Nicolette Hahn Niman and Jerry Doan to speak at the 2027 Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit
The SFA team has some exciting plans up our sleeves for the 2027 Midwest Grazing & Soil Health Summit, and we're excited to announce the first bit of news: Nicolette Hahn Niman and Jerry Doan will be taking the podium as keynote speakers. Both farmers work at the junction of grazing, regenerative agriculture, and environmental stewardship, and we are thrilled that they are able to join us.
The Summit will return to the Willmar Conference Center on March 3 & 4, 2027. Registration will open on November 11, followed by additional speaker and programming announcements. SFA members, be sure to take advantage of the Early Bird discount. For now, save the date and learn more about these two outstanding speakers below!
Nicolette Hahn Niman
A former environmental lawyer, author, and livestock rancher, she is known for advocating for sustainable, pasture-based livestock production and challenging the idea that properly managed grazing animals are inherently harmful to the environment. Once a vegetarian for more than 30 years, she now defends the production and consumption of ethically raised protein as not only essential for human health, but also our climate resilience.
She is best known for her books Defending Beef and Righteous Porkchop, which examine the environmental and animal-welfare impacts of industrial livestock production and make the case for more sustainable farming practices. Hahn Niman lives in Northern California, where she and her husband Bill Niman (founder of Niman Ranch and now BN Ranch) where she advocates for pasture-based, regenerative production models like the ones that you and I operate.
Jerry Doan
Joining us from a little bit closer to home over in North Dakota, Jerry Doan is a fourth-generation rancher who operates Black Leg Ranch with his family, using regenerative grazing, no-till farming, and soil health practices. The Doan family have won many awards and honors for their work, including the Burleigh County Soil Health Award, the inaugural Aldo Leopold Conservation Award, the North Dakota Environmental Stewardship Award, the Region Seven Environmental Stewardship Award, the National Environmental Stewardship Award, and, just this month, the Noble Land Stewardship Award.
Black Leg Ranch operates multiple complementary stacked enterprises including custom grazing, grass-finished beef and buffalo (produced under the Audubon Conservation Ranching Bird Friendly Program), a brewery, agritourism and events, and a hunting outfitting business. Their goals for the ranch include a multi-generational transition, bringing profitability back to agriculture, and improving quality of life for everyone involved.
