Zachariah Ben is a 6th generation farmer and sandpainter from Shiprock, NM. He is of the “Giant People” born for the “Red Running Into Water” clan. His maternal grandfather’s clan is the “Red House People” and his paternal grandfather is of the “Salt People.” Zach has over 10 years of experience in traditional Navajo farming and is the Co-founder and Owner of Bidii Baby Foods, a domestically incorporated limited liability company and agricultural cooperative on the Navajo Nation. Bidii Baby Foods manufactures a product line of organic Indigenous baby foods. Zach manages a 30-acre organic farm in Gadii’ahi, NM. Zach also serves as a Consultant with WESST where he supports other Indigenous entrepreneurs as they establish their businesses.

Plenary

REZilient land stewardship: Walking in two worlds

In this presentation, we will discuss traditional Indigenous farming practices, that are often currently referred to as “Regenerative”. We will also discuss the unique challenges to farming on tribal trust land (including access to capital, infrastructure, land/water rights), and solutions to overcome them, using Bidii Baby Foods LLC as an example. Lastly, we will briefly discuss the issue of walking in two worlds: maintaining traditional food production practices, while complying with modern day food safety requirements.

Dr. Stephan van Vliet is the Director at the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between sustainable agriculture, the nutrient density of food, and human health.

Plenary Panel

Linking Soil, Plant, Animal and Human Health in Livestock Systems: a Metabolomics Approach

Dr. Stephan van Vliet presents an integrative metabolomics approach to examining how soil health, plant diversity, and livestock feeding strategies influence the nutrient density and phytochemical profile of beef. The presentation highlights findings from large-scale sample analyses across diverse farming systems, revealing correlations between forage-based diets and elevated levels of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds in meat. These data offer novel insights into the complex transfer of metabolites across ecological levels and their potential implications for human nutrition.

For a landless start-up with his savings invested in the herd, Caleb hoped to knit together a pasture rotation by leasing smaller fields owned by community members. That meant some nerve-wracking door-knocking. Luckily he met Frieda, a spry 91-year-old who’d worked cows, horses, and land all her life, and she took a gamble on him. Her encouragement kept Caleb going, and soon the community-based pasture rotation grew to include land leased from other neighbors around Montrose.

Plenary Panel

A Visionary Future: Supporting Young and BIPOC Farmers in the West 

Andrew and Sarah West are the co-owners of West Family Farms, a small cattle operation in Fort Collins, Colorado. They began their operation in the spring of 2024, thanks to a leasing opportunity with Poudre Valley Community Farms. They run 25 head of bred yearling Angus heifers on 85 acres of Fort Collins-owned property. They utilize intensive rotational grazing that benefits the cattle, the soil, and the plants. By rotating the cattle every day, Andrew and Sarah provide them with high-quality grass while also using the cattle to improve the soil and plant quality of the land. They are dedicated to ecological health, innovative farming practices, and entrepreneurialism, understanding that it is a privilege to be a part of the food system, care for the land, and raise livestock responsibly.

Plenary Panel Speaker

A Visionary Future: Supporting Young and BIPOC Farmers in the West 

Evanne Caviness is a proud rancher, policy organizing leader, and mother of 6th-generation Coloradoans who has been immersed in agriculture in the Southwestern U.S. since childhood. She works as the Associate Field Director for the National Young Farmers Coalition while co-managing Caviness Farms–her regenerative grassfed beef business–alongside her high school sweetheart and husband, Tyson Caviness.

Evanne is trilingual and holds degrees in English, Spanish, and Special Education from Northern Arizona University and Pima Community College. She spent four years as a high school special education teacher before having her three beautiful children. Evanne is passionate about inclusion and equity in agriculture, especially in supporting the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers from historically underserved communities. She currently serves on the state and federal policy committees for the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, the Nourish Colorado Farm Bill Action Committee, and the Farmer Equity Office Coalition in Colorado. Evanne is also the Governor-appointed Agricultural representative on the Colorado Council to End Human Trafficking. Evanne is also a 2023 Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Fellow and a previous member of Poudre Valley Community Farms, Secretary of Larimer County Farmers Alliance, and current member of Four Corners Farmers Coalition.

Plenary Panel Moderator

A Visionary Future: Supporting Young and BIPOC Farmers in the West