Webinar: Buyer Perspectives on Organic Vegetable Sourcing

February 19 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST
FREE
Join us for an engaging follow-up to the previous webinar, “Markets ROI of Organic Transition for Vegetable Farmers,” where we dive deeper into the perspectives of buyers in the organic vegetable market.
Attendees will gather insights from multiple buyers across the U.S. on their sourcing needs, learn about key factors that influence buyer decisions, and learn how to build strong, collaborative relationships with buyers. This conversation is designed specifically for farmers looking to understand the current landscape and future opportunities in organic vegetable markets.
The panel will be moderated by David Paysnick and will feature Whitney Herrera, Kenny Meyer and Alex Borst.
All sessions are free of charge to attendees.
Panelists:
David Paysnick: David is the Food Hub Business Development Manager at Food Connects, a 501c3 non-profit based in Southern Vermont. He joined Food Connects in 2020 with 25+ years of experience in food and farming-related occupations and has helped the Food Connects Food Hub grow annual sales from $1.1 Million in 2020 to $3.9 million ins 2024. Prior to working at Food Connects, David operated Rainbow Harvest Farm in Greenfield, MA, producing organic vegetables, herbs, nursery plants, fig trees and specialty food products. He was the founding farmer at the non-profit Greenfield Community Farm, where he led the farm through its initial years of development and production. David also spent nearly a decade working in retail food co-ops in both California and Massachusetts, primarily as Produce Manager and Buyer, as well as serving as Board President for a multi-store Food Co-op in Western Massachusetts. In his earlier days, he also worked as a wholesale baker, chef, and held several other restaurants, farm and food positions. David now lives with his wife and daughter in Greenfield, MA where they grow organic flowers and vegetables for personal enjoyment and sell occasional fig tree cuttings from their extensive greenhouse collection.
Whitney Herrera: Whitney has worked at Whole Foods Market for over 15 years — starting in Reno, NV Whole Foods store as a cashier. During her time with Whole Foods, she has been a part of Global Operations helping stand up a Global Reset program for store team members and has been in Category Management for the past 6 years. Before managing Functional Snacks, she managed Cereals, Nut Butters, Jams, Wholesome Bars and Shelf Stable Milks. Outside of work, Whitney works to bring her passion for food and regenerative farming practices to her small-scale suburban garden.
Kenny Meyer: Kenny is a Senior Produce & Floral Buyer with Whole Foods Markets Perishables Merchandising Team. His primary role is strategic partnerships with Local and Regional Farms across Whole Foods Markets network of suppliers.
Alex Borst: Alex is the Purchasing Manager at Happy Dirt. He is a grandson of immigrant dairy farmers and grew up in Mississippi seeing how difficult of a time farmers have in getting their products to market. He has spent his career trying to solve problems that exist in moving produce from economically challenged rural areas into more heavily populated urban areas. Alex has over 8 years of experience in produce procurement in both the non-profit and for-profit spaces. Happy Dirt is a certified organic produce distribution company that brings fresh produce to market from farms across the Southeast and East Coast. Alex manages vendor relationships and produce production planning to build local and regional programs for retailers and food service providers from Florida to New York. In his free time, Alex practices yoga, spends too much time cooking and frequents electronic music venues.
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).