Evanne Caviness is a proud rancher, business owner, and mother of 6th-generation Coloradoans who has been immersed in agriculture in the Southwestern U.S. since childhood. She works as the Western Organizing Manager 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 two 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 a 2023 Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Fellow and a member of Poudre Valley Community Farms.

Roundtable Facilitator

Land and Water Access – Challenges and Leadership in the Farming Community

Farming and ranching in the West present producers with an array of unique challenges, particularly when it comes to accessing affordable land with the necessary water resources to sustain production. Join us for an interactive roundtable facilitated by farmers and ranchers from Colorado and New Mexico who have stepped into positions of leadership in their communities to implement creative solutions to address their own struggles to attain land and water. Participants will be encouraged to share their own journeys in farming in the drought-ridden West, and can expect to learn how others facing similar challenges have become advocates for innovative land and water access solutions.

Seth grew up in Connecticut where he forged a love of horseback riding . In addition to Connecticut, Seth has lived, studied and worked in several states across the U.S. as well as in Kenya and Senegal. It was in Senegal, where he served in the Peace Corps, that Seth developed his love for farmers and agriculture.

Seth graduated with his Masters in Soil Science but several years into his career he discovered his true passion which is farm business management.

Seth became a Holistic Management Certified Educator in 2003 and uses this system as a foundation in his work.

Recently Seth became a Certified International Mediator, which compliments his work in farm transfer, farm succession planning, whole farm planning, and farm financial analysis.

A recently developed passion is “effective adult education.” Having utilized lecture-based approaches for decades only to continuously discover they fail to build skills, Seth began a quest to discover educational methods that actually could help people change behaviors and adopt new practices.

When not working Seth enjoys time with his wife and daughter, his dogs and his close friends. He likes to travel, garden, work on farms, and laugh.

Workshop Presenter, Succession Planning Workshop

Roundtable Facilitator

Zach Ducheneaux was appointed Administrator for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) on February 22, 2021. In this role, Ducheneaux provides leadership and direction on agricultural policy, including the administration of FSA’s farm loan, conservation, commodity, disaster, and farm marketing programs, through a national network of offices.

Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration at USDA, Ducheneaux previously served as the Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC). He served the IAC in other roles starting in the 1990s. He has also previously served as tribal council representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He has spent his career educating people about the critical role of improved food systems and value-added agriculture, all through the lens of finding ways to address enduring economic and social challenges facing Native Americans and reservations.

Ducheneaux continues to serve on the board of directors for Project H3LP!, a nonprofit founded by his family to benefit their local community by providing life lessons through horsemanship. His family still operates the 4th generation ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.

Plenary Speaker

A Conversation with Your Administrator About Filling the Gaps

An open conversation about the broad ranging work of the Biden-Harris Administration under the leadership of Secretary Vilsack, to more equitably serve all producers across all divisions and programs at the Farm Service Agency.

Elena Miller-ter Kuile is a 6th generation farmer working on the original lands of her Hispano ancestors. Her farm Cactus Hill Farm still uses some of the oldest water rights in Colorado established in 1867. Elena raises sheep for grass fed meat as well as value-added wool products such as yarn and other products for fiber artists. She sells both online and in person. Her farm also produces organic grains, and hay. Elena studied interdisciplinary studies in Agriculture from Cornell University and graduated with honors.

Elena served as the vice-chair of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition and currently serves on Rural Women-Led Business Fund at the First Southwest Bank of Colorado. She recently worked for Adams State University supporting students from a migrant agricultural background to achieve their education. She has also been involved in many water rights battles for her community over the years. She is recently nominated to the Colorado Agriculture Commission.

Plenary

Sustainable Sheep: Honoring the Animal, Healing the Planet

Come hear from regenerative sheep producers Elena Miller-ter Kuile from Cactus Hill Farm near La Jara, Colorado and Jeanne Carver of Imperial Stock Ranch / Shaniko Wool Company near Shaniko, Oregon on how they have developed their agricultural practices to regenerate the land and improve soil health as well as honor the animals they raise but maximizing the value of those animals in their marketing. These two women have been involved in a variety of direct marketing and value-added products, including carbon markets, and will also share about the markets they have created and how they have engaged their communities in that effort. Whether you raise sheep or not, this split plenary will provide food for thought on how human creativity and community building are critical to regenerative agriculture.