2026 Conference Agenda
February 3 – 5, 2026 : Ski Hi Park : Monte Vista, Colorado
44th Southern Rocky Mountain Agricultural Conference and Trade Show
TUESDAY : FEBRUARY 3rd
ROOM GUIDE: Conference Room, Blue Room, Orange Room, & Green Room
| 7:30-9:00am | BREAKFAST – SPONSORED BY | MONTE VISTA COOP |
| 8:00-9:30am | Visit Trade Show Vendors | |
| 9:25am | NATIONAL ANTHEM & WELCOME | |
| 9:30-9:45am | Official Conference Opening: Pledge of Allegiance, Introduction of Ag Conference Planning Committee | Larry Brown, CSU-SLV Area Ag Business Agent/Director |
| 9:50-10:15 am | NPC Issues Update | Kam Quarles, CEO National Potato Council |
| 10:20-10:45am | Federal Legislative Update | Ashley House, Colorado Farm Bureau |
| 10:50-11:00am | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Plant Nutrient Solutions |
| 11:05-11:30am | State Legislative Update | Tyler Garrett, Director of Govt. Relations, RMFU |
| 11:35am-12:00pm | Macro Economic Outlook & Tariffs | Tanner Ehmke, Lead Economist, Co Bank, ACB |
| Noon-1:20pm | LUNCH – SPONSORED BY | FARM CREDIT OF SOUTHERN COLORADO |
| 1:20-1:30pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Monte Vista Co-op |
| 1:30-1:55pm | Finding Sustainable Solutions to Control Nematodes in U.S. Potato Production | Paige Hickman, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Entomology, Plant Pathology & Nematology, Univ. of Idaho |
| 2:00-2:35pm | Amazing Advances in Insect and Nematode Control in Potatoes | Alan Schreiber, Ph.D., Owner Ag Development Group |
| 2:35-2:45pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Wilbur Ellis |
| 2:45-3:00pm | BREAK – Sponsored by | Dream First Bank |
| 3:00-3:25pm | Colorado Seed Potato Law – Commercial Plantback Summary and Implications of the 2025 PVY Test Results | Andrew Houser, Manager, Colo. Potato Certification Service, SLVRC |
| 3:30-3:55pm | Is It Black Dot or Silver Scurf? Diagnosis and Management Approaches | Mohamad Chikh-Ali, Ph.D. Research Prof., CSU Ext. Specialist, Plant Pathology Program |
| 4:00-4:30pm | Potatoes in a Changing World: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities | Kim Breshears, Potatoes USA |
| 4:35-5:00pm | Update on Worker Protection Standards | Michael Gutierrez, CDA-Plant Industry Inspector |
| 1:30 – 5:00pm | HAY & FORAGE | |
| 1:30-1:55pm | Alfalfa Hay Market Update | Tyler Cozzens, Ph.D., Director, Livestock Marketing Info Center |
| 2:00-2:45pm | Deficit Irrigation Management Strategies and Drought Resilient Alfalfa Varieties | Ian Ray, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Agronomy, NMSU |
| 2:45-3:00pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:00-3:10pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | |
| 3:10-3:30pm | Insect Management in Hay Crops | Kate Crumley, Sales Agronomist, Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness |
| 3:35 – 3:55pm | Nutrient Value of SLV Forages | Angie Mestas, Ag Prog Asst. Conejos Cty, CSU SLV Area Ext. |
| 4:00-5:00pm | Panel: Geometry of the Circle: Designing Resilient Crop Rotations | Zack Czarnecki, Moderator, Lyle Nissen, Brendon Rockey, Patrick Crowder, John Anderson |
| 1:30 – 5:00pm | TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT | |
| 1:30-1:55pm | Real Time Spatial Potato Yield Mapping – Using Climate FieldView | Jeff Hamlin, Digital Platform Lead, Bayer; Trey Jones, Local Grower – Innovator |
| 2:00-2:30pm | Cyber Security for Your Farm, Ranch and Warehouses | Hondo Snyder, Service Tech, WSB Computer Services |
| 2:35-2:45pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | John V Meyers Agency, Farm Bureau Insurance |
