As co-owner of Kalliroe Orchard, an organic apple and pear farm near Montevideo, Minn., Amy brings a farmer-centered perspective to changing the food and farming system. She also works as the Director of LSP's Food Systems and Farm Beginnings Programs.  She has over 20 years of experience leading and managing programs and staff at LSP.  As a Master’s Internationalist graduate student, Amy learned from Paraguayan farmers about effective farmer-to-farmer training and research. She brought this ground-up approach into developing and evaluating LSP programs, including Farm Beginnings, a farmer-led and community-based beginning farmer training model. When she is not working at LSP or in the orchard she serves as a supervisor for the Lac Qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District, works as an organic crop inspector and volunteers with the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative. She enjoys long distance swimming, hiking in Minnesota State Parks and canoe trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Peggy and her husband Ed started Dream Apple Farm together in 2012. Their 7 acre orchard includes 1300 apple trees with over 30 different varieties on a high density system. They also grow raspberries in a high tunnel plus field grown rhubarb, peaches and pears, all certified organic since 2018. Their fresh apples and value-added products are sold exclusively at their newest project, DreamPort Harvest Market in downtown Port Washington, WI.  Peggy has served on the OFGA Board since 2021 and in the capacity of secretary since 2022.
 

Rachel Kedem is an incredibly generous volunteer and is OFGA's treasurer. 

Dan and his wife Danielle own Stone Creek Farm in Shafer Minnesota. They provide the local community with organically grown tree fruits and have many research projects going, including a sustainable way to grow peaches in zone 4a, researching dwarfing pear rootstock and developing sweet pit apricots as  a potential nut crop in the upper Midwest. Dan is also a member of Land Stewardship Project, North America Fruit Explorers and the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Association. Dan can be reached at Grafted73@gmail.com.

Liz and her family own and operate Door Creek Orchard. Her parents, Tom and Gretchen, founded the orchard in 1984 with the goal of providing diverse, sustainably grown fruit to their community. Liz has been managing the orchard since 2013. The farm is 80 acres with about 9 currently planted in apples, grapes, and pears. The rest of the farm is actively managed woodland, prairie, and marsh which creates a healthy, diverse ecosystem that contributes directly to growing low-input fruit. Black Welsh Mountain sheep were also incorporated into the farm in 2001 in an effort to further enhance the farm ecosystem. Fruit, fresh cider, wool, and honey are sold primarily in the on-farm shop or pick-your-own. While currently an “ecologically advanced IPM” orchard, Liz hopes to bring the orchard further into holistic management. She also hopes to continue the farm’s focus on educating consumers about the flavors and benefits of unknown varieties and sustainably grown fruit. The orchard is also a member of the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association and The Holistic Orchard Network. #eatuglyapples!

Ben McAvoy is the owner/operator of Blue Fruit Farm, a perennial berry farm in the driftless region of Minnesota. While Ben does not have extensive experience farming, he has always enjoyed gardening in his own back yard since childhood. He and his family relocated from the suburbs of Chicago to pursue this career change to organic farming. Ben enjoys learning and networking with fellow farmers through organizations like the OFGA.

Madeline Wimmer is a state-wide extension educator for the University of Minnesota, supporting a wide range of fruit programming for Minnesota growers. She received her B.S. and M.S. in horticulture at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Her background includes working with cold climate wine grapes, including assessing suitable training systems options for wine grape production in the Upper Midwest. She also has previous experience managing both commercial and research vineyards and doing educational outreach for growers throughout the Midwest. Her main focus as an Extension Educator is to empower new fruit growers and help growers adapt environmental, economic, and socially sustainable growing practices. Madeline can be reached at wimm0035@umn.edu.