking out food options that are not only good for the planet but also benefit the well-being of farmers and ranchers, and local communities.

Regenerative agriculture is perfectly poised to meet these evolving consumer preferences. In fact, a recent survey conducted by The Hartman Group reveals that a whopping 68% of U.S. consumers prioritize regenerative agriculture practices when making their food purchases. With more and more individuals tuning in to the benefits, the movement is gaining momentum at an unprecedented rate. 

Don't Be Left Behind

This year’s Expanding Markets Conference will be held September 23rd-25th at the Big Horn Resort in Billings, Montana with a ranch tour and 2 full days of speakers, exhibitors, and networking.

The agenda is set and it’s quite impressive. Check out some of our speakers below.

If you want to learn more about what the Expanding Markets Conference is all about, listen to the short sound bites below.

In Person Registration

Thanks to our generous sponsors, we were able to decrease the cost of tickets this year. One ticket is now $175 with a $50 discount for each person from your ranch or organization (limit 4 additional tickets).

Tickets for the Seacross Ranch tour on September 23rd are only $25/person

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Online Registration

Thanks to our generous sponsors, we were able to decrease the cost of online tickets this year. One ticket is now only $100!

Tickets will also include special one-on-one sessions with some of our speakers, including Jenni Harris, Tina Owens, Ryan Slabaugh, the carbon companies, and aggregators.

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Meet Some of Our Speakers

Jenni Harris from White Oak Pastures

Jenni Harris from White Oak Pastures

Jenni Harris, Will’s middle daughter, is the fifth generation of the Harris family to tend cattle at White Oak Pastures. After living on the farm her entire life, Jenni attended Valdosta State University and earned a degree in Business Marketing, graduating in 2009. She remained intimately involved in the family business throughout her studies.

In June of 2010, Jenni returned home to Early County to work for White Oak Pastures full-time. As the Director of Marketing, Jenni spends her time focusing on the balance of e-commerce growth and wholesale relationships.

 Jenni will not only expound on her family’s legacy but teach us a thing or two about marketing.

Tina Owens, Regenerative Systems Leader

Tina is a systems leader, strategist and futurist within the Organic and Regenerative Agriculture movements in the United States. Tina helped co-found the Nutrient Density Alliance and is deeply involved in multiple regenerative agriculture systems, including as a board member at Mad Agriculture and the Non-GMO Project, and as an advisor for the Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum and more.


Tina’s background spans two decades within the world’s largest food companies and includes leading transformational shifts in food and agriculture systems via supply and operations as it relates to on-farm profitability, sustainability, regenerative agriculture financing, consumer activism related to clean-label and organics, plus unfolding food as medicine and nutrient-dense systems.

Tina Owens from Intrinsic Exchange
Ryan Slabaugh, Think Regeneration

Ryan Slabaugh from Think Regeneration

Ryan Slabaugh is the founder and director of Think Regeneration and former executive director of Acres U.S.A., a 51-year-old education and media company known for being the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. Ryan has more than 20 years of experience leading businesses and individuals through change.

Think Regeneration is a coalition of organizations, farmers, ranchers, scientists, researchers, and philanthropists who want to accelerate on-the-ground regenerative food supply projects. Our programs support projects that repair food-growing ecosystems, reverse trends in chronic disease rates, elevate the voices of regenerative growers, and build more community resilience.

Conference Agenda

Expanding markets conference tour
Tuesday, September 24th

8:15am-8:30am

Welcome

  • With: Chris Mehus, WSE

8:30am-9:00am

Regen Ag Market Update & Nutrient Density

  • With: Tina Owens

9:00am-10:15am

What Consumers Want – Perspectives from a producer, consumer, chef, & wholesaler

  • With: TBD

10:45am-11:45am

Why EVERYONE Needs to Market

  • With: Jenni Harris, Matt Maier, Todd Churchill

1:00pm-2:45pm

Marketing Workshop or Aggregators & Funding

  • With: AERO, Jenni Harris, CNB, Thousand Hills, Blue Nest Beef, & more TBD

3:00pm-4:15pm

Carbon Market Comparison

  • With:Agoro, Cultivo, Grass Roots Carbon, Kateri, & Native

4:15pm-5:30pm

Innovative Rancher Panel

  • With: TBD

5:30pm-7:00pm

Networking & Social Hour

Wednesday, September 25th

8:30am-9:30am

Beyond the Meat

  • With: TBD

9:30am-10:30am

33% by 2033 or Laws & Policy

  • With: Robin Kelson, Nancy Tanner or Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