| 2:45-3:00pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:05-3:55pm | Cultivating Value: Building a Multigenerational Family Business | Jonathan Wilson, President, JFW Partner |
| 4:00-5:00pm | The Path Forward: Practical Tools & Lessons Learned From Helping Family Agribusinesses Through Change | Jonathan Wilson, President, JFW Partner |
| 1:30 – 5:00pm | ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION | |
| 1:30-2:15pm | Groundwater Quality, Age and Recharge: An Update to The SLV Water Quality Study | Kathy James, Ph.D., DEOH, UC Anschutz Medical Campus |
| 2:20-2:45pm | A Revegetation Economy | Madeline Wilson, Ag Production Systems Specialist, CSU |
| 2:45-3:00pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:00-3:25pm | Beneficial ‘Inefficiencies’: Ecosystem Benefits of Flood Irrigated Grass Hay | Erica Hansen, Water & Wetlands Program Coordinator, Intermountain West Joint Venture |
| 3:30-3:55pm | Noxious Weed Management | Lucas Casias, Costilla Cty Weed Mgr. |
| 4:00-5:00pm | Panel: Grassroots Conservation in the High Desert | Peter Vigil, Dist. Mgr, Taos CD, Moderator; Bill Brinton, Brian Neufeld, Tyler Neely, Mystie Hoyt |
| 5:00pm | Social Hour with Kris Gosar – SPONSORED BY | SUNFLOWER BANK & CPAC |
WEDNESDAY : FEBRUARY 4TH
ROOM GUIDE: Conference Room, Blue Room, Orange Room, & Green Room
| 7:30-9:00am | BREAKFAST – SPONSORED BY | SLV REC/Ciello |
| 8:00-9:30am | Visit Trade Show Vendors | |
| 8:00-9:00am | DEMO: Dragon Line Irrigation Technology | Monty Teeter, Owner |
| 9:20am | NATIONAL ANTHEM & WELCOME | |
| 9:30 – 10:20am | KEYNOTE ADDRESS I: Managing the Message: Cutting Through the Chaos to Connect Farmers and Consumers | Michelle Miller aka the “Farm Babe” – Speaker, Author, Comedian: Educating Consumers with How Their Food is Actually Produced |
| 10:25 – 10:55am | CSU Introductions / Endowment Update | Larry Brown, CSU Ext. & Amy Charkowski, CSU, CAS Assoc. Dean of Research |
| 11:00 – 12:00pm | KEYNOTE ADDRESS II: Welcome to the Underground: passion, perseverance, and patience in the pursuit of a more perfect paradigm | David Oein, Co-founder of Timeless Seeds and Retired Farmer: An innovator in alternative crops production and marketing |
| Noon-1:20pm | LUNCH – SPONSORED BY | FRONTIER BANK & ALAMOSA STATE BANK |
| 1:20-5:00pm | LIVESTOCK | |
| 1:20-1:30pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Farm Credit of Southern Colorado |
| 1:30-1:55pm | Grazing Management for Healthy Lands & Soil! | Jim Armendariz, Rancher/Rangeland Mgnt Spec. NM NRCS |
| 2:00-2:50pm | When to call the Veterinarian: Step by Step Diagnosis and Treatment of Real Cattle and Sheep Health Cases | Tim Holt, DVM, Clinical Sciences, CSU & Curtis Crawford, DVM, Alpine Veterinary Clinic |
| 2:50-3:00pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | CSU College of Ag |
| 3:00-3:15pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:15-3:45pm | Trich: New Information and Updates on an Old Disease | Kathy Whitman, DVM, CSU Veterinary Ext. Specialist |
| 3:50- 4:30pm | Panel: Perspectives and Resources for Ranchers in Carnivore Country | Jenna Brager, Moderator, Veronica Yovovich, CSU Ext., Rick Basagoitia,CPW & Jan & Patrick Stanko, Producers, Emerald Mtn. Ranch |
| 10:00-1:00pm | YOUTH CAREER DAY: Tables from local colleges and companies | Mollie Wells, 4-H Specialist, CSU; Brennan Bates, CSU College of Ag Sciences |
| 1:45-4:00pm | SLVRC & COMMUNITY RESEARCH UPDATES | |
| 1:45-2:00pm | Alamosa High School FFA Seed Potato Project | Alamosa FFA Youth |
| 2:00-2:15pm | Potato Improvement Program Update | Vamsi Nalam, Ph.D., Agricultural Biology, CSU |
| 2:15-2:30pm | Seed Potato Certification Updates | Andrew Houser, Mgr, Colo. Potato Cert. Service, SLVRC |
