Denny Iverson

Iverson Family Ranch

Integrative Eco-Nutrionist and CEO

Denny Iverson has ranched on his extended family ranch in Potomac since 1975. He and his brother Les along with their wives took over the ranch in 1991 from his parents and started implementing soil health projects and practices shortly after. His daughter and son-in-law and his nephew and his wife have taken the management and ownership reins over the last few years. Denny still helps out daily. He serves on the Blackfoot Challenge Board, Heart of the Rockies Initiative Board and recently termed off the Five Valleys Land Trust Board after many years.

Sara Keough

Eco-Nutrition

Integrative Eco-Nutrionist and CEO

Bart Morris

Oxbow Cattle Company

Owner

Bart Morris grew up in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming, where he spent much of his childhood working on ranches, hunting, fishing and just being a Wyoming kid. After a 16 year career working for Wyoming and Montana as a game warden and access coordinator, Bart realized a life long dream with his wife Wendy by starting Oxbow Cattle Company in 2014 Oxbow is a regenerative ranch that direct markets all of its beef to the local community of Missoula, through grocery stores, restaurants and their on ranch honor system store, the “f2m”. Bart loves his community and knows Oxbow wouldn’t exist without it. In addition to selling beef Bart feels lucky to be part of land stewardship and believes it is a great responsibility. He also loves stockmanship, horsemanship and most of all roping with his wife Wendy.

Jennifer Mohler

Grow Wild

Executive Director

Jennifer Mohler is an ecologist and the executive director of Grow Wild, bringing over 25 years of experience in sustainable land management and natural resource conservation. She holds a degree in Botany from Colorado State University, has completed graduate studies in environmental sciences, and is a certified Master Gardener. Jennifer has worked across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to promote ecological stewardship and land conservation throughout Montana. She also served for 14 years as a founding board member of the Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators, advocating for responsible agricultural water use. When not leading conservation efforts, Jennifer manages a small farm focused on native plants and sustainable practices. She enjoys hiking, horseback riding, and exploring the landscapes she works to protect—often in the company of her husband and dog.

Natalie Sullivan

MSU Extension

MSU Extension Agriculture & Livestock Agent Missoula County

Natalie Sullivan, MS PAS started with MSU Extension for Missoula County in January 2025. The position combines her lifetime professional and personal pursuits in animal nutrition, equine and livestock management, forage production, and grazing strategies. She holds a Bachelors degree from MSU in Animal Science and a Masters degree from WSU in Crop and Soil Science. She has been helping equestrian owners optimize horse diets and pasture management for nearly 20 years in her roles with horse feed companies, agriculural cooperatives, and in private consultation. She is a graduate A in the United States Pony Club, an active competitor in the sport of 3 Day Eventing, and manages 5 horses on 5 acres in the heart of Missoula County.

Ylva Lekberg, PhD

MPG Ranch

Soil Ecologist

Ylva Lekberg grew up in Sweden and earned her Ph.D at The Pennsylvania State University in Ecology in 2004. Her research focused on agroecology in subsistence farmers’ fields in Zimbabwe. After graduation, she continued to explore the role of mycorrhizal fungi for plant thermal tolerance in Yellowstone National Parks and for coastal grasslands in Denmark. For the past 15 years, she has focused on how intermountain invasive plants alter soil ecosystems and what the consequence of this may be for restoration.

Patti Armbrister

Regenerative Gardening with Patti

Owner – Regenerative Gardening with Patti

Patti is a dedicated advocate for regenerative agriculture and a recognized Montana Soil Health Champion. She works closely with Conservation Districts across the state, bringing her practical expertise to local communities and producers. Through her popular YouTube channel, Regenerative Gardening with Patti, she shares soil-centric approaches to gardening and land management, leveraging natural ecological processes to enhance soil vitality and productivity. In her upcoming presentation, “Rethinking Weeds: Regenerate Your Soil, Let the Microbes Weed,” Patti challenges conventional practices. She explains how common “weeds” are often indicators of soil deficiencies and natural agents of plant succession. By understanding and utilizing the complex relationship between fungi and bacteria in healthy soil food webs, gardeners can naturally manage weed populations. Patti highlights how consciously changing the plant community can signal which specific microbes to activate, encouraging them to actively live and work in the soil and support desired plants. Her insights offer a revolutionary perspective on managing land with minimal intervention and maximum respect for the environment.

