Speaker Biographies | 2016

Welcoming Remarks

Linda Neunzig (Emcee) – Linda is the Agriculture Coordinator for Snohomish County. In this role Neunzig leads Snohomish County’s agriculture initiatives, which have received national recognition for their innovative approaches to revitalizing the agriculture sector, and provides assistance to farmers operating within Snohomish County. She spearheads several agriculture initiatives for the county, including the Snohomish County Focus on Farming conference, the largest agriculture conference in western Washington State; agriculture sustainability programs; and agriculture education and information programs including at the annual Evergreen State Linda Neunzig Fair.

In addition to her role with Snohomish County, Neunzig is the owner of Ninety Farms, a 50-acre sustainable farm in Arlington, Washington. There she raises all natural grass-fed USDA beef and Katahdin lamb for area restaurants and local farmers markets. She regularly exports Katahdin breeding stock to the Philippines to improve the production capabilities of the native sheep breeds. She has attended "Terra Madre" in Turin, Italy—one of the world’s leading agriculture symposiums—three times as a U.S. delegate for Slow Food USA. She was one of five farmers chosen from across the United States to represent the American Farmer at the New York City Meals On Wheels benefit in July of 2008, and was featured in Gourmet Magazine as one of the producers. In 2008 Neunzig was awarded the “Women Who Inspire” award by the National Women’s Chef and Restaurateurs’ Association for her work in agriculture.

Dave Somers – Dave Somers took office as the Fifth Snohomish County Executive on January 1, 2016. Having previously served for 14 years on the , Dave is focused on developing policies to make our community safer, healthier, and more prosperous.

Dave manages the 14 diverse departments that comprise the Snohomish County government, including Public Works, Paine Field Airport, Emergency Management, Human Services, Medical Examiner, Parks, and Planning and Development Services. County government touches every family in Dave Somers Snohomish County, whether getting a permit, licensing a pet, engaging with the criminal justice system, or enjoying the Evergreen State Fair.

Dave believes more needs to be done to create regional partnerships, improve customer service, and build sustainable finances for Snohomish County. He is committed to improving the delivery of services to the homeless and ensuring everything possible is being done to protect the most vulnerable members of our community. Dave has championed agriculture and sustainable development as the smartest way to preserve what makes Snohomish County great.

Dave is Vice President of the Puget Sound Regional Council and serves on the Board. He also is on the Board of the National Association of Counties and the County Executives of America, giving Snohomish County a voice in national policy-making. Dave is a strong proponent for mass transit in general and light rail in particular, looking forward to the day when it reaches Lynnwood, Everett, and Paine Field.

Dave is a proud graduate of the University of Washington where he earned a master’s degree in forest ecology and a bachelors in fisheries science.

Keynote Speakers

Steve Butcher – Steve Butcher is the creator of the Not-Just-For-Profit business philosophy. In his own words, “Brown Paper Tickets is one of the only companies that acts the way I wish we all had the guts to act. Not ‘More is better,’ but ‘Enough is best.’” His ideology offers a disruptive model that drills to the core of what's broken in American business and how to fix it. As the CEO of the internationally successful company Brown Paper Tickets, his

Steve Butcher simple yet seemingly progressive ideas push for the genuine respect of communities, employees, customers and vendors, and have been covered by Fortune, Forbes and the New York Times, among others.

Working with business owners, non-profits and start-ups in nearly every sector, his ideas are both traditional and radical, playing havoc with competitors who simply cannot think beyond the obvious misconceptions that plague the business culture. As he says, "Helping just one person either find their passion or set it on fire is enough to warm your soul for a lifetime. Making it your life's work is downright nirvana."

David Kohl – David Kohl received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University. For 25 years, Kohl was Professor of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.

He has conducted more than 6,000 workshops and seminars for agricultural groups such as bankers, Farm Credit, FSA, and regulators, as well as producer and agribusiness groups. He has published four books and over 1,500 articles

David Kohl on financial and business-related topics in journals, extension, and other popular publications. Kohl regularly writes for Corn and Soybean Digest, and other ag lending publications.

