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 

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

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.

Don owns and operates Grassfed Livestock Alliance, LLC (GLA), a
coalition of Grassfed producers. GLA was formed in 2006 to provide a
fair and sustainable market for family farms and ranches that put their
care, labor, and reputation into the quality of meats they raise. GLA
currently supplies local Grassfed beef to Whole Foods Market locations
in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Don grew up in Austin, Texas and currently ranches in the Texas Hill
Country with his wife, Debbie, where they raise conservation heritage
Texas Longhorn cattle. Don is a past president of American Grassfed
Association and is currently on its Board of directors and chairs its
Standards/Certification Committee.

Roundtable Facilitator

American Grassfed Association Standards Updates

Latrice Tatsey (In-niisk-ka-mah-kii) was raised on her families cattle ranching operation on the Blackfeet Nation in northwest Montana. Latrice graduated from Montana State University with her bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource and Rangeland Ecology and completed her mater’s degree in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. Latrice has previously worked for Piikani Lodge Health Institute where she worked with cattle producers on grazing practices that are influenced by cultural science and cultural relationships with the land. Her goal is to continue helping tribal producers improve their operations while focusing on relationships based practices that improve the health and well-being of the land.

Plenary Speaker

Buffalo Restoration at Blackfeet Nation