11:00am-12:00pm

Composting Case Study or Moovin’ Product

  • With: Mihail Kennedy, Agriorganics, QFD, WMGC, MCDC & Montana Local Foods

1:00pm-2:00pm

Ecosystem Services or Agritourism

  • With: Tina Owens, WSE, & TBD or Abby Nelson, Tana Canen, LandTrust

2:00pm-3:00pm

Food is Medicine Market Opportunity

  • With: Ryan Slabaugh

3:15pm-4:45pm

Story of White Oak Pastures

  • With: Jenni Harris

4:45 Closing

Closing

  • With: Holly Stoltz

If you have ideas for next year’s event, please reach out to Holly at hstoltz@wsestaff.org. We are always on the lookout for new opportunities!

Check out the full agenda here

THANK YOU
to this year’s sponsors!

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Session Descriptions

Why EVERYONE Needs to Market & Marketing 101 – At last year’s conference we covered storytelling and its growing importance. This year we will delve deeper into marketing tips from the value of multi-channel sales, website development and must-haves, the importance of communications, and measuring your success. Marketing professionals Jenni Harris from White Oak Pastures and Sammie McGowan from Abundant Montana will explain ways to get quick wins whether you’re selling direct to consumer, into a specialty aggregator market, or dabbling in agritourism.

Carbon Program Comparison – This is your chance to acquire direct insights and make informed decisions aligning with your operational objectives by evaluating carbon companies on a level playing field. Don’t miss this opportunity to compare Agoro, Cultivo, Grassroots Carbon, Kateri, and Native programs.

Beyond the Meat & Aggregators – Over the last 2 years we’ve had some successes in both areas. This year you will get to the “meat” of those including case studies from West Paw’s regenerative dog treat that launched in June, Blue Nest Beef’s Audubon cull cow program, Country Natural Beef, and Thousand Hills. Opportunities like these take time to develop but after only two years of hosting this conference, it is refreshing to see this progress!

Food Is Medicine – You know there’s going to be a giant market shift when pharmaceutical companies are creating their own Food Is Medicine departments. Listen to Ryan Slabaugh from Think Regeneration explain how to tap into this market.

Moovin’ Product – Getting your products to market has always been a weak link in the supply chain. This year we welcome Quality Foods Distribution, Western Montana Growers Co-op, Montana Local Foods, and Montana Cooperative Development Center to explain how they are helping producers get their products into consumers’ hands.

Ecosystem Services & Natural Asset Companies – The idea of getting paid to protect natural ecosystems is creating a buzz throughout the world. Learn more about how landowners can capitalize and how we can potentially work together to create financial incentives.

Innovative Rancher Panel – Meet three innovative ranchers – Joel McCafferty from the McCafferty Ranch in Belt, Montana has figured out how to put better gain on grass-fed beef without supplementing with grain. Pete Lannan, Barney Creek Livestock in Livingston, Montana has cultivated one-of-a-kind leasing agreements with absentee landowners. And Cole Mannix, along with several other ranchers who has formed Old Salt Coop, a business structure that can scale supply to keep more money in the pockets of producers while educating consumers.

Agritourism – Listen to ranchers who have created successful businesses in this space. Tana Canen with the Mahlstedt Ranch who specializes in ranch adventures, and Abbey Nelson with Wide Sky Adventures who offers one-of-a-kind retreats. Plus, learn how LandTrust focuses on more than just hunting. 

