RIPE’s Farmer Advisory Network (FAN) is a group of motivated producer-leaders from around the country that is working hard 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. RIPE100 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
Jordan Booth, JB Cattle, Oklahoma
Hannah Breckbill, Humble Hands Harvest, Iowa
Grant Breitkreutz, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association
Travis Carter, God’s Creation, Minnesota
Adam Chappell, Chappell Agricultural Entomology, Arkansas
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
Ray Gaesser, Gaesser Farms, Iowa
Clay Govier, Govier Farms, Nebraska
Rachel Gray, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association
Steve Groff, Cover Crop Coaching, Pennsylvania
P.J. Haynie, National Black Growers Council
Jim Hershey, Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance
Trey Hill, Harborview Farms, Maryland
Ted Hinton, Delaware River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy, Kansas
Daniel Klausmeyer, DCD Farm, Kansas
Trey Lam, Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Crystal Mathisrud, Hubbard County Soil & Water Conservation District, Minnesota
Joe Mauch, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, North Dakota
Braden McMurdie, Utah Soil Health Coalition
Jim Moseley, Former USDA Deputy Secretary, Indiana
Patrick O’Toole, Family Farm Alliance, Wyoming
Chris Rhodes, Deerfield Farm, Maryland
Tim Richter, Saratoga Partnership, Iowa
Gary Satter, Glacial Hills Resource Conservation & Development, Kansas
Adam Schindler, National Sorghum Producers, South Dakota
Blaine Schmaltz, Schmaltz Family Farms, North Dakota
Anne Schwagerl, Minnesota Farmers Union
Somula Schwoeppe, Schwoeppe Dairy, Indiana
Loran Steinlage, No-Till on the Plains, Kansas
Dale Strickler, Green Cover Seed, Kansas
Sledge Taylor, Buckeye Farm, Mississippi
Shawn Tiffany, Tiffany Cattle Company, Kansas
Tim Velde, Minnesota Farmers Union
Jeff Webb, National Black Farmers Association, Arkansas
Jim Whitaker, Arkansas Rice Federation
Billy Willard, Willard Agri-Service, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania
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.