Rhode to Regenerative

From Forest to Sea

May 19-20, 2025 | Monday - Tuesday

Join us to discuss agroforestry, ocean farming, and land-to-sea connection at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. On Monday we’ll hear from leading forestry researchers and practitioners, with a focus on the establishment of silvopasture in the Northeast. On Tuesday, we’ll dive deeper into the relationships between terrestrial and marine farming and the waters that connect them. Begin the dialogue with farmers, funders, technical service providers, researchers, and policymakers informing these interrelated projects.

Tickets

Farmers Tix - 90% discount

URI Students & Faculty - Free!

Interested in presenting a poster?

Apply Here

Join us at the University of Rhode Island (URI), an R1 Research University recognized for its cutting-edge research and commitment to sustainability. With strong programs in environmental science, marine biology, and sustainable agriculture, URI provides the perfect setting to explore the connections between agroforestry and aquaculture.

Silvopasture Project

We'‘re helping plant a silvopasture on a formerly degraded sod farm at the URI. We’ve got nearly three hundred saplings planted with the help of the URI and Rhode Island community. With hundreds more saplings growing in a greenhouse for a spring planting, we’re just getting started! Join us at the Rhode to Regenerative conference to visit the project site and learn how to implement a silvopasture.

Learn more about the project

SPEAKERS

Meg Giroux

Executive Director
Interlace Commons
Cassius Spears Sr.

Farmer & Policy Advisor

Ashawaug Farm
Marc Parlange

President

University of Rhode Island
Sally McGee

Director, Climate and Strategic Initiatives
The Nature Conservancy
Ben Crockett

PM for Climate Smart Ag Program
Berkshire Ag Ventures
Brett Hundley, CFA

President
Agroforestry Partners
Paul Young

Founder & CEO

Conservation Resource Partners
Rachel Sayet

Associate Lecturer
UMass Boston
Coleman Replogle

Peckham Farm Manager
University of Rhode Island
Gina Fuller

District Manager
SRICD
Tarshire Battle

Executive Director
Roots2Empower
Shelley Katz

Regenerative Ag Consultant
Advancing Eco Agriculture
Oliver Dixon

Owner
Blue Acres Aquaculture
Brian Pinksy

Owner
401 Oysters
Austin Unruh

CEO
Trees for Graziers
Dawn Spears

Farmer & Artist

Ashawaug Farm
Don Ruggieri

PhD Student / Consultant
URI / South County Environmental
Laura Meyerson, PhD

Ecology Professor
URI
Perry Raso

Owner
Matunuck Oyster Bar & Farm
Tracy Dalton

Professor
URI Marine Affairs
Sara Wuerstle

Farm Director
Ocean Hour Farm
Andrew Tuttle

Founder / Associate Faculty
Edge Perma / Edmonds College
Ian McSweeney

Executive Director
The Farmers Land Trust
Mick Chivers

Oyster Farmer

North Star Shellfish Company
Mary Marshall

Founder / Associate Faculty
Edge Perma / Edmonds College
Mary Parlange

Affiliate

URI
John Taylor

Agroecology Professor
URI
Anjali Gordon

PhD Student

URI
Brett Still

Director

MESM Program, URI
Ben Coerper

Co-Owner

Wild Harmony Farm
Coleen Suckling

Aquaculture/Fisheries Professor

URI
David Weisberger

Agricultural Extension Agent
URI
Ethan Farrell

Farmer & Rancher

Sunset Farm
Melissa Hayden

State Biologist

NRCS
Maggie Longo

RI Food Policy Council
Abbie DeVries

Animal Systems Manager

Ocean Hour Farm
Ivan Cindrich

Farmer

Wayward Farm
Kelsey Jensen

Associate Director
The Soil Inventory Project
Cindy West

Owner

Cedar Island Oyster Co
Jason Parent, PhD

Assistant Professor
URI

AGENDA

Monday, May 19

Registration & coffee
Speakers: Marc Parlange (URI), Mary Parlange (URI), Cortlandt Meyerson (Why Regenerative)
Speakers: Rachel Sayet (Umass Boston)
Speaker: Sara Wuerstle (Ocean Hour Farm)
Speaker: Moderator: Gina Fuller, (Southern Rhode Conservation District), Maria Peterson (University of Rhode Island), Oliver Dixon (Blue Acres Aquaculture) Brian Pinsky (401 Oysters), Coleman Replogle, (URI Peckham Farm)
The Blue-Green synergies panel will be focusing on the connections between upland farming and ocean farming, how what we do on land affects our coastal waters, and how by-products of ocean farming can be used in upland farming.
Tracy Dalton (URI Marine Affairs Professor), Perry Raso (Matunuck Oyster Bar & Farm), Mick Chivers (North Star Shellfish Company), Cindy West (Moonstone Oyster Farm)
Speakers: John Quinn (Furman University), Harry Greene (Propagate Ag), Meg Giroux (Interlace Commons ), Abby DeVries (Ocean Hour Farm)
SESSION 1: Finding Demand

Speakers: Oliver Dixon (Blue Acres Kelp Farm) Brian Pinsky (401 Oysters), Zach Roch (Roch’s Market), Doug Clopp (Maine Farm & Sea Coop)
As regenerative ocean farming gains traction for its environmental and economic benefits, producers face a key challenge—expanding demand for their products. From kelp to shellfish, finding reliable markets, scaling distribution, and educating consumers are critical to making ocean farming financially sustainable This breakout session will bring together industry experts to explore market opportunities, supply chain challenges, and strategies for growing consumer demand.