His workshop, “Straight Talk, Straight Actions” says it all in the title of this high energy, no-holds-barred approach session. Straight talk on the global economic trends that will impact your business’ bottom line and decision making will be presented in a manner that links global economics to your business, family, and personal life.

Straight actions in business and financial decisions will be discussed as to what actions need to be taken to keep the business on course and also position it for new avenues of success. “Straight Talk, Straight Actions” will provide insight and answers to the most common questions asked by producers, owners, and managers. This energetic session will provide information and perspectives which will be invaluable not only to your business but also your personal life.

Derek Sandison – Derek was appointed director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture by Gov. Jay Inslee in June 2015.

Sandison, a lifelong Washington resident, has worked in both the public and private sectors for more than 40 years. Before his current appointment, Sandison served as director of the Office of Columbia River within the state Department of Ecology. There, he was responsible for projects to develop water supplies vital for the state’s agricultural community. Previously, he led Derek Sandison Ecology’s Central Region, an area composed of seven counties stretching from Canada to Washington’s southern border.

Other career experience includes 14 years as senior vice president of a Northwest consulting firm and 12 years in local government.

As state agriculture director, Sandison supports and promotes Washington’s rich and diverse agricultural industry both nationally and internationally.

Sandison has a master’s of science in natural resource management and a bachelor’s degree in biological science, both from Central Washington University. He has received many awards throughout his career, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s John W. Keys III Award for building partnerships and strengthening relationships and the Washington Governor’s Leadership in Management Award. Speakers for Workshops and Sessions

. Karen Bishop – Karen co-owns and operates Ebey Road Farm, Inc., a 700 acre diversified crop farm on Whidbey Island that she operates with her husband and son. As fifth generation on parts of the land currently owned by the Bishop’s, the land and family have gone through several ownership transitions. Karen is also District Manager at the Whidbey Island Conservation District.

Karen Bishop . Phil Bannan, Sr. – Phil is the Owner of ScuttleButt Brewing

. Joe Bippert – Joe is a Program Manager for the International Marketing Program, Washington State Department of Agriculture

. Sam Bowhay – Sam Bowhay serves as the Institutional Market Coordinator on the Farm-to-School team at Oxbow Center for Sustainable Agriculture. In this role, he provides a diverse farm operations with hands-on technical assistance to help them develop and implement USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP), to become compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and to gain access to new markets such as school cafeterias. Sam is a vegetable farmer by trade. He worked as farm manager at Local Roots Sam Bowhay Farm in the Snoqualmie Valley, and now grows at Ralph’s Greenhouse in the Skagit Valley. He has experience applying food safety standards on both of these very different operations.

. Nick Bratton – Nick is a Policy Director at Forterra.

. Brooke Brouwer – Dr. Brook Brouwer started as director of San Juan County Extension office in June. He was the first recipient of a Seed Matters fellowship in organic plant breeding, graduating with a PhD in Crop Science from Washington State University in August 2015. Brook’s PhD research was conducted at the WSU NWREC in Mount Vernon, WA and involved barley and dry bean production, genetics and plant breeding for regional food systems. Prior to joining WSU Extension Brook worked as a research and education associate with the nonprofit Organic Brooke Brouwer Seed Alliance. Brook has a B.A. in Biology from Colorado College and has worked on diverse livestock farms as well as conducting nutrient cycling and botany research in mountain, river, and island ecosystems. He grew up on Lopez Island, WA and is committed to maintain productive farms and functioning ecosystems in the region.

. Ian Burke – Dr. Ian Burke is an Associate Professor in the WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in Pullman, WA. He received his B.Sc. from Old Dominion University and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He finished his Ph.D. in 2005, was a post- doctoral research associate with the USDA-ARS in Stoneville, MS for a year before starting his appointment with WSU in the fall of 2006. His current research focuses on the effects of climate change on weed species. Burke’s research program is directed at basic aspects of weed biology and ecology with the goal of integrating such information into Ian Burke practical and economical methods of managing weeds in the environment.

