Join us at this year’s Food and Farm Conference, where tickets are just $48 in honor of our 48th year championing the health of the land and its people.

Schedule may change:

9:30am: Registration Opens

10am: Welcome

10:15am: Keynote

Candy Thomas, Soil Health Specialist

Are you sustainable enough with soil health to be a regenerative farmer?

As the definition evolves, management remains key.

Candy Thomas brings decades of conservation experience—and a deep-rooted passion for healthy soils—to her role as a contractor with the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD). As a soil health specialist, Candy supports farmers and landowners across Kansas who are looking to implement regenerative agriculture practices. She works directly with producers to promote practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and strategic grazing, helping build soil structure and function across Kansas landscapes. Candy's journey in conservation began in 1994 with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Missouri. After transferring to Kansas in 2013, she continued her work with the NRCS until her retirement in 2025. Now, she continues to serve Kansas producers through her work with KACD, bringing a lifetime of practical knowledge, field experience, and genuine care for land stewardship. When she’s not working in Kansas fields, Candy splits her time between Salina and a family farm in Iowa, where she and her husband raise cattle and chickens using high-density rotational grazing methods. For over 28 years, their operation has incorporated multi-species grazing and soil-focused practices, giving Candy a valuable producer perspective that informs her outreach work.s.

11:30am: Lunch catered by TOAST

12:30pm - 4:15pm: 3 Breakout Tracks

(Speakers and Agenda to be announced soon)

Farm Transition

These sessions are being curated to guide current landowners, land seekers, beginning farmers and those continuing the legacy. They will discuss business strategies to help maintain local farms as their stewardship passes hands.

Regenerative Farming

Continuing with the theme from our keynote, these sessions will highlight successful farming methods for those regenerating the land with focus being on soil health and grazing methods.

Strengthening Communities

The health of our communities goes hand-in-hand with the local food movement. Learn ways that nutritionally superior local foods are making their way to schools, farm stops, prescription pads and our dinner plates.