| 2:30-2:45pm | 2025 SLVRC Potato Pathology Updates | Mohamad Chikh-Ali, Ph.D., Asst Prof., CSU Ext. Specialist, Plant Pathology Program, SLVRC |
| 2:45-3:00pm | Emerging Russet Potatoes for the SLV: Response to Nitrogen Fertilization, Plant Population, Economic Returns | Samuel YC Essah, Asst Prof. & CSU Ext. Specialist, SLVRC |
| 3:00-3:15pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:15-3:25pm | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Bayer Crop Science |
| 3:30-3:45pm | Wool Pellet Project | Sherry Haugen, Haugen Lamb, Mattea Freel, Center CD |
| 3:45-4:00pm | The state of Colorado Seed Potato Act: Late Blight Quarantine and Cull Pile Management in the SLV | Wondirad Gebru, Director, Division of Plant Industry, CDA |
| 4:00-5:30pm | POSTER SESSION | |
| 1:30-5:00pm | SMALL ACREAGE IN ENGLISH & SPANISH | |
| 1;30-1:55pm | Agritourism for a Changing Valley | Kale Mortenson, Colorado Agritourism Assc. |
| 2:00-2:25pm | Feeding your Horse: Forage, Fiber and other F Words | Devan Catalano, CSU Equine Specialist |
| 2:30-3:00 pm | Building a Healthier Flock: Biosecurity and Disease Prevention for Layer Farms | Heather Reider, Avian Health Prog Coordinator, CSU; Benjamin Amerman & Veronica Distel, Avian Health Prog Staff, CSU |
| 3:00-3:15pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:15-4:00pm | Greenhouse Pest Management | Hayden Christensen, The Farmstand and Colorado Fresh Farms, Owner |
| 1:20-5:00PM | ALTERNATIVE CROPS | |
| 1:20-1:30pm | Rye Resurgence Project Video | Sarah Jones, Jones Farms Organics |
| 1:30-1:55pm | Grain Storage: Challenges of Wet Harvest | Judy Jolly, Molson-Coors |
| 2:00-2:25pm | Using Rye Allelopathy To Your Benefit | Patrick O’Neill, Soil Health Services |
| 2:30-3:00pm | Black Eyed Pea in the San Luis Valley – What you need to know | Jason Webb, Co-Director & Research Agronomist, Crops Testing Prog, CSU |
| 3:00-3:15pm | BREAK – SPONSORED BY | Dream First Bank |
| 3:15 – 4:15pm | Panel: Growing Margins Through Vertical Integration | Madeline Wilson, Moderator; David Oein, Jonathan Wilson, Dawn Thilmany, CSU & more |
| 5:00pm | SOCIAL HOUR- SPONSORED BY | SAN LUIS VALLEY FEDERAL BANK and A & L COORS |
THURSDAY : FEBRUARY 5TH
ROOM GUIDE: Conference Room, Blue Room, Orange Room, & Green Room
| 7:30-9:00am | BREAKFAST – SPONSORED BY | 1st SOUTHWEST BANK |
| 8:00-8:30am | Visit Trade Show Vendors | |
| 8:20am | NATIONAL ANTHEM & WELCOME | |
| 8:25-11:55am | Important Water Updates from CDWR and Partners | |
| 8:25- 8:35am | ◊ Diamond Sponsor Presentation ◊ | Lad Irrigation |
| 8:35-9:30am | Division of Water Resources Update | Craig Cotten, Div Engineer, DWR; Pat McDermott, DWR |
| 9:35-9:55am | Changes in Ditch Water Yield Over Time & Impact on the Farm Water Budget | Heather Dutton, Mngr, SLV Water Conservancy Dist. & Nathan Coombs, Mngr, CWCD |
| 10:00-10:25am | Changes in Hydrology of the Closed Basin Project | Nate Reynolds, Hydrologist, Bureau of Reclamation |
| 10:30-11:30am | Rio Grande Water Conservation District Updates | Amber Pacheco, Quinton Norris, Chris Ivers, Angelo Bellah, Wylie Keller, RGWCD Staff |
| 11:30-11:50am | Q & A Session | |
| 11:50-12:00pm | Closing Comments and Conference Closing | Larry Brown, CSU Extension |
| 12:00pm | LUNCH – SPONSORED BY | DEL NORTE BANK & MOUNTAIN WEST INSURANCE |
| 1:00pm | Commercial & Private Applicator Continuing Education, 7-Core Credits | Don Henderson, DP Ag Services |
** We do our best to adhere to the set schedule but unforeseen circumstances beyond our control may arise and changes may happen without notice. We appreciate your understanding.**
2026 Sponsors
