General Information

Mark Shepard

KEYNOTE, Monday Banquet

Mark Shepard heads Forest Agriculture Enterprises, is founder of Restoration Agriculture Development, and is the award-winning author of the book Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers. The book represents Mark’s belief in the ability of sustainably grown perennial food crops to feed us into “our resource-compromised future.”

Mark is most widely known as the founder of New Forest Farm in Wisconsin, a 106-acre commercial-scale perennial agricultural operation that was converted from a row-crop grain farm. It is considered by many to be one of the most ambitious sustainable agriculture projects in the United States.

The farm was developed using oak savanna, successional brushland, and eastern woodlands as the ecological models. Trees, shrubs, vines, canes, perennial plants, and fungi are planted in association with one another to produce food (for humans and grazing livestock), fuel, medicines, and beauty. Hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, and various fruits are the primary woody crops.

Mark is a certified permaculture designer and teaches agroforestry and permaculture worldwide.

Deborah Clark & Emry Birdwell

KEYNOTES - Tuesday AM

Deborah & Emry run a stocker operation of 5,000-7,000 head of cattle on the 14,000-acre Birdwell & Clark Ranch in Clay County, northwest of Ft. Worth. While a portion of the livestock is kept on leased land, about 5,000 head remain at the ranch they purchased in 2004, fed using a high-density grazing management plan, resulting in consistently improved range conditions, soil health, and cattle productivity.

Emry’s proudest accomplishments are the changes he sees at the ranch in terms of decreasing bare ground, improving diversity of grasses and forbs, soil health, and the ability to add more gain per acre. As a Holistic Management Certified Educator, Deborah works to help others learn to manage their resources in a way that keeps the business, land, family, and community healthy.

In 2018, the couple earned one of six regional Environmental Stewardship Awards, presented by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assn. in recognition of outstanding land stewardship. Deborah also serves on the board of directors of the Texas Wildlife Assn.

Their grazing system utilizes 340 paddocks to rotate the cattle three-six times a day. In addition, a pipeline and mobile watering trough system allows them to fence the cattle out of riparian areas and stock tanks, ensuring protection of local water and allowing grazing distribution over broad areas of pasture.

After 13 years of intensive land management, Emry and Deborah doubled their stocking rates and significantly improved wildlife habitat, primarily for deer, quail, and dove.