Dr. Benjamin is an Assistant Program Leader in Agriculture & Natural Resources. In this position, she coordinates the statewide Diversified Farming & Food Systems (DFFS) efforts. For 2019, she is serving as the chair of the Indiana Small Farm Conference, and serves as the point of contact.

Julie Huetteman, supports the evaluation efforts in order to assess the effectiveness and impact of the DFFS conferences, workshops and programs.

Nick Rogers, is the Communications Manager for Purdue Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Communication. In this position, he coordinates communication projects for Purdue Agriculture and assists with strategic communication initiatives. He also serves on the Indiana Small Farm Conference’s communications committee.

Areas of Interest: Beginning farmers, fruits, vegetables and season extension

Amy Thompson has been a Small Farms team member since 2006. She enjoys working one on one with farmers and helping them connect to resources and addressing issues on their farms. She has coordinated a number of training events on season extension, soils, flowers and fruit and vegetable production.

She serves as a member of the Community Building subcommittee, specifically working as a catering liaison and coordinating the Evening Social. The 2020 SFC will be the third conference serving as a committee member.

Brooke Alford works in the Content Committee where he coordinates the Urban Ag track. She is also collaborating in the alignment of an urban agriculture tour.

James Wolff, is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator in Allen County and serves on the Communications Committee.

John’s primary role in supporting the Small Farm Conference is serving on the marketing committee. This committee partners with experts at Purdue Agricultural Communications to publicize the event and develop promotional materials. Additionally, John assists with tours and other conference logistics.

Karen Mitchell is the Agriculture and Natural Resources for Purdue Extension – Tippecanoe County. For 2020, she serves as the point of contact for the Poster Session at the Indiana Small Farm Conference.

Mathias Ingle is part of the exhibit hall and vendor team. This is his first year on the Indiana Small Farms Conference committee.

Areas of Interest: Organic agriculture, soil health, cover crops, vegetable production, pastured poultry and eggs, agronomy

Michael O’Donnell is the Purdue Extension Organic and Diversified Agriculture Educator. Originally from West Lafayette, IN, he earned B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Purdue Extension in 2012, he worked at Moody Meats, Lone Pine Farms in Montgomery County, IN. He and his family operate Pinehurst Farm, a small diversified farm in Daleville, where they raise vegetables, eggs, and pastured poultry.

Phillip Cox is on the Indiana Small Farm Conference team and has served on the Trade Show subcommittee for the past several years. He also coordinates programming that includes such topics as pesticide safety, native plants, invasive species, gardening, natural resources, farming, wildlife management, and forestry.

Sarah Hanson, is an Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator in Johnson County. She is on the Indiana Small Farm Conference team and serves on the Content subcommittee.

Areas of Interest: Small and beginning farmers

Steve Engleking is the Purdue Extension Educator of Agriculture and Natural Resources in LaGrange County where he has served since 1995. LaGrange County is the center of the second largest Amish settlement in the United States with approximately 19,000 Amish residents in the county. LaGrange County has 2419 farms (#1 in Indiana) with an average size of 84 acres. In addition, the county has the most farms that are certified organic with 52% of all certified organic farms in Indiana. As a result, Steve has focused a majority of his work in the area of small farms and has been instrumental in developing a “beginning farmer” educational program for Indiana small farmers. He has helped to establish and also co-chairs the Purdue Extension Indiana Small Farm Conference. Steve enjoys teaching and helping people improve their lives through his Extension work.