Christine is a 6th generation dairy farmer with her parents just outside of Waconia, MN. Their farm is also home to her cheese business, "The Grater Good," where she sources local cheeses and other foods to create cheese boards and teach cheese education classes.

Anna is the northwest regional coordinator for the Clean Energy Resource Teams, where she supports rural communities as they advance clean energy projects.  As a farm wife, she cares deeply for the family farm. She has focused statewide on non-residential renewable energy, helping businesses and farms save money by taking steps toward renewable energy.

Joan and her partner Nick own and operate Prairie Drifter Farm in Litchfield, MN. They came to farming through teaching environmental education. They and their two young kids raise certified organic vegetables, herbs and bedding plants for direct sale to local customers and wholesale to local food co-ops and the Farm to School program. They strive to create habitat, establish perennial cover and conserve resources through farming and business practices. They recently established solar on the farm to nurture resilience in the face of climate change and to run at least a portion of the farm on renewable energy. 

Kathy is the statewide director of the University’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and an adjunct professor in the Agronomy and Plant Genetics Department. She oversees the building of community-University partnerships within sustainable agriculture and food systems, clean energy (the Clean Energy Resource Teams), natural resources and resilient communities. Her research and outreach include work with rural grocery stores and food supply chains, such as the Backhaul Project. Kathy and her family live and farm in Big Stone County, Minnesota. 

Jennifer is the southeast regional coordinator for the Clean Energy Resource Teams, which support communities in SE Minnesota as they advance clean energy projects. She works statewide on community dimensions of utility-scale renewable energy siting. She is a member of Wisconsin’s Climate Action Navigators, a network of leaders exploring how community engagement can lead to desired climate actions. Jennifer is a resident of Pepin, WI, where her community involvement includes an Energy Roundtable, farmers markets and other initiatives.  

Gabi is an Extension educator specializing in Soil Health and Water Resources. She educates farmers and agriculture professionals on soil health practices, with a fondness for integrated crop and livestock systems. 

Sabrina is the Alternative Livestock Systems Extension educator for the University of Minnesota. She grew up on her family's dairy farm in southern Minnesota. She is interested in resilient agriculture and soil health and completed a master's degree in Agrivoltaics. She strives to develop a curriculum that considers whole farm sustainability with livestock as an integral component. 

Kathy has spent her life in the food farming world. She owns & farms Simple Harvest Farm Organics, directly marketing all farm products to both retail and wholesale customers. The farm is highly erodible land, primarily in perennial pastures, grazing poultry and livestock. Kathy started with Minnesota Farmers' Market Association with a vision of building a thriving local foodshed. MFMA earned the national Gus Schumacher award from the Farmers Market Coalition in recognition of their work to keep farmers and farmers' markets open to grow food and feed their communities.