Zach Miller

Western Agriculture Research Center

Professor

Dr. Zach Miller directs the MSU-Western Ag Research Center in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley. The faculty and staff work to support fruit and vegetable growers across Montana and in other cool climate areas. Zach has worked at the Center for 10 years and for MSU for over 15 years. Zach grew up in Iowa among the corn stalks and hog barns. He’s traveled and worked in across the Americas, from the Arctic Ocean to the southern tip of Patagonia. He and his wife are recent inductees into the empty nester club. In his free time, he enjoys various forms of mediative suffering in the mountains.

Mary Ellis

Farm Connect Montana

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program Director

Mary Ellis is the Program Director for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program at Farm Connect Montana, where she provides leadership for all program facets, from development and evaluation, to managing the Land Link program and coordinating statewide educational classes and events. Mary holds a deep personal and academic interest in sustainable food systems. She earned her M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana in 2019, building upon her B.S. in Biology. Before joining Farm Connect Montana, Mary dedicated over six years to hands-on experience, working on small farms across Oregon, Washington, and Montana. This included two years serving with AmeriCorps and FoodCorps, helping establish and grow high school farms.

Hardy Reichel

Abraxas Farm

Owner/Operator

Hardy is a chef turned farmer dedicated to the art of using hogs to orchestrate keyline design principles and increase fertility at his family’s 50-acre hillside farm in Big Arm, MT. Abraxas Farm is home to: The Mangalica Project, a gene bank for the Mangalitsa pig breed with a majority basis of original import genetics, and Far Out Feeds, a commercial organic feed mill working with Montana’s finest grain farmers.

Tyson Reese

Ag West Farm Credit

Relationship Manager/Branch Manager

Tyson grew up on a ranch in Wisdom, Montana, in the heart of the Big Hole Valley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business and Economics from Montana State University. For the past decade, Tyson has held a variety of roles at AgWest Farm Credit, a cooperative lender dedicated to supporting farmers and ranchers. His career has taken him to offices across Idaho and Montana, and he now serves as Branch Manager in Missoula. Tyson is passionate about helping agricultural producers succeed, with a special focus on supporting young and beginning farmers and ranchers.

Wade Weber

Weber & Company CPAs P.C.

Managing Shareholder

Wade Weber is currently the managing shareholder for Weber & Company CPAs P.C., in Stevensville, Montana. Wade has been a CPA for 34 years and a Certified Estate Planner for 10 years. Although the practice has many diverse clients, Wade works predominately with farm, ranch, and estate clients.

Dan Lucas

Montana State University Extension

Western region Department Head

Dan Lucas has been an Extension Agent in Idaho, Alaska, and Montana for over 29 years before accepting his current role as MSU Extension Western Region Department Head nine years ago. With a Master’s Degree in Forest and Range Management from Washington State University, Dan’s primary emphasis in Extension education programming was rangeland health through working landscapes. Dan also works with his wife’s breeding sheep business Prairie Rose Suffolks started in 1987 and applies sheep grazing practices to maintain or enhance resource health.

Emily Tieman

Tieman Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.

Agent

Emily Tieman brings many years of experience helping individuals and businesses in rural communities understand and navigate the complexities of insurance and financial planning. With expertise across all lines of insurance—both personal and commercial—she is well-versed in addressing the unique challenges faced by families and business owners in the area.

As a Chartered Financial Consultant, Emily also provides valuable guidance on retirement planning and financial services, empowering clients to make informed decisions that protect their hard-earned assets and support their long-term goals. Her mission is to simplify complex insurance and financial concepts, offering clear, practical advice that helps community members confidently plan for the future and safeguard what matters most.

Kelly Hill

Mountains of the Moon Farm
Montana Department of Agriculture

Co-Owner – Certification Specialist

Currently a Certification Specialist for the Organic Program at Montana Department of Agriculture along with co-owning/co-managing Mountains of the Moon Farm in Scilip, Montana. The farm itself is about 6 acres of farmed land and is extremely diversified, ranging from medicinal and culinary herbs, flowers, pasture, orchard fruit crops, and all the typical and some not so typical vegetables.

My farming journey began nearly 2 1/2 decades ago and have worked on a farm or grown my own ever since. Once the connection to growing your own food takes root, it’s a connection one can not just walk away from. Which leads to the eternal journey of finding a piece of land to call your own and farming the seeds of awaited dreams.