Learn directly from farmers who built profitable operations through different paths—leasing land, direct marketing, grazing, dairy, farm stores, buying clubs, agritourism, value-added products, and more. 

Eight Farmers. Eight Different Paths. One Question: How Do You Make Farming Work? 

There is no single blueprint for building a successful farm.

Some of the farmers you'll meet started with land.

Others didn't.

Some worked off-farm for years.

Some built direct-market businesses.

Some sell wholesale.

Some lease land rather than own it.

Some built their own businesses from scratch.

Others discovered that working alongside someone else's mission was the better path.

And almost every one of them had to change the original plan.

The 2026 Gathering at Polyface brings those stories together so you can learn from what worked, what failed, and what these farmers would do differently today.

Image: A collage featuring all eight speaker sessions. Make this feel like a cast of experts rather than eight separate course thumbnails.

You Don't Need More Theory. You Need to See How Other Farmers Actually Made It Work. 

These sessions aren't eight lectures about how farming should work.

They're the stories behind farms that actually exist.

You'll hear about land they couldn't afford.

Markets that failed.

Businesses they shut down.

Jobs they didn't want to leave.

Partnerships that didn't work.

Droughts, fires, regulations, employees, financing, family pressures, and enterprises that looked great on paper but weren't worth continuing.

You'll also hear how those setbacks led to better opportunities.

That's where some of the most valuable lessons are.

Module 1 — Jacob Towe 

Building a Profitable Farm from the Ground Up

From raising 25 chickens as a child to operating a farm, grocery store, and wholesale food business, Jacob explains why the market must pull production forward—and why the farmer’s most valuable role may ultimately be manager.

Module 2 — Eric & Leanna Barth 

Finding Your Place, Building a Team & Creating Ownership

Eric and Leanna share how nearly 16 years at Polyface taught them that you don’t necessarily need to own the farm to build a meaningful agricultural career.

Module 3 — Buddy & Jill Powers 

Vision Creates Value

Starting with no land, little money, and almost no farming experience, Buddy and Jill built Big Spring Farm around livestock, custom grazing, weddings, lodging, and community.

Module 4 — Nathan Vergin 

Start Where You Are

Nathan went from rented land and improvised dairy equipment to purchasing a multimillion-dollar organic dairy operation—one opportunity, relationship, and step at a time.

Module 5 — Nathan Joppeck 

If You Don’t Quit, You Can’t Lose

Nathan spent nearly two decades building his Ohio farm alongside an off-farm career before finally going full time—and shares what patience, low debt, pricing, buying clubs, and persistence taught him.

Module 6 — Galen Bontrager 

Stair-Step Your Way In

Galen built a diversified, grass-based Iowa farm largely without debt by adding enterprises gradually, following demand, and focusing on simple custom sales.

Module 7 — Grady & Erin Phelan 

Obstacles Create Opportunities

Drought, wildfire, large-scale poultry production, family transitions, and community farming reshaped Grady and Erin’s plans again and again—and taught them that relationships may be agriculture’s greatest asset.

Module 8 — Michael & Savannah Kilpatrick 

Slaughter the Sacred Cows

Michael and Savannah share a fast-moving look at marketing, farm stores, online sales, strawberries, value-added products, systems, AI, staffing, upsells, and learning to abandon ideas that no longer work.

What You’ll Learn 

Across these eight sessions, certain themes appear again and again—but every farmer approaches them differently.

• Ways to enter farming without buying expensive land 
• Leasing and farm-management opportunities
• How farmers transitioned away from off-farm jobs
• Direct-to-consumer marketing strategies
• Buying clubs and subscription models
• Farm-store economics
• Wholesale versus retail
• How to price for profitability
• Custom grazing opportunities
• Farm succession strategies
• How to build recurring customers
• Value-added products and upsells

• Building effective teams
• Delegation and management
• Systems and SOPs
• When to specialize
• When diversification becomes a liability
• Using agritourism and experiences
• Working alongside your spouse and family
• Helping children participate without making them resent the farm
• Learning from failed enterprises
• When to quit something that's working
• Building relationships that lead to land and opportunity
• Designing the business around the life you actually want