AND MUCH MORE including funding opportunities, laws and polices related to meat share, herd share, and agritourism, an initiative to have 33% of very plate in Montana be made up of local food by 2033, and an update on nutrient density and the ever changing regenerative marketplace.

In Person Registration
Click here
Online Registration
Click here

Listen to what attendees had to say about last year's conference!

If you missed out last year, view these highlight reels

Directions

Big Horn Resort
1801 Majestic Ln, Billings, MT 59102  (406) 839-9300

To book your room and take advantage of a group rate, click this link! Rooms are limited so don’t wait!

jessica harvey lilley farmers market assistant

Jessica Harvey Lilley was raised in Park County and attended MSU Billings. She began her career in finance and lending. She is passionate about making a positive impact on the community where she is raising her children. This led her to get involved with several local nonprofits, where she gained knowledge and experience in nonprofit accounting and programs. She looks forward to continuing to support the community through the Livingston Farmers Market.⁠
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Jessica is helping with Shannan with all things Livingston Farmers Market! From setting up and manning the booth to helping with planning and administration, volunteer recruitment, and more, Jessica is Shannan’s very important right-hand gal! 

Chelsea Phipps Grazing Outreach

Chelsea Phipps is an Eastern Montana native and ranches with her husband and two children just outside of Jordan, MT. Chelsea is passionate about the connection between the health of the land, animals, and humans.⁠

Chelsea is joining us as a Rancher Recruiter where her primary focus will be to educate and assist with onboarding eligible operations for the carbon program in partnership with Native.⁠ Chelsea will be traveling around the eastern part of Montana, working with ranchers on grazing plans toward this effort!

adele stenson Rancher Coordinator

Adele Stenson and her husband Kip ranch with her parents just west of Wibaux, Montana. They raise commercial cattle and irrigated hay, and their three adult daughters come home to help out when they can. 



Adele works as a Rancher Coordinator where she assists ranchers with the Native grassland carbon program, grazing planning and programming, and communications.

The Stenson’s were first introduced to WSE a few years ago when they began to explore the Native carbon program. The first WSE workshop they attended turned out to be their first step toward learning all they could about regenerative agriculture. Since then they have signed a contract with Native which is helping them improve their grazing program through a little fencing and a lot of water development; started raising worms for vermicast; and implemented several changes that they hope will lead to healthier land, wildlife, livestock, and bank accounts.

Tara Povalish native grazing analyst
Tara Povalish earned a B.S. in Animal Science, Livestock Management and Industry from Montana State University. Before joining Native, she worked in the Montana agriculture industry and is excited to combine her agriculture background and passion for sustainability for the Northern Great Plains Improved Grazing Carbon Project.
 
As an Analyst for Native’s Northern Great Plains Grasslands Program, Tara helps develop, maintain, and manage grazing plans, maps, reports, and other key project data. She works directly with participating ranchers in Montana, in collaboration with WSE, to collect and manage reporting data, supports and facilitates access to improved ranching management resources, and oversees adherence to program objectives.
 
In her free time she enjoys riding her horse, fly fishing, hiking, and home decor.
Holly Fretwell conservation econoimist in Montana

Holly Fretwell is president of Montana Connections, LLC where she does economic conservation consulting and hospitality management, is co-owner of the Jammin Jackalope camping and cabins, and is a research fellow at PERC, the Property and Environment Research Center. For nearly three decades Fretwell’s research has focused on public lands policy, private conservation, property rights, and markets. Her passion is helping others understand how free markets and trade can help enhance conservation and environmental quality.

Fretwell holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in resource economics from Montana State University. An educator at heart, Fretwell taught economics at Montana State University for 15 years, provided tools and curriculum for high school teachers to motivate economic thinkers, and has authored two books.

Joel Henry, Lawyer headshot

Dr. Joel Henry enjoys the complexity at the intersection of law, business, and technology, given he earned two computer science degrees from Montana State University, a Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Tech, a J.D. at the University of Montana, and started his own software company.

