Angela Huffman is president and co-founder of Farm Action, an agricultural watchdog organization led by farmers. Farm Action advocates for accountability from both the government and large corporations within the food sector.

Farm Action’s investigations and reports have resulted in federal antitrust and regulatory actions related to meatpacker market abuses, consumer price gouging, and right-to-repair, and its policy recommendations have been developed into 20 different pieces of Congressional legislation.

Angela brings 15 years of experience in food and agriculture policy reform and market development. In prior work, Angela led numerous institutions, retailers, and other food buyers to shift their purchasing toward farms that meet the highest standards for fairness and sustainability. She has also held marketing and consulting positions for farms, regional dairy and meat processors, distributors, and restaurants.

Angela’s commentary is frequently featured in national news media and rural farm outlets. She has appeared on CNBC, NBC News, Fox News, BBC Newshour, NPR, and others. She holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Public Policy and Management from the Ohio State University. She raises registered Katahdin sheep on her family’s 200-year-old farm in Northwest Ohio.

Farm Action: Why We Fight – YouTube video

Plenary

Challenging Monopoly Control of Our Food System

Who decides where and what food will be produced, who produces it and how, and who will get to eat it? These decisions have increasingly migrated away from the community level and into the conference rooms of multinational corporations. Just a handful of companies dominate almost all aspects of food production, and they prioritize the concentration of ownership, wealth, and power — not the public good. We will examine who controls our food supply and how they use their dominance to influence policy, as well as how to challenge monopoly power in the food system.

I have always had a passion for the outdoors and conservation, which led me to pursue my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University. From there, I went on to purse and Masters and Doctrine in Wildlife and Range Science at Texas A&M University-Kingsville through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. I have been working for the Fitzsimons and Howard Families at the San Pedro Ranch since 2012. I was originally hired to help manage the oil and gas development on the ranch so that we upheld our duties to the Conservation Easement, which was placed on the ranch in December of 2009 through Texas Agricultural Land Trust. From there, my position has evolved, and I know manage all aspects of the ranch. The San Pedro has been owned and operated by the Fitzsimons families for nearly 100 years and is currently on its fifth generation. We were fortunate to learn early on the importance of managing the ranch in a holistic manner. Understanding that the foundation of our management, whether it be for wildlife or livestock, is habitat health and diversity. We have learned the hard way, that building resiliency in our management through maintaining adequate herbaceous cover is critical in long term sustainability for both wildlife and livestock in a brittle environment. We currently have one of the largest purebred Beefmaster cattle herds in the breed and graze them in one herd over 200+ paddocks.

Plenary

Learning to Do More With Less: Ranching Resiliency

This presentation will provide insight into real world applications on how to build resiliency in your ranching program. It is important to understand that factors such as drought, can actually be a blessing in disguise. These types of factors that we often deem as out of our control can actually help us become better managers. We feel it is important to recognize that why we can’t control when it rains, we can control how effective the rainfall is on the landscape.

I come from a long line of farmers in Minnesota and bring over 10 years of experience with raising poultry both in industrial confinement and pasture-based operations. I spent my younger years raising and showing livestock in 4-H and earned a BS in Animal Science with a minor in Sustainability from Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!). In 2021 I moved to central Arkansas where I now manage the pastured poultry enterprises at Heifer Ranch for Heifer USA. I oversee various types of poultry including broilers, turkeys, layers, and ducks. I have specialized in brooding and other essential aspects of poultry production. At Heifer USA, I also create educational YouTube content aimed at educating farmers about pastured poultry. Additionally, I lead pastured poultry related research and development initiatives and product testing to improve management and welfare practices in the field as well as farmer work/life balance. My mission is to advance sustainable pasture-based poultry farming using regenerative farming practices to create a more accessible and ethical food system for farmers and communities.

Plenary

Robots on the Ranch: Automation in Pastured Poultry Systems

In this presentation, we will explore how Heifer USA is integrating automation – like our mobile ROVABARNs – into pastured poultry systems through ongoing research and development. Through hands-on testing, we’re finding ways to save time, reduce physical stress, and take some of the pressure off daily chores. Tools like the ROVABARN help farmers care for their flock more easily while scaling operations. The goal is to support a healthier work/life balance and make regenerative poultry systems more practical for farmers.

Michele Thorne, Executive Director of the Good Meat Project, is a dynamic educator, graphic designer and strategic marketer by trade, a zealous good food advocate by choice, and a small livestock producer by destiny. With over twenty years of impactful strategic marketing and graphic design experience, Michele drives the GMP’s mission forward to support and expand its programmatic work, by connecting stakeholders across the meat value chain as well as across diverse communities, upholding the organization’s shared values of transparency, collaboration and inclusivity. She spent her early career as an entrepreneur and educator, eventually discovering the direct impacts of food on human health outcomes, the economy and the environment. As a data driven creative, Michele is an authentic and active listener, life-long learner and enthusiastic participant of transformative change, especially in food systems. She is fueled by curiosity and uses a unique approach to problem solving rooted in game theory. Michele earned her MBA in Sustainable Business, is a published author, and proudly walks the walk, “putting her money where her mouth is”, as often and abundantly as she can to support local producers by purchasing meat directly from them. She is a mother, has two shepherd dogs and enjoys being a fiber artist, creating beautiful things when time allows.

Plenary

Radical Collaboration: Building Resilience and Profitability (with Intent) in Regenerative Meat and Food Supply Chains

As environmental challenges intensify and supply chains face increasing volatility, the need for resilient, regenerative food systems has never been more urgent. Yet, meaningful transformation in the meat sector—often seen as environmentally and ethically fraught—requires more than just innovation at the farm level. It demands radical collaboration. This talk explores how independent producers, processors, butchers, chefs, retailers, and stakeholders across the food supply chain can break silos and co-create regenerative food systems that are resilient, profitable, and ecologically sound. Drawing on real-world case studies and emerging models, we’ll examine how trust-based partnerships, shared data, and innovative financing can empower meat producers to lead the transformation toward sustainability and ethical meat production.

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.