Building strategic alliances in our food supply chains to support farmers, communities, and the land.

Monday, August 24, 2026

6:30 p.m.
The Octagon Barn
E4350 Horseshoe Rd, Spring Green, WI 53588

Sarah Lloyd, with support from Jules Reynolds, will provide a brief overview of opportunities and challenges in the ag and food sector today. This will be followed by a panel discussion with local stories of people working to make change for the benefit of farmers, communities, and eaters. 

Sarah will explore how the modern U.S. food supply chain has evolved to favor consolidation and large commodity producers, and what that means for farmers, communities, and regional food systems. While direct-to-consumer markets like farmers’ markets and CSAs are an important part of the solution, they remain a small part of the overall food economy. Lloyd will discuss opportunities for “Agriculture of the Middle,” which focuses on rebuilding markets for small and mid-scale farms through strategic alliances among farmers, processors, distributors, and retailers. The talk will highlight how individuals, institutions, and communities can help support collaborative supply chains that strengthen regional agriculture beyond the direct-to-consumer model.

Jules Reynolds, University of Michigan, will facilitate a panel discussion:

  • Pam Saunders from Hazel Heart Farm/American Hazelnut Company will talk about the hazelnut scaling story, a collaborative grower effort building production, aggregation, processing, and marketing for this nutritionally dense, regenerative Midwest nut crop, which has the potential to significantly benefit the water, soil, and farmers of this region.

  • Steven Shoemaker, farmer at Steadfast Acres, a member of the Savor the River Valley, will share about what it means for small-scale farmers and businesses to come together to boost their region.

Stay for some sweets and cool drinks after the lecture and Q&A - made from local ingredients! 

Speaker bios:

Sarah Lloyd farms with her husband Nels Nelson and his family on the 400-cow Nelson dairy farm in Columbia County, WI. She works off-farm as a Food Systems Scientist for the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and a Supply Chain Specialist for the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative, working on the Grassland 2.0 Project. She also works with the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative, the farmer-led cooperative founded in 2012 focusing on fresh local and regional produce, owned by the farmers and the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Sarah has a PhD in Rural Sociology from UW-Madison and a Masters in Rural Development from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Sarah is active in the Wisconsin Farmers Union, serving on the state Board and in her local county chapter. She is also the President of the Board of the Wormfarm Institute.

Jules Reynolds is a food systems educator and researcher. Drawing on years of partnership with Wisconsin farmers, food businesses, and community organizations, her work explores how communities build more resilient and democratic food systems through local economies and community engagement. She is committed to connecting research with practice to support more inclusive, sustainable, and thriving food systems.

Pam Saunders serves on the Board of The American Hazelnut Company, LLC, a grower-owned aggregator of Midwest-grown hybrid hazelnuts. She currently is the acting General Manager of the company, which markets a line of products under the Hazel Heart Farms brand.  Saunders brings to the company 20 years of operational experience from her career at CROPP Cooperative / Organic Valley.  

Saunders is a small-scale grower, and has long recovered from raising her family on a small dairy farm in western Wisconsin. She and her partner operate a small cabin rental business on the West Fork of the Kickapoo in Vernon County

Steven Shoemaker and his wife Elisabeth Minich have been farming diversified vegetables organically for 12 years. First on rented ground then purchasing their farm in 2018. That have grown at a range of scale from 4 acres to 12 acres of production primarily focused on CSA and farmers market. Across their 12 seasons that have also grown for small scale wholesale buyers and local distribution trucks. They participated in the LFPA program for 2 years prior to it going away. Steven spent several years on various scale farms. Spent a year working in local food aggregation and distribution and spent several years working in restaurants before farming. 

  • No! This event is free and unticketed.

  • Yes! There will even be some special sweets made from local ingredients.

  • Yes! Hannah and Chance will be doing a pop-up taco event beginning at 5. They’ll be using local ingredients in support of the evening’s topic.