Joel is one of a handful of people in the US with both a PhD in computer science and a JD. He is one of the leading experts in Montana, and nationwide, on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology law. A significant area of his practice also includes complex, cutting-edge legal matters around new technologies, including artificial intelligence, GDPR, and other data privacy laws, IT security, and data breaches. He also serves as an expert witness on litigation matters involving technology issues, electronic discovery, and digital forensics.

In his free time, Joel enjoys brewing beer, casting flies, tracking elk, floating rivers, backpacking, and hiking, but only when he isn’t spending time with his family.

Lauren Dillon received her B.S. in Visual Communications from the University of California, Davis. Lauren became passionate about working with missional companies that dared to challenge the status quo after a few years spent working for Patagonia. In 2012 Lauren seized an opportunity to move to Wyoming and consequently spent eight years working seasonally across the West as a photographer–each year becoming more interested in the intersection of ranching and conservation. Lauren made her way to Montana in 2017 to manage the guest program at J Bar L Ranch–a regenerative, grass-fed beef operation and one of WSE’s partners–where she quickly became fascinated by learning about soil health ranch’s land management and conservation projects. Lauren is excited to continue supporting land stewardship and regenerative producers through her work on the Communications and Farmers’ Market teams.

Matt Skoglund of North Bridger Bison, WSE board

Matt Skoglund is the founder and owner of North Bridger Bison, a bison ranch rooted in Regenerative Agriculture principles located in Montana’s Shields Valley. Prior to starting North Bridger Bison, Matt was the Director of the Northern Rockies Office for the Natural Resources Defense Council, where he worked on various conservation issues in Montana and the Northern Rockies for a decade. Matt is a graduate of Middlebury College and the University of Illinois College of Law. He is passionate about food and ranching, and he loves to hunt, garden, cook, and forage for morel mushrooms in the spring. Matt and his wife, Sarah, have two young kids, Otto and Greta.

Mark Ledger, former banker and WSE board member

Mark Ledger has been a member of the board since 2005, having served as Chair twice during that time.  Professionally, Mark’s career has involved  international finance,  business counseling and private equity.  Having spent all of his high school summers as a hand on a family cattle ranch in Big Timber, he has long standing ties in the area and retains a personal interest in agricultural and environmental sustainability.   Mark serves on the boards of multiple non-profits, including land trusts, inner-city homelessness, urban micro-finance and a foundation dedicated to underserved populations.  He and his wife, Ann, live in Pennsylvania and have two children and four grandsons.

Alex Blake is a regenerative rancher from Big Timber and a producer coordinator
for WSE. He lives and works on the ranch and tree nursery his parents started in 1973 on a foundation of deep appreciation for the natural environment. Alex holds a Master’s in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University but has gotten most of his agrarian education from hands-on experience on farms and ranches in places as diverse as Kenya and Argentina. He enjoys being a part of the progressive rancher support network in south-central Montana and draws inspiration from those who are constantly challenging old ranching paradigms. He was an artillery Captain in the United States Marine Corps and is a proud husband and father to a two-year-old daughter.

Chris Mehus the executive director of regenerative agriculture non-profit, western sustainability exchange

Chris Mehus, born, raised, and educated in Montana, has always maintained a joint passion for agriculture and the outdoors. He has applied his degrees in Wildlife Biology and Range Science to assist and advocate for ranchers who have a strong conservation ethic. After 10 years of direct ranching in Southern Montana putting his education to practice in numerous areas of grazing management and planning, Chris spent many years working in rural business, economic, and financial planning giving him unique insight into the workings of a ranch business to understand economic drivers and incentives that make ranching with nature a more profitable operating model than typical conventional practices. He is an outspoken advocate for the Ranching For Profit, Integrity Soils, Holistic Management International, and related schools of thought and how they can be applied to create a thriving ranch business while creating healthy, functioning ecological systems with rich soil and diverse wildlife populations.