. Emily Carlson – Emily joined the King Conservation District in the fall of 2015 as an AmeriCorps placement through the Washington Conservation Corps. After her term was completed, Emily stayed on with the District as a consultant, transitioning the new placement and continuing her projects. Emily also works as the Restoration Manager for Shadow Lake Nature Preserve, where she oversees and coordinates invasive management with a team of volunteers. Emily holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Gonzaga University and has a passion for peer

Emily Carlson mentorship, conservation, and the Puget Sound.

. Claudia Coles – Claudia is the Policy & External Affairs Advisor for the Food Safety and Consumer Services Division of the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). In her role, Claudia is responsible for bringing a number of FDA cooperative agreement projects to WSDA such as the new Produce Safety Cooperative Agreement, the Rapid Response Team Cooperative Agreement, the Manufactured Foods Regulatory Program Cooperative Agreement, Recall Coordinator Cooperative Claudia Coles Agreement as well as a number of USDA grant projects. Claudia is a member of numerous National Food Safety Committees such as the Association of Food and Drug Officials where she was the 2012-2013 President, the Partnership for Food Protection (PFP) Governance Council, the Food Safety Preventive Control Alliance (FSPCA), the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shippers and holds a variety of board positions on Regional and National Food Safety Associations. Claudia is also a Past President of Western Association of Food and Drug Officials (WAFDO) the National Association of Dairy Regulatory Officials (NADRO) and the Puget Sound Institute of Food Technologists (PSIFT). Claudia earned her Bachelor of Science in Food Science from North Dakota State University and she is a Class 14 graduate of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program.

. Bob Deane – Bob is an International Trade Specialist at US Commercial Service.

. Cindy Dittbrenner – Cindy is the Natural Resources Program Manager at the Snohomish Conservation District where she manages a team of farm planners and restoration practitioners that provide services to agricultural and rural landowners. She has been working in the natural resources field for the last 17 years, largely helping private landowners protect and enhance natural resources on their property. Dittbrenner has

Cindy Dittbrenner a M.S. in Soils from the University of Washington and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Willamette University. She is a graduate of the Washington AgForestry Leadership Program.

. Tanya Dostal – Tanya is a Farm Loan Specialist for the Washington State Farm Service Agency of USDA. Tanya has worked in agricultural lending for over 30 years in Washington State. She began her career with USDA in 1985 and has worked as a loan officer in the Yakima, Lynden, Colville and Port Angeles offices prior to becoming a State Office Loan Specialist. Her primary focus is providing guidance and direction in analyzing and evaluating various loan requests on a statewide basis and working with guaranteed lenders. She has extensive background and Tanya Dostal knowledge in financial planning, budgeting and financial statement analysis. She has also worked on national policy issues and provides guidance to the Farm Loan Staff throughout the state of Washington. Tanya has a degree in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University along with a minor in Animal Science. She enjoys working with producers achieve their financial goals.

. Barb Fick – Barb is a horticulturist who brings a diverse background to the Produce Safety Alliance. She has been involved in the development and implementation of numerous educational programs including management of yard waste, home and garden integrated pest management, Firewise landscaping, and Oregon waterwise gardening. Barb has spent the majority of her career working at Oregon State University as a community horticulture extension faculty member Barb Fick training and coordinating Master Gardener volunteers. She has a Bachelor of Science in plant science from the University of Wisconsin- River Falls and a Master of Science degree in horticulture from the University of Minnesota.

. Jim Freed– Jim is a Natural Resource Professor, Emeritus, and Regional Extension Specialist in Specialty Forest Products. Jim was an extension professor of natural resources from 1974 to 2015. Jim was the Special Forest Products agent for Washington State University. Major programs included educating the over 150,000 forest land owners in Washington State on sustainable management of native plants for commercial and

Jim Freed personal use. He also conducted programs that enable natural resource land managers to identify and protect cultural and historical sites on their properties.

