Get The Dirt 2026: Here’s a quick recap of the day’s highlights and links to the presentations for those who want to revisit the insights shared.
Celebrating Women Farmers!
2026 is the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Get The Dirt centered around women farmers in Indiana, and the conservation practices that underpin their farm operations. The event showcased the voices and dynamic business models of female farmer leaders. We all got to learn and connect with new and old friends in Indiana’s small farm world.
Event Highlights
- Keynote Speaker: Rachel Beyer of Mavourneen Farm shared her personal story with farming and building community. Rachel’s lifelong commitment and love for growing good food and building food security shone through her talk – with lovely visuals of her farm life and journey. She reminded us that we can all do hard things when we care deeply about what we’re doing.
- Breakout Sessions: Three panels of farmers and three individual presentations – it was hard to choose! We heard from panelist farmers on livestock production, diversification, and community building. We heard about the realities of a campus farm that centers ecology, how to create biodiverse habitat for small spaces, and best practices to integrate silvopasture. See below for speaker bio recaps!
- Farm Tour & Social: Hosted by Katy Rogers at Teter Retreat and Organic Farm. A perfect way to wind down the day, connecting with fellow farmers and attendees over appetizers and drinks at this working farm.
- Revisit the full 2026 Get The Dirt program HERE (pdf).
Presentation Links
Missed a session or want to revisit a presentation? Click the links below to access the materials shared by our speakers:
- Main slides and panel intros – Elli Blaine
- Keynote – Growing for Good – Mavourneen – Rachel Beyer
- Ecology of a Campus Farm -DePauw – Jackie Kher
- Biodiversity in Small Spaces – Pollinator Partnership – Ella Stroh
- Silvopasture – Savanna Institute – Xinyuan Shi
Resources
- Small Farm & Garden Planning Booklet 2026
- Conservation Contacts Directory Booklet 2026
- EQIP for Small Scale Farmers & Gardeners
- Top 10 Small Farm Conservation Practices
- Business Plan Mad Libs
- Resources Folder – Submitted pdf resources from other organizations
Event Survey
Please take 3 minutes to share your thoughts and experiences. This info is valuable for us to plan future events!
Join Us Next Time!
We hope you found the event enriching. Until next time, keep digging into the dirt and making a difference!
Sessions – Panelist and Speaker Bios
