Joseluis “Agua y Tierra” Ortiz y Muniz is an Indigenous, land-based native New Mexican living in the high desert of his maternal village of San Antonio Del Rio Embudo. Together with his family, they tend crops and livestock, and steward his ancestral lands within the Embudo River Basin. His roots in traditional agriculture were passed on inter-generationally and he maintains a traditional land and acequia based way of life on land his family has cared for since time immemorial. He has worked with volunteer, grassroots, community-based environmental and economic justice organizations. Working and learning in community were part of a journey of self-transformation and self-discovery. Today, he is the Community Liaison and The Project Director of the Sostenga Center for Sustainable Food, Agriculture, and Environment at Northern New Mexico College, where he works to provide land based agricultural wisdoms and demonstrates traditional farming methods. A proud father rooted in community, Agua Y Tierra is a training consultant for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and anti-racism, and is a very active community member. He is a board member of Seeds in Common an indigenous seed organization, the secretary for La Merced/Land Grant del Pueblo De Santa Cruz de La Canada, a member of La Cosecha del Norte, “a growing co-op,” and is the community elected Mayordomo for the Acequia Del Llano del Rio Embudo. 

Plenary Speaker

Hayden comes from Central Montana where she ranches with her husband and his family raising pairs on the Montana Prairie. Born and raised in rural Montana, she has both an understanding of agriculture and a passion for conserving the natural world around her. She graduated from Montana State University with an undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Rangeland Management. Grazing management has become one of her deepest passions after spending 6 years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and getting the opportunity to drink coffee around the kitchen table with countless producers who taught her more than the 4 years spent in a classroom. She now serves as Quivira Coalitions New Agrarian Program Northern Plains Manager where she continues to learn from the amazing producers in their mentorship program.

Roundtable Facilitator

Smarter Together: Peer-to-Peer Land Management Troubleshooting

Taylor Muglia (she/her) has proudly served as Colorado Manager at Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program since 2021, supporting over 85 apprentices in their personal and professional pursuits. With her own background in small-scale production ag raising sheep, pigs, and chickens, she enjoys helping other beginning farmers and ranchers find opportunities, resources, and connections within the agricultural community. When she is not working, you can find Taylor working a little more… in a flower/vegetable field, managing weddings at the Lyons Farmette, or studying to become a soil health coach.

Follow the New Agrarian Program by listening to the Regeneration Rising podcast!

Roundtable Facilitator

Smarter Together: Peer-to-Peer Land Management Troubleshooting

Constance Wilson MACP, MSN, NP-C works as a nurse practitioner, minister, counselor, farmer and mom in pursuit of what is real and renewing in life. She seeks to help others cultivate both a practical and nourishing experience of what it means to engage one’s deep passions and values while tending to one’s deep needs. She’s collaborated with RMFU and AgWell to provide training in empathetic listening, mindfulness and wellbeing.

Roundtable Facilitator

‘How are you, really?”: Supporting rancher wellbeing for one another

As a trained soil scientist and agronomist, Patrick O’Neill advocates for soil health education and practice implementation as a consultant to farmers and ranchers and through volunteer efforts with the conservation districts in his watershed. He is the principle at Soil Health Services and is skilled in Soil Health and Soil Fertility Development, Pest Control, Environmental Awareness, Agronomy, Water Resource Management, and Plant Nutrition. Patrick has a Master of Science (MS) degree in Soil Science from Washington State University, and has served as a supervisor for the Mosca-Hooper Conservation District in Alamosa County, within the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Patrick advises row crop farmers growing potatoes, cereals and forages, to help them accomplish their goals of improved soil health. This work involves assisting in cover crop selection, seed mix ratios, utilization timing, integration of livestock grazing and microbial inoculant selection and on-farm development. He also works to identify ways to add to the farm’s resilience, specifically to carefully manage production costs through soil health principle applications. This work to create healthier soils rose from an aversion to toxins in food production along with a dedication to developing healthier farming systems for the farmers and their customers.

Roundtable Facilitator

Creative Solutions to Addressing Labor Challenges in Agriculture

As co-owner of Hoaganie Farm Products, a cattle and grass farming operation just outside of College Station, TX, P. Wade Ross is a fourth generation farmer, on land that has been in his been in his family since the 1800’s.
P. Wade’s parents, W. Wade & Anita Ross, established the Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers Community-Based Organization in 1998. Previously serving as the organization’s Education Director, P. Wade accepted the role of Chief Executive the wake of the pandemic shut down, to help keep the mission of serving Black Farmers moving forward into the “connected age”.
Recognized around the state of Texas as a voice and change agent for small farmers of color, Mr. Ross serves on numerous boards, coalitions, and collaboratives throughout the South. This includes recently being selected to serve East Texas in the newly formulated Delta Regional Food Business Center.
In the past year, P. Wade has been featured in articles by CNN, The Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal, and The Austin Chronicle around the important subject of racial equity and social justice.
From their massive past efforts, Texas Small Farmers & Ranchers/ CBO is credited by many for the large number of census responses from black farmers–it is said to be unprecedented in the history of census of Texas. In 2012, his father and organization founder W. Wade Ross, received USDA’s Secretary’s Honor Award “for forging partnerships and other entities leading to changes that promote sustainability”.

Plenary Speaker

A Rising Tide Raises All Boats

In this brief presentation, P. Wade Ross will share his family journeys since acquisition of their family land in the late 1800’s, their families, separation and return to the land, recent struggles and conflict within their family farm and within their organization around the topic of regenerative ag and adopting climate smart practices, the state of Black Farmers, and solutions to move the economic needle to benefit all.