SESSION 2: Multifunctional Agroforestry

Speakers: Ethan Farrell, (Sunset Farm), Harry Greene (Propagate Ag)

Agroforestry is more than just a farming practice—it can serve as a model for integrating food production with environmental stewardship, community engagement, and economic diversification. This breakout session will explore how farms can generate revenue beyond crop yields by offering education programs, agrotourism experiences, and ecosystem services like conservation and carbon sequestration. Panelists will discuss successful business models, funding opportunities, and strategies for communicating the value of agroforestry to consumers, policymakers, and investors.
Speaker: Sally McGee (The Nature Conservancy)
Speaker: Ben Coerper (Wild Harmony Farm)
Speaker: David Weisberger (URI), Ian McSweeney (Farmers Land Trust), Ivan Cindrich (Wayward Farm), Stanton Terranova (Terranova Farms)
Cooperatives and nonprofit Farmland Commons can offer a powerful model for farmers and ocean growers to share equipment, knowledge, and capital—reducing costs, mitigating risks, and fostering resilient food systems. This panel will explore how regenerative agriculture and ocean farming communities can leverage cooperatives to scale their impact, access funding, and navigate market challenges. Panelists, including cooperative and nonprofit Farmland Commons organizers, farmers, and policy experts, will discuss successful models, common obstacles, and strategies for building cooperative networks that support both land-based and ocean-based regenerative practices.
Speaker: Kelsey Jensen (The Soil Inventory Project)
Speaker: Cortlandt Meyerson (Why Regenerative)
Item description

*subject to change*

Tuesday, May 20

Field Demos with: Tom Mills (TreePro), Kelsey Jenson, (The Soil Inventory Project), Jason Parent (URI)
Speakers: Cortlandt Meyerson (Why Regenerative), Jackson Baris (Why Regenerative)
Speakers: Dawn Spears and Cassius Spears (Narragansett Tribe)
Speakers: Mary Parlange (URI), Anjali Gordon (URI), Tarshire Battle (Roots2Empower), Patrick Baur (URI)
Food justice is the concept that all people have the right to healthy, nutritious food. Food sovereignty means that communities are able to define and control their own food systems. This panel brings together advocates, policy makers and researchers to discuss systemic barriers in our current food system, and real-world examples of how communities can reclaim traditional and cultural farming knowledge, rebuild local food systems, and assert their rights to land and capital.
Speakers: David Gregg (Rhode Island Natural History Survey), Coleen Suckling (URI), Shelley Katz (Advancing Eco Agriculture)

This panel will explore practices and tools that support biodiversity-driven farming, including semi-managed biological control systems— pollinator support, living walls, and sea urchin integration to naturally regulate pests and improve ecosystem health. Panelists will discuss real-world examples of how biodiversity can be a working tool in regenerative systems and strategies for accessing funding and technical support.
Try products from SIMPLi, Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed, Simple Mills, Sol Simple, Artisan Tropic, and more!

Menu:
Caesar Salad
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Pan Roasted Cod
Mushroom Linguini
Rice with Carrots & Celery
Quinoa
Mexican Black Bean Salad
Speakers: Andrew Tuttle & Mary Marshall (Edge Perma)
Speakers: Jason Parent (URI)
Speakers: : Don Ruggieri (URI), Melissa Hayden (USDA), Brett Still (Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association)
Healthy rivers are essential for both agricultural and coastal ecosystems, yet farm runoff can threaten water quality, fisheries, and marine habitats. This panel will explore how investing in riparian buffers—vegetated areas along waterways—can serve as a natural solution for filtering pollutants, stabilizing shorelines, and protecting coastal ecosystems from excess nutrients and sedimentation. Experts discuss successful riparian restoration projects, funding opportunities, and strategies for scaling solutions.
Speakers: Brett Hundley (Agroforestry Partners), Ben Crocket (Berkshire Ag Fund), Ken Ayars, (RI Department of Environmental Management), Paul Young (Conservation Resource Partners)
Speaker: Austin Unhruh (Trees for Graziers)

Adoption rates of silvopasture are very low, and very spread throughout the country, mostly among the most passionate of early adopters. Yet Trees For Graziers has planted silvopasture on over 50 farms within their 2-hour radius, showing that high densities of adoption are very possible, if establishing the trees is made as easy as possible for farmers. Join to learn how you can spark silvopasture in your region as well.
Speakers: Doug Clopp (Main Farm & Sea Coop), Josh Dunlap, (Whalers Brewing Company) Perry Raso, (Matunuck Oyster Bar) Zach Roch, (Roch’s Foods)