RIPE’s Farmer Advisory Network (FAN) is a group of motivated producer-leaders from around the country that is working to build support for RIPE’s approach. Members spread the word to other producers, share the policy with their ag associations to advance conversations with legislators, and get RIPE in the media.
Interested in joining the FAN? To learn more about membership, please fill out a request for information form and we’ll be in touch soon.
“What I like about RIPE is it takes a common sense approach and considers the total public benefit for each conservation practice. If we as a nation want to truly move the conservation needle, farmers are going to need help overcoming implementation hurdles. RIPE has a plan that covers not only the cost but risk associated with practice implementation.”
— Jim Whitaker, Arkansas Rice Federation
“Conservation is important not just for sustainable farming, but for regenerative farming. RIPE’s proposal will help producers implement these ever so important conservation practices.”
— Calli Downing, Promised Land Ag, Kansas
“It would be great if farmers could be compensated fairly for the conservation practices they use and that have been proven to be effective. RIPE seems to be a potential opportunity make that happen!”
— Steve Groff, Cover Crop Coaching, Pennsylvania
“Many farmers have adopted conservation practices and want to continue to do so, but with the high cost of inputs, it is hard to keep doing some of those practices. Government programs offer funding for new conservation practices by new farmers, but the farmers that have successfully applied these practices don’t get funding. That would change with RIPE.”
— Joe Mauch, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, North Dakota
FAN Members
Lewis Bainbridge, Bainbridge Farm, South Dakota
Eunice Biel, Minnesota Farmers Union
Andy Boomsma
Monte Bottens, Ag Solutions Network Inc., Illinois
Hannah Breckbill, Humble Hands Harvest, Iowa
Grant Breitkreutz, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association
Rick Brown, Brown Family Farms, North Carolina
Clay Burtrum, Farm Data Services / Burtrum Cattle LLC, Oklahoma
Jenni Carr, K-State Research and Extension, Kansas
Tony Carter, South Georgia Black Cattlemen’s Association, Georgia
Travis Carter, God’s Creation, Minnesota
Adam Chappell, Chappell Agricultural Entomology, Arkansas
Tom Cotter, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, Minnesota
Doug Crabtree, Organic Trade Association, Montana
Calli Downing, Promised Land Ag, Kansas
Patrick Duncanson, Highland Family Farms, Minnesota
Ben Dwire, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition
Meredith Ellis, G Bar C Ranch, Texas
Jimmy Emmons, Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Doug Enockson
Jacqueline Figg, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Texas
Greg Fynboh, Minnesota
Ray Gaesser, Gaesser Farms, Iowa
Fred Gainous, Florida A&M University, Florida
Dexter Gilbert, National Black Growers Council, Florida
Davon Goodwin, National Young Farmers Coalition and Off the Land (OTL) Farms, North Carolina
Clay Govier, Govier Farms, Nebraska
Rachel Gray, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association
Steve Groff, Cover Crop Coaching, Pennsylvania
Sara Gugelmeyer, Myers Angus Farm, Arkansas
Rena Harrel, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Louisiana
Erik Hatlestad, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), Minnesota
PJ Haynie, National Black Growers Council, Virginia
Jim Hershey, Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, Pennsylvania
Nathan Hesse, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, Minnesota
Trey Hill, Harborview Farms, Maryland
Ted Hinton, Delaware River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy, Kansas
Trinice Holden, South Georgia Black Cattleman Association, Georgia
David Holste, Illinois
Daniel Klausmeyer, DCD Farm, Kansas
Trey Lam, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Oklahoma
Crystal Mathisrud, Hubbard County Soil & Water Conservation District, Minnesota
Joe Mauch, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, North Dakota
Flint McCullough
Mike McDonald, No-Till on the Plains, Nebraska
Braden McMurdie, Utah Soil Health Coalition, Utah
Frank Meyer, Oklahoma
Jim Moseley, Former USDA Deputy Secretary, Indiana
Patrick O’Toole, Family Farm Alliance, Wyoming
Chris Rhodes, Deerfield Farm, Maryland
Scott Richert, Nebraska
Tim Richter, Saratoga Partnership, Iowa
Gary Satter, Glacial Hills Resource Conservation & Development, Kansas
Aaron Sawyer, No-Till on the Plains, Kansas
Adam Schindler, National Sorghum Producers, South Dakota
Blaine Schmaltz, Schmaltz Family Farms, North Dakota
Chris Schmidt, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, Minnesota
Anne Schwagerl, Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota
Somula “Sam” Schwoeppe, Schwoeppe Dairy, Indiana
Zach Sisson, Georgia
Gray Smith, Gilchrist County Farm Bureau, Florida
Jason Spellman, Tiffany Cattle Co., Kansas
Loran Steinlage, No-Till on the Plains, Kansas
Dale Strickler, Green Cover Seed, Kansas
Mikayla Tabert, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, Minnesota
Sledge Taylor, Buckeye Farm, Mississippi
Michael Thompson, No-Till on the Plains, Kansas
Shawn Tiffany, Tiffany Cattle Company, Kansas
Tim Velde, Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota
Nick Vos, No-Till on the Plains, Kansas
Jim Whitaker, Arkansas Rice Federation, Arkansas
Billy Willard, Willard Agri-Service, Maryland
Steve Williams, Better Fed Foods, Texas
Darnella Winston, Growing Food, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, Mississippi
Otis Wright, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), Mississippi
Where Our FAN Members Are
Check out the interactive map below to learn more about RIPE FAN members and where they are across the United States.