. Josh Giuntoli– Josh is the program lead for the Washington State Conservation Commission’s Office of Farmland Preservation. Josh is a 4th generation Washingtonian and was born and raised in the Yakima Valley where he grew up farming mint and grapes.

Josh Giuntoli

. Fred Hendrickson – Fred is a County Executive Director for USDA Farm Service Agency. He grew up on a farm in eastern Washington near the town of Garfield, WA. His family raised beef cattle and grew wheat, peas, lentils and hay. Fred is a graduate of University of Idaho and after working for the University, accepted a position with the Farm Service Agency in Whitman County. In July of 2016, Fred accepted the position of County Executive Directors for the offices in Skagit and Snohomish Counties. He is happy to be here and looks forward to being able to assist Fred Hendrickson the ranchers and farmers of the Northwest Area.

. Caroline Kinsman – Caroline Kinsman is the Marketing Manager for Scratch and Peck Feeds, a family-owned organic feed mill specializing in whole grain animal feed that is soy free and raw (no pellets!) Her background stems from the natural products industry, and she believes one of the most critical steps to wholesome food begins with animal feed.

Caroline Kinsman

. Tristan Klesick – Tristan is a local business owner and farmer from Stanwood. He works with his best friend, and wife of 25 years to raise local children on a local farm in our local community. What was a dream in 1994 and a 32sq ft garden has become a diversified 40 acre farm with greenhouses, grass fed beef, tree fruit, berries and vegetables. Tristan has served on the Snohomish County Agricultural Advisory Board, and was appointed by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon as co- chair of the Snohomish Agricultural Economic Development Action Team, Tristan Klesick which set forth priorities and goals to increase profitability of our local farm community. He is a graduate from Washington AgForestry, a two year Leadership program, receiving the Karl and Lexie Kupers Leading Edge Leadership Award. He has served as a Commissioner on the Stillaguamish Flood Control District, founding board member of the Port Susan Food and farming Center, and as a Local Advisor for the Burlington office of Northwest Farm Credit Services. Most recently, Tristan is serving Co-Chair of the Ag Caucus of the Snohomish Sustainable Lands Strategy, a consortium of farmers and environmentalists and tribal interests working on collaborative models to protect habitat and farms in Snohomish County. Klesick Farms has recently moved to a new 9000 Sq. ft. processing and packaging facility, where they plan to extend their outreach as a regional food hub for locally grown and processed foods. Tristan and Joelle have been actively involved in the local food movement since 1997 and believe the future is brighter today than it has ever been for the local farms.

. Chad Kruger – Chad directs WSU’s Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center (NWREC) in Mount Vernon and the Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources (CSANR). He received a B.A. in Philosophy and History (1997) and an Academic Certificate in Ecointensive Agriculture Technologies (1998) from Northwest College in Kirkland, Washington, and he completed an M.S. (2003) in Land Resources from the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at

Chad Kruger the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He was an Au Sable Graduate Fellow at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has served on the 2007/2008 Washington State Climate Action Team, co-chairing the Agriculture Sector Carbon Market Workgroup; the 2010 Washington State Climate Change Working Lands Technical Advisory Group; the Washington State Energy Strategy Technical Experts Panel; the Northwest Regional Biocarbon Initiative, and was a Commissioner on the Douglas County Water Conservancy Board. He is currently a member of the Washington Department of Natural Resources Expert Council on Climate Change, a steering committee member for the USDA Northwest Climate Hub, a board member for the Northwest Ag Business Center, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Northwest Environmental Forum. He was raised in Washington State and has family roots in agriculture in both Eastern (wheat and cattle near Spokane) and Western Washington (berries in Whatcom County).

