Madeline Wimmer is a state-wide extension educator for the University of Minnesota, supporting a wide range of fruit programming for Minnesota growers. She received her B.S. and M.S. in horticulture at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Her background includes working with cold climate wine grapes, including assessing suitable training systems options for wine grape production in the Upper Midwest. She also has previous experience managing both commercial and research vineyards and doing educational outreach for growers throughout the Midwest. Her main focus as an Extension Educator is to empower new fruit growers and help growers adapt environmental, economic, and socially sustainable growing practices. Madeline can be reached at wimm0035@umn.edu.

As co-owner of Kalliroe Orchard, an organic apple and pear farm near Montevideo, Minn., Amy brings a farmer-centered perspective to changing the food and farming system. She also works as the Director of LSP's Food Systems and Farm Beginnings Programs.  She has over 20 years of experience leading and managing programs and staff at LSP.  As a Master’s Internationalist graduate student, Amy learned from Paraguayan farmers about effective farmer-to-farmer training and research. She brought this ground-up approach into developing and evaluating LSP programs, including Farm Beginnings, a farmer-led and community-based beginning farmer training model. When she is not working at LSP or in the orchard she serves as a supervisor for the Lac Qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District, works as an organic crop inspector and volunteers with the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative. She enjoys long distance swimming, hiking in Minnesota State Parks and canoe trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Peggy and her husband Ed started Dream Apple Farm together in 2012. Their 7 acre orchard includes 1300 apple trees with over 30 different varieties on a high density system. They also grow raspberries in a high tunnel plus field grown rhubarb, peaches and pears, all certified organic since 2018. Their fresh apples and value-added products are sold exclusively at their newest project, DreamPort Harvest Market in downtown Port Washington, WI.  Peggy has served on the OFGA Board since 2021 and in the capacity of secretary since 2022.
 

Ben McAvoy is the owner/operator of Blue Fruit Farm, a perennial berry farm in the driftless region of Minnesota. While Ben does not have extensive experience farming, he has always enjoyed gardening in his own back yard since childhood. He and his family relocated from the suburbs of Chicago to pursue this career change to organic farming. Ben enjoys learning and networking with fellow farmers through organizations like the OFGA.

Aaron Wills farms with his wife at Little Hill Berry Farm, an organic berry farm in Northfield, MN that they started in 2011. They raise certified organic strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits and market their fruit through U-pick and on-farm sales in their farm store. Aaron also works as the Finance Director for Clean River Partners, serves on the board of Sharing Our Roots and is an active member of the Minnesota Farmers Union. In his free time he enjoys playing pickleball and basketball and traveling with his wife Molly and kids Ben and Luella. He sneaks in pilgrimages to the north shore of Lake Superior as often as time allows.

​Mitch farms with his wife, Abbie outside of La Crosse, WI. They are in the process of establishing a 5-acre organic apple orchard. They graduated from Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program in 2020, and relocated to Coon Valley, Wisconsin in 2021 after purchasing their farm. After 3 years of soil prep, they started planting trees in the spring of 2025. They focus predominantly on heirloom apple varieties grown on semi-standard rootstock.