Farmer Leadership Team
People | Project Management Team
Ohio Farmer Leaders
Donnetta Boykin
Donnetta is the proud owner of a small farm located on one acre in Dayton & Trotwood, Ohio, called Endigo’s Herbals & Organics, LLC. Donnetta started growing vegetables about 20 years ago after being inspired by her grandmother, aunt, and mother-in-law, all of whom were avid gardeners. She was blessed to hear about an incubator farming program offered by Central State University, and quickly went from being a participant to co-farm manager for the incubator program. Donnetta is also the founder and president of Seven Seed Sowers Co-op, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports beginning and BIPOC farms, and also hosts a seed library in partnership with the Trotwood branch of the Dayton Metro Library. She is also a member of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and the BIPOC Food and Farm Network (BFFN).
Fred Yoder
Fred Yoder is a fourth-generation farmer who has lived and farmed near Plain City, Ohio for over 40 years. He farms with his wife Debbie and his two children, and they grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. They also operate a retail farm seed business and sell seed to all kinds of farmers including those who use biotech varieties, conventional varieties, and to those who grow organic crops. Fred is a founding board member and now Co-Chair of Solutions from the Land, and he also serves as Chair of the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance.
Greg Steffen
Together with his family, Greg runs a sixth-generation dairy farm in the heart of Amish country near Apple Creek, Ohio, and they milk 120 Holstein cows three times a day. We also double crop 240 acres with corn, soybeans, triticale, and rye. Greg is interested in this project because he thinks it is important to take good care of our limited land while trying to be profitable in a challenging economy.
Kris Swartz
Kris is a 5th generation farmer with more than 30 years of farming experience. The Swartz family farm encompasses 2,000 acres in Wood County growing corn, soybeans, seed beans, and three varieties of wheat. Kris received his degree in Agricultural Engineering from The Ohio State University in 1983. He has been a part of the Wood County Soil and Water Conservation District since 1995, and he is also the Past President of the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (OFSWCD). He is the North Central Region Chair for the National Association of Conservation Districts, and he is also a former chairman of the Ohio Agricultural Conservation Initiative.
Michelle Lohstroh
Michelle runs Lohstroh Family Farms, where she grows corn, soybeans, wheat, pumpkins, and operates a fall farm market. Michelle uses cover crops, reduced tillage/no till, field buffers, water and fertility management and Lohstroh Family Farms was recognized as State Conservation Farm of the Year, 2016. Michelle is also a facilitator at Lohstroh Facilitation and Training Services and a retired Assistant State Conservationist for the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Scott Stoller
Scott and Charlene bought Scott’s grandparents’ 250-acre farm and transitioned it to organic practices in 2001. The farm is currently operated by Scott and his five sons, one son-in-law, one daughter, and one brother. The milk from their 350 cows goes to Organic Valley. They farm around 1,400 certified organic acres. Crops include pasture, corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa, clover, and various grasses. The farm also owns and operates Keener Welding, custom weed zapping and tilling.
Missouri Farmer Leaders
Susan Jaster
Susan Jaster is a Farm Outreach Worker for Lincoln University’s Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program. In the West-Central region of Missouri, she provides research based agricultural information to small, non-traditional, woman-centric, specialty and underserved farmers and ranchers. She assists producers with adaptive grazing, high tunnels, small ruminants, poultry, soil health, regenerative agricultural practices and the Missouri AgrAbility project. She is a regenerative sheep rancher.
Adam Boman
Adam has a livestock farm in Southwest Missouri where he raises sheep and grass-finished cattle. He markets his animals directly to consumers, at the livestock auction, and as seedstock. Adam is also the marketing Coordinator of Regenerative Grazing Practices at the Missouri Forage and Grassland Council. He is interested in the From the Ground Up project due to the fact that the research projects are conceived by farmers and driven by their on-farm challenges and experiences. Adam is also very interested in networking with and learning from innovative producers in Missouri and Ohio.
Katie Nixon
Katie is a farmer and local food systems champion who has been working with and for food producers for over 14 years in the Kansas City region. Katie co-operates Green Gate Family Farm, a certified Organic diversified market farm where they produce vegetables, fruits, bedding plants, eggs and flowers. Katie is a founding member and current President of the Kansas City Food Hub, a farmer-owned and farmer-run cooperative serving the wholesale market. For New Growth, Katie serves as the Food Systems Director and Co-Director of the Heartland regional Food Business Center. In this role, she has brought in over $5 million in USDA and other funding to improve the regional food system. Katie has served Administrative Council for North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and participated in sustainable food and farming work in Washington, Ireland, South Africa, Mexico, and New Zealand. She is currently a Zhi-Xing China Eisenhower Fellow and will be traveling to China in June to study local food systems.
Chad Sampson
Chad Sampson grows grain crops with his family in Kirksville, Missouri. They also have a seedstock operation and raise Angus and Sim Angus cattle. Chad has been experimenting for the past decade with integrating cover crops into his grain and grazing operations. He also serves as a director on the Missouri Angus Association Board.
Penny Wilson
Penny Wilson is a Small Farm Specialist for Lincoln University’s Innovative Small Farm Outreach Program. Located in the southeast region of Missouri, she provides research based agricultural information to small, non-traditional, woman-centric, specialty and underserved farmers and ranchers. She assists producers with small ruminants, poultry, soil health, regenerative agricultural practices, urban gardening, hydroponics, and homestead skills. She also raises pigs on her farm as well as a large garden.
