Marketing Your Organic Grains

Join us! This 60-minute Market Development Workshop session at the Mid-Atlantic Grain Conference hosted by the Common Grain Alliance will feature subject matter experts focused on organic grain markets.

This panel will be moderated by Kyle Pletcher from Tuscarora Grain Company and will feature economic expert, Kellee James, farmer and miller, Scott Morgan and Michael Chapman, an organic buyer and founder of Fieldcraft. A mixer will immediately follow the discussion to allow producers and organic buyers to network and make meaningful connections. Light snacks will be provided. This event provides an opportunity for organic producers, those transitioning, and those who are curious about organic production to gather and learn more about organic market grain opportunities.

Panelists

Kyle Pletcher is the Organic Grain Merchandiser at Tuscarora Grain Company (TGC). TGC was founded in 2020 and was built on the belief that creative thinking opens doors to distinct opportunities in the grain commodities industry. TGC offers a dynamic range of services designed to supply the Eastern US organic feed industry. They strive to connect organic growers with their intended end use markets through their wide-ranging customer base consisting of small-scale and large-scale feed mills and food grade processors. TGC has a deep connection to the soil and land and understand what it takes to be a top organic producer. They sit at the heart of the eastern US organic feed industry, and they maintain strategic relationships across the country. TGC has a solid grower network throughout the U.S. and when you pair that with their own company-owned rail transportation facility, TGC is one of the few US=based organic farm-to-feed and farm-to-fork ingredient supply chains in the organic grain industry.

Michael Chapman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fieldcraft, an online marketplace for specialty grains and ingredients. Fieldcraft is built exclusively for food and beverage production. Fieldcraft partners with thousands of buyers ranging from brands and manufacturers to commercial and craft bakers, brewers and distillers. The platform simplifies the discovery and sourcing process for buyers and enables marketing opportunities for commodity and value-added growers from spot to specialty production contracts. Fieldcraft is building a new supply chain, connecting markets and empowering agribusinesses that are promoting biodiversity and pioneering new markets. Michael was born and raised in a farming community in the Central Valley of CA. He is an Army veteran, led special operations teams in the CIA, served in several locations as CIA Chief of Base and later in the White House Situation Room. He graduated from the University of Virginia Law School and practiced contract law for several years. He has traveled across all seven continents and nearly 100 countries and was inspired by the link between sustainability and agriculture. To him, the goal of sustainable agriculture is simple — to make it better than we found it. That is the mission of Fieldcraft.

Scott Morgan from Morganics Family Farm started his farming career at the turn of the century as a farm hand growing mixed vegetables on a five-acre farm in Sarasota, Florida. Scott went on to manage a crew growing baby leaf salad greens on a 250-acre farm in central Florida. After meeting the love of his life, his wife Alison and starting his family, Scott and his family moved to New Jersey. He spent another 10 years growing specialty organic crops in central New Jersey. In 2017, Alison, Scott and their three kids started Morganics Family Farm. Morganics is focused on growing and milling organic and truly sustainable grains. They grow what they can in their ground and partner with other regional growers. They mill flour and oatmeal to bring the amazing flavors and nutritional benefits of fresh grains to the public. At Morganics, they are always on the grind!

Kellee James founded Mercaris, a market data and information platform for organic commodity markets almost 15 years ago. She sold the company to Argus Media in 2023, where she is now VP of Agriculture. Kellee likes to help farmers unlock new and valuable markets. She has worked with livestock and dairy producers in the Midwest, coffee farmers in Honduras, and row crop growers throughout the US and Canada.

Details

Date: March 17, 2025

Time: 4:30 – 6:30 pm ET

Location: Riverside on the Potomac
44337 Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg, VA 20176

Cost: FREE

Registration

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This session is supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).