From Grit to Growth: Real Talk for Today's Beginning Farmers

Let’s face it — agriculture has never been easy, and 2026 isn’t throwing any softballs. But across the country, young and beginning farmers and ranchers are finding ways to make it work: mixing grit, creativity and smart strategy to build businesses that fit today’s market realities. In this energizing session, you’ll hear directly from young producers and farm business experts about what’s working — from diversifying income streams and tapping overlooked markets to navigating credit, crop insurance and conservation programs. Whether you’re bootstrapping a small operation or scaling up the family farm, this session will give you the tools, inspiration and insider tips to take your next step with confidence.

Speakers:

• Jackie Kennedy, Farmer, Entrepreneur, K2 Farms
• Shelby Myers, Public Affairs Advisor, Farm Credit Mid-America
• Kait Thornton, 4th Generation Orchardist and Ag Influencer

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Speaker Details

Jackie Kennedy

Jackie Kennedy is a multi-generation farmer in Glenn County, where she and her husband, Adam, raise rice, olives for olive oil, and walnuts while raising their four young children. She manages the business operations of their farming enterprise and is the founder of Knaughty Farms, a California-grown olive oil brand. A committed advocate for agriculture, Jackie serves as a Director on the Glenn County Farm Bureau and is a graduate of the California Farm Bureau Leadership Program, Class of 2024. She also represents growers statewide as a District Grower Representative on the Olive Oil Commission of California, where she will serve as Chair for 2025–2026.

Shelby Myers

Shelