Meet our Presenters!
11:00-Noon “Rocket Punch Farm: A Microfarm Case Study”
Amelia Vogel from Rocket Punch Farm in Belen– While Amelia grew up gardening with her mother, her interests in farming were sparked by the Master Gardener program at the University of the District of Columbia. Her volunteer experience comes from numerous urban farms, community gardens, and school gardens. In November 2019, she and her husband relocated to Belen, NM and founded Rocket Punch Farm, a one-acre microfarm growing over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, berries, and flowers year-round! Dedicated to ecological principals, no pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, and no tractors or tillers are used. Come learn more from Amelia about her experience growing a small farm at her talk!
12:30-1:30 “Humane Wildlife Exclusion”
Justin Stevenson from RD Wildlife– Justin and his wife are professional wildlife biologists with 20+ years of wildlife management, research and wildlife disease experience. Together they started their company, RD Wildlife. Not only wildlife biologists, they are also structural exclusionists. That means they permanently correct any problematic conditions (element(s) of habitat; food, water, cover, space) based on knowledge of the species’ behavioral ecology. Many wildlife species thrive along the wildland urban interface where they naturally enter developments and the lives of people. Successful wildlife damage management must incorporate human behavior as well as wildlife biology, behavior, and population dynamics. Their primary objective is to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts with effective and humane management alternatives. Come meet Justin and learn how he could help you with your wildlife concerns at his talk!
2:00-3:00 “Improving Soil with Cover Crops”
Clifford Sanchez retired NRCS Conservationist– Clifford is a retired Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist with 40+ years of experience in local agricultural best practices. He was stationed in the Los Lunas field office during his career and worked in Albuquerque as the NRCS Native American Liaison. Mr. Sanchez is currently a successful pecan farmer in the Belen area of New Mexico. Come see Clifford as he shares his vast store of agriculture experience at his talk:
3:30-4:30 “Regenerative Farming with Grazing Animals”
Kirsten Couevas from Sublime Pastures– Kirsten Couevas is the owner/operator of Sublime Pastures LLC located in Tome NM. Her small family-run farm uses regenerative farming practices. Their goal is to have healthy soil because it is the foundation on which to produce healthy plants and animals. In turn, these plants and animals are regenerating the land, so it can heal itself. That comes full circle in our food; healthy soil provides nutrition-dense food! Currently, Sublime Pastures uses animals to help regenerate the soil. They plant a multitude of diverse Annual and Perennial Cover Crops on old hay fields using No Till methods. Next, they rotation graze American Aberdeen (Angus) cattle, KuneKune pigs, and chickens (a variety of egg layers and meat birds). The farm then sells grass-fed and finished beef, pasture-raised pork, as well as organic fed non-gmo/soy pasture-raised chickens and eggs. Their motto is Healthy Soil=Healthy Animal=Healthy People!