. Steve Lyon – Steve leads the greenhouse and field research portion of the WSU Bread Lab. Steve (An.Sci. ’79, MS Crop Sci. ’02, WSU) was a commercial grain and livestock producer in eastern WA for 13 years and has worked the past 25 years developing wheat varieties for WSU. In 2007, he was awarded the O.A. Vogel/Washington State Crop Improvement Award and in 2013 earned one of the highest honors in his profession by having a new grain named in his honor – ‘Lyon’ barley. To date, Lyon has been instrumental in the public release of 15 wheat and 2 Steve Lyon barley cultivars as well as 14 germplasm breeding lines.

. Craig Madsen – Craig has over 25 years of experience in range management and has taken a specific interest in weed control, vegetation removal, and ecosystem management utilizing goats. Craig has spent the last 16 years using goats as a tool for vegetation management through his business Healing Hooves. Prior to starting Healing Hooves Craig worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Management Specialist for 14 years. Craig is also a certified educator in Holistic Management with the Savory Institute. Holistic Management Craig Madsen emphasizes the importance of making decisions that meet the triple bottom line, financially and ecologically sound and socially responsible while creating your desired quality of life.

. Laurie McKenzie – Laurie McKenzie is the Research and Education Associate for the Pacific Northwest region and a vegetable breeder with Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). She manages the OSA research farm in Chimacum, WA where she conducts breeding projects, vegetable variety trials, and seed production on a variety of crops. Author and co-author on several publications, McKenzie also teaches classes and workshops on seed production and plant breeding. She received her M.S. in Horticulture and Plant Breeding from Oregon State University in 2012 and Laurie McKenzie has over a decade of farming and seed production experience. In her breeding career, Laurie has focused on breeding for organic production systems utilizing participatory and collaborative strategies. She is currently working on several projects involving cabbage, kale, purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, and Swiss chard. In her spare time Laurie enjoys creating her budding homestead, planting fruit trees, playing with her ducks, and growing flowers in the garden.

. Josh Meek – Josh is the technical assistance forester at Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Josh provides professional onsite technical consultative services to small forest landowners throughout western Washington. His responsibilities include helping small forest owners understand the state's forest practices rules, timber harvest systems, small forest landowner alternate plan templates, 20-acre

Josh Meek exempt harvest activities, long-term applications, low-impact harvest activities and road construction techniques. With a background that includes several years of forestry experience for government agencies and degrees in education and forestry from the University of Montana, Josh is uniquely equipped for this role. Josh has gained a deep understanding of state rules as well as the needs and challenges faced by private forest landowners.

. Carol Miles – Dr. Carol Miles is the WSU Vegetable Specialist and has been addressing vegetable production issues through research in western Washington for 22 years. Carol received her B.S. (1983) in Bio-Agricultural Science from Colorado State University, and her M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1993) in Vegetable Crops from the Department of Fruit and Vegetable Science at Cornell University. Carol works with farmers to create sustainable production systems which are productive and economically sound.

Carol Miles

. Audra Mulkern – Author of “Rooted In The Valley: The Art and Color of The Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Markets” Audra also created “The Female Farmer Project” – an internationally recognized chronicle of in-depth stories about the rise of women working in agriculture around the world. Identified as one of 45 Amazing Women by Readers Digest Country Woman Magazine in 2015, Mulkern was honored alongside Temple Audra Mulkern Grandin, Krysta Harden, Sandra Day O'Connor, and other extraordinary women. Dubbed a "visionary," Audra's work to highlight the rise of women in agriculture and share their stories is also an excellent lesson in social media marketing.

. Boyd Norton – Boyd Norton is a long-time forester with DNR and serves as the Northwest Washington Landowner Assistance Forester. Boyd grew up in the Puyallup valley, and graduated from Green River Community College with an Associates in Applied Sciences degree in Forest Technology in 1975. After graduation Boyd worked as a temporary Forest Technician 1 and Fire Warden for DNR in Enumclaw. He then spent several years with St. Regis Paper Company at their King Creek Tree Farm just outside of Orting, before being hired full-time to DNR as an assistant Boyd Norton unit forester in the Naselle unit. In his 36 years with the DNR, Boyd has worked in timber management and silvicultural programs, forest practices, fire suppression and prevention.

