Our New Agrarian Conference speakers featured well-known authors, experts, and practitioners, with 80% being diverse, young agrarian leaders working hard to successfully meet the challenges of the 21st century.





"Across the nation, a new agrarian movement, centered on food and land health, is growing into a dynamic force. Led by youth (including the young-at-heart) and their mentors, this burgeoning movement is tackling some of the most daunting challenges of our time: food security, land restoration, conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable prosperity. In the process, they are overturning traditional paradigms of conservation and agriculture. In this Conference we heard from a wide variety of new farm, ranch and conservation leaders and their innovative, hands-on ideas and practices that are changing the way we look at the land, our water, and ourselves." Courtney White, Executive Director


All-day workshop on Tuesday, November 8, "Managing Rangelands for Success in the 21st Century," will be lead by Jim Gerrish from American GrazingLands Services LLC of May, Idaho. A natural educator, Jim has helped farmers and ranchers across the nation more effectively manage their grazing lands for economic and environmental sustainability.







Click here to read about all the speakers

Special fundraiser on Tuesday evening, November 8, "Is It Getting Warmer Out There, or Is It Just Me?" - an Evening with Bill McKibben and Bill deBuys on Climate, Land and Livelihoods in the Southwest

If the Southwest is due to get hotter and drier, as predicted, what are our options? What can we expect? What we can do in the short-and-long run to adapt and mitigate to a changing climate? What are the economic and ecological opportunities and challenges? For answers to these and other questions, please join us for an evening of lively discussion with two of the nation's leading experts as we explore global and local topics of interest to all. After presentations, the discussion will be opened to the audience, moderated by Courtney White of the Quivira Coalition.

Wednesday and Thursday plenary sessions featured a wide range of agrarians covering topics related to ranching, farming and conservation. Opening speaker, Deborah Madison has long been involved in the sustainable and local food movement, as a cookbook author, chef, teacher, and community activist. She is on the board of the Seed Savers Exchange, has been involved with Slow Food for over a decade, and presently co-director of the Monte del Sol Edible Kitchen Garden in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The $20,000 Clarence Burch Award, given by Andrew Dunigan and the Dunigan Family through the Quivira Coalition board of directors, honors Clarence Burch, an innovative and enterprising rancher who courageously embraced new ideas and methods of caring for the land and its stewards. This year the award went to the Three Rivers Alliance from Colorado. The Radical Center Awards (chosen by the Quivira staff) recognize individuals or organizations who lead by example in promoting and accomplishing outstanding stewardship of private and/or public lands that are consistent with the mission of the Quivira Coalition. The following people were acknowledged:
Ranching - Guy Glosson
Conservation - Robin Seydel from La Montanita Co-op
Civil Servant - George Long, USDA Forest Service Questa Ranger District
Research - Bill deBuys for his new release A Great Aridness