WSE livingston farmers market manager Shannan Mascari

Shannan Mascari joined the Western Sustainability Exchange (WSE) team in 2019 as Office Administrator and Farmers Market Manager. Mascari attended Chico State University in Chico, California prior to moving to Montana in 1996. Upon moving here, she became a certified nursing assistant, caring for the elderly, before moving on to an administrative position with a wetlands restoration company. There, her hard work and dedication earned her the title of Vice President of Operations. She has over 18 years of administrative and managerial experience.

Mascari’s passion for taking care of the planet and the people who inhabit it is a perfect fit for WSE and the Farmers Market program. She and her husband, Jason, have three children and can often be found at soccer games, enjoying the great outdoors, or simply relaxing at their home on the Yellowstone River.

Lauren Dillon received her B.S. in Visual Communications from the University of California, Davis. Lauren became passionate about working with missional companies that dared to challenge the status quo after a few years spent working for Patagonia. In 2012 Lauren seized an opportunity to move to Wyoming and consequently spent eight years working seasonally across the West as a photographer–each year becoming more interested in the intersection of ranching and conservation. Lauren made her way to Montana in 2017 to manage the guest program at J Bar L Ranch–a regenerative, grass-fed beef operation and one of WSE’s partners–where she quickly became fascinated by learning about soil health ranch’s land management and conservation projects. Lauren is excited to continue supporting land stewardship and regenerative producers through her work on the Communications and Farmers’ Market teams.

Lill Erickson, the ecosystem services program director of Western Sustainability Exchanage

Lill Erickson has deep conviction to protect the incomparable landscape, wildlife, and way of life of the rural West, especially Montana. In 1994 Lill founded Western Sustainability Exchange to do just that.  Leading up to it’s conception,  Lill was an organizer for conservation nonprofits throughout the west, caretaker of a cattle ranch bordering Yellowstone National Park, and an advisor to a national committee to craft a strategy to promote agricultural sustainability. 

These experiences gave her the prowess to implement regenerative agriculture practices and develop market-based conservation strategies to ensure a healthy, long standing, and profitable relationship between nature and innovative land stewards. 

Lill loves her community of Livingston, spending as much time as work allows adventuring with friends in nature, and caring for and cavorting with her two dogs and two cats.

Rebecca Kurnick of Montana Aleworks

Rebecca Kurnick is a research scientist at Edaphix where she works to support healthy landscapes by mitigating undesirable species from a soil health lens. She has a background in local food systems and degrees in Soil Science and Agricultural Education from MSU. Rebecca discovered her passion for healthy soil and working landscapes through her work on farms and ranches in Maine and Montana. She enjoys helping people understand why it’s important to support the farmers and ranchers who contribute to functioning ecosystems. Rebecca and her husband Ryan enjoy hauling their two young children around the mountains on rafts, bikes, and skis teaching them about the places they love.

Malou Anderson-Ramierz resides on her family ranch in Tom Miner Basin, Montana, where she and her husband Dre live and work while raising their two daughters, Esme and Hasell. Aside from working on the ranch and learning about holistic management systems, she has psychology, social work, and equine-assisted therapies background. Malou enjoys working in community-building and land-based practices. Helping people and communities reconnect to themselves through restoring landscapes, coexisting with wildlife, and creating strong and thriving communities for both human and the more-than-human. When she’s not on the ranch or tending to kiddos, animals, or listening to lands, she loves exploring newfound communities- both urban and rural, reading, riding her horse, and sitting next to the ocean.

Carrie Balkcom is the Executive Director of the American Grassfed Association. AGA is the National multi-species entity organized to protect and promote Grassfed and pasture-based farmers and ranchers.

AGA is the leader in pasture-based production and the oldest grass-fed certification in the United States. AGA certifies ruminants and dairy.
Carrie grew up on a Florida cattle ranch and has stayed connected to the agriculture and livestock industry. She has spoken, presented, or coordinated numerous regional and national conferences; and is well known in agricultural, culinary, and sustainable agricultural circles.