. Jake O’Banion – Jake has been with Country Financial since 2003 working as a financial representative. He managed the Seattle territory beginning in 2007 where he did all the hiring, training and expansion of the King County market. Since 2015 he has worked as a financial representative emphasizing retirement planning and insurance needs. He works locally out of the Snohomish branch office and enjoys working one –on -one with his clients.

Jake O’Banion

. Dave Pehling – Dave is a WSU Snohomish County Extension zoologist and has been studying and teaching about insects since 1978. He is a Journeyman Beekeeper through the Washington State Beekeepers Association. Special interests include: insect pest management, arthropod parasites (especially mosquitoes), and pollinators, especially honey bees. In addition to his entomological work, Dave teaches

Dave Pehling vertebrate pest management for the WSU Extension Master Gardener and Livestock Adviser programs.

. Steve Skorney – Steve has been a Senior Planner with Snohomish County since 1989. He manages the county’s docket process (citizen initiated comprehensive plan amendment proposals) and the TDR program. He was Planning Director for the City of Mukilteo from 1986 to 1989 and a Planner with Clallam County from 1984-1986. Steve has a Bachelors degree from University of Oregon and a Masters degree in Urban Planning from Portland State University.

Steve Skorney

. Will Stelle – Will served as Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region from October 2013 to September 2016. He is now Senior Advisor to the NOAA Administrator. In 2010 he was appointed (for the second time) the Northwest Regional Administrator, and had also served in the same capacity in the 1990s, during the first round of listings of Pacific salmon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). During his

Will Stelle tenure, the Northwest Region formulated the basic architecture of the ESA salmon program for NOAA Fisheries, partnering with a variety of state and Tribal governments and the private sector. Prior to joining NOAA, Stelle worked in the White House, for the Secretary of Interior, and served as Chief Counsel for the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, the General Counsel for the Fish and Wildlife Subcommittee, and as staff counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. He graduated from the University of Maine and the University of Washington law schools with a J.D. and LL.M. in marine law, and also studied international marine law at Dalhausie Law School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov)

. Rachel Suits – Rachel works with Oregon State University Extension Small Farms Program in the Central Gorge region with Master Gardeners, Small Farms and Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP) Education. Her background is in education and entomology looking at integrated pest management strategies on vegetable and row crop pests.

Rachel Suits . Rebecca Suryan – Rebecca Suryan has been raising and breeding alpacas since 1999. Alpacas From MaRs is a full service, hands-on ranch specializing in fine-fleeced Huacaya alpacas. They have adopted a full livestock model; which means there’s a beginning, middle, and end plan for all herd members. The alpacas are also prized for their healthy, lean meat. Rebecca and her husband Mark continue to carefully breed for improved stock and bright, fine, beautiful fleece. They are members of Rebecca Suryan their national co-op, AFCNA, the Alpaca Coalition of America and the Alpaca Blanket Project.

. Karen Ullmann – Karen Ullmann is part of the Regional Markets team at the Washington State Department of Agriculture and leads the Bridging the GAPs Project focused on helping farmers navigate mandatory regulations and voluntary certifications related to on-farm food safety. She provides trainings, resources and one-on-one assistance to farmers looking to meet Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards

Karen Ullmann and prepare for the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Rule. Karen is originally from New Jersey (a.k.a. “The Garden State”) and has been working with food and farmers in various education, research and support roles since 2009.

. Duane Weston – Duane is a retired professional forester and small forest landowner residing near Arlington, WA. Former chief forester for Pacific Denkmann Company's "Pilchuck Tree Farm" in North Snohomish and South Skagit Counties. Over 50 years’ experience in all phases of applied forest land management. Recognized as Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year in 1992 under the American Tree Farm Program.

Duane Weston