2024 Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Ron Rabou, Rabou Farms
Ron Rabou is a Wyoming native, whose roots run deep in American agriculture. He is passionate about his own farm as well as working with farm families in transition and succession planning. Rabou’s farm was featured as one of three national finalists by Farm Journal for Top Producer of the Year. He is co-host of the AgInspo Podcast, a columnist, and a nationally known author and speaker. His newest book “Make Your OWN Way” shares his personal story of breaking the mold and creating independence in American agriculture. He is a member of the Cheyenne Rotary Club, on the National Board of Directors for the American Society of Agriculture Consultants, a board member of the University of Wyoming’s College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, and is a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a BS in Agricultural Business. He resides on his farm near Albin, Wyoming with his wife and 3 sons.
Conference Speakers
Gretchen Boyer, Executive Director, Land to Hand Montana
Gretchen Boyer is the Executive Director of Land to Hand Montana, a non-profit whose mission is to build a strong community food system that fosters socially just ways of accessing food. She is passionate about supporting local farmers’ efforts to feed all community members regardless of income. She believes that in a healthy community we are all food secure. Gretchen has been on the board of Land to Hand since 2004 and became its first Executive Director in 2017. She lives in Whitefish with her teenage son and husband, where they spend most of their time outdoors.
Jane H. Smith, M.D., Co-owner, Aspen Island, LLC
It is an honor to once again speak at the MOA conference. I am an overcomer who refuses to accept that pain and suffering are the best life has to offer, which is one of the big reasons my husband, Mark, and I started raising grass-fed organic beef eighteen years ago in Montana. As a retired Integrative medical doctor and former bed-ridden patient, I have seen plenty of suffering and understand that organic food is the key to health, while ultra-processed food destroys it. The world is changing; organic food will be the mainstay of our country’s food supply in the not-too-distant future. The sooner we help those around us understand this, the sooner we all heal. At this year’s MOA conference, I invite you to come talk with me about the nutritional superiority of organic food, the need to produce as well as eat it, and the ethics of clean food production.
Mihail Kennedy, Production Manager, B Bar Ranch
From a young age Mihail was interested in where food came from and spent a great deal of time with a local ranch family that sold beef to his parents’ restaurant in Billings, Montana. In college he worked at ZooMontana while completing his degree in environmental studies and this is where he fell in love with ecology. After graduation he went on to work as the environmental restoration manager for Montana Audubon, charged with restoring an old gravel mine to various native ecosystems. At some point it became clear to him that the best use of his restaurant and ecology backgrounds was in raising food and when the opportunity to work at B Bar arose, he jumped at the chance. Mihail approaches agriculture with his ecology background and believes that without a healthy functioning ecosystem, you can’t raise high quality food. Throughout the last ten years he’s been able to learn a great deal about regenerative agriculture and see the results of these processes as he manages the day to day and beef production of the ranch. Ecosystems are in a constant state of flux and therefore one needs to be able to adapt their management to the present and future conditions.
Dave Prather, General Manager, Western Montana Growers Cooperative
Dave has been the General Manager for Western Montana Growers Cooperative (WMGC) since 2010. He first joined WMGC as a member/producer in 2007 to find a market for his root vegetables and joined the staff in 2008 as the Assistant Manager/ Delivery Driver. Once at WMGC, he quickly found a venue for his training in agriculture and relationship building to promote the growth of small farms in the area. Dave holds a BS in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana and has been pursuing interests in agriculture and resource management for 2 decades. He has completed training in food safety and Lean Management and has overseen significant growth at WMGC. Dave plans to continue using his experience to help promote a regionalized food system in Montana that focuses on collaborative relationships to benefit the rural economies of MT.
Nancy Beech, Owner/Operator, Mountain Spring Farms, LLC
2014 -2024 Owner/Operator – Mountain Spring Farms, LLC. A Montana Certified Organic farm specializing in Montana Certified Seed Potatoes, Seed Garlic and Blueberry fruit production. 2000 -2014 Business Owner – Horseshoe Grove Nursery and Landscaping installing residential and commercial landscape plantings, hardscapes, water features and ponds. 1993 -2002 Paradise and Somers, MT Superfund toxic waste site subcontractor installing and maintaining large area vegetative plantings. 1984 -2000 Business Owner – Horseshoe Grove Nursery wholesale grower providing conifers, native plant species transplants and grafted fruit trees to nurseries across Montana and the upper NW. 1998-2002 Montana Nursery and Landscape Association Board of Director Member and Association President. 1982 -2020 Elected, appointed and volunteer positions including school boards, refuse district board, community development board, 4H leader/superintendent, NW Regional RC&D member, Regional Carbon Offset Coalition member.