Andrew Anderson, manager of J Bar L Ranch in Montana

Andrew Anderson is originally from Tom Miner Basin, where his family ranch is located. Currently, he manages J Bar L Ranches in the Centennial Valley and Melville, MT. His wife Hilary and four children have worked on the J Bar L for 13 years, helping to manage cow/calf, yearling, and grass-fed beef enterprises. They feel incredibly fortunate to ranch in wild and complex ecosystems and continually strive to learn how to preserve these unique places’ health, diversity, and integrity.

Dylan Hoffman is the Director of Sustainability for Yellowstone National Park Lodges. He oversees park-wide environmental efforts, compliance issues, and programs to curb the park’s contribution to climate change. In addition to his passion for helping to protect our environment, Dylan enjoys recreating in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem – including floating our local rivers, Nordic and backcountry skiing, hunting, or waving around a fly rod. Dylan lives in Gardiner, MT, with his partner, Erin, and their two little girls, Steely and Merrick.

Brittany Masters is the co-founder of Go Roam Free, a regenerative bison ranch and food business. As a first-generation rancher, Brittany brings her brand marketing and strong business sense to the world of sustainable animal agriculture. Brittany is passionate about developing brands and premium health products. Brittany spent 9 years as a Marketing Director at the Boeing Company, where she focused on reviving the Boeing brand and serving as a brand consultant to airline customers. During that time, she launched a startup food brand in the Middle East and finished her MBA at Seattle Pacific University. As WSE’s Secretary, Brittany hopes to help family-scale ranches transition to regenerative agriculture while improving their profitability in order to preserve the best of the west.

Roger Indreland, together with his wife Betsy, own and manages Indreland Angus, north of Big Timber, Montana. Roger is a third-generation rancher with a Farm & Ranch Management degree from Montana State University and forty-four years in the registered Angus business. Roger has found his niche in the grass-fed bull business, hosting an annual bull sale each December.

For over thirty years, Roger and Betsy have regenerated the landscape by placing value in building soil health and increasing biodiversity to complement Mother Nature’s system. As Roger says, “Our soil is the key to our success, so decisions are made with that in mind.”

In 2020, the Sweet Grass Chamber of Commerce honored them as “Ag Persons of the Year” and were nominated in 2021 as “Tow Rope Heroes” by the Northern Ag Network

WSE logo

TBD

Colin McClure is a proud Bobcat Fan and a 3rd generation graduate from Montana State University in Soil and Water Science. As a 4th generation Montana descendant with ties to active farming and ranching operations in the Flathead as well as central Montana, Colin was raised in and around agriculture. Colin is strongly rooted in both traditional and regenerative agricultural practices focusing on improving the livelihood of all Montanans.

Holly Stoltz, Communications Manager

Holly Stoltz’s greatest passion has always been helping people in the agricultural community. Throughout her career, she has revitalized a small-town newspaper, promoted businesses and organizations with her screen printing and embroidery business, actively mentored area business start-ups, and supported the 4-H program as club organization leader and activist.

Montana ranch-raised and marrying into a family ranch, agriculture has always been a part of her life.  Because of this, her degree in marketing, writing experience, and seeing the need to shift away from traditional ag practices, Holly has become a vocal supporter of regenerative agriculture as the only way to secure this legacy for future generations.

Tyrrell Hibbard enjoyed an upbringing in agriculture and conservation and today serves as a producer coordinator and senior advisor for WSE. Tyrrell is a rancher by day and distiller by night. He manages a seasonal custom grazing operation on his family’s multi-generational ranchland on the Continental Divide west of Helena. He also owns and operates Gulch Distillers in downtown Helena, producing award-winning spirits from Montana grains and fruits. When not actively engaged in agriculture or adding value to agricultural products, Tyrrell pursues conservation goals through WSE and Prickly Pear Land Trust. He serves on the board of directors. Tyrrell earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Duke University. He lives in Helena with his wife and two daughters.