Webinar: Markets ROI of Organic Transition for Dairy Farmers

Are you considering the transition to organic farming for your dairy farm and or interested in improving the return on investment for your organic farm through markets? Join us for an insightful virtual webinar designed to help you understand the economic potential of organic markets and equip you with the tools to evaluate your own transition. Attendees will get an overview of the organic market landscape and its growth potential from economic experts and learn from farmers like Wilson Organic Farms and the Painterland Sisters who successfully transitioned to organic dairy production.

All sessions are free of charge to attendees.

Panelists

Panelist: Chris Wilson
Chris Wilson is a seventh-generation farmer at Wilson Organic Farms in Cuba City, Wisconsin, where he and his family have been farming organically since 1996. With decades of experience in organic dairy and diversified cropping systems, Chris’s family has been at the forefront of integrating organic no-till, rotational grazing, and cover cropping to build resilient farm ecosystems. Beyond the farm, Chris serves on the Meat Executive Committee for CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley) and actively collaborates with research institutions to advance regenerative agricultural solutions. His work bridges practical on-farm management with broader industry efforts to improve soil health, nutrient efficiency, and livestock integration within organic systems.
 
 
Panelist: Painterland Sisters 
Sisters Stephanie and Hayley Painter, Founders and co-CEOs of Painterland Sisters, grew up on their family’s fourth-generation regenerative organic dairy farm in Northern Pennsylvania. Using milk from their own farm and neighboring family farms, they’re on a mission to sustain family farms, champion nutrient-dense foods, and educate consumers on the importance of sustainable farming—while connecting them directly to the source: the American Farmer.

Since launching in 2022, they were named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Food & Drink, honored on the Congress Floor, won a Nexty Award for their 24 oz Plain yogurt, and spoke at over 60 events, proudly representing Pennsylvania agriculture and amplifying the voices of farmers worldwide.
 
 
Moderator: Taylor Ussery 
Taylor Ussery helped run a small producer-processor dairy in central North Carolina for over seven years. During this time, she created new gelato and soft serve product lines that were sold into direct-to-consumer, retail, and foodservice markets. She now works for a national foodservice distribution company where she helps farmers and artisans understand and access larger institutional markets. Taylor still engages her passion for dairy by sourcing local milk for her soft serve ice cream catering company and eating copious amounts of local cheese and fluid whole milk.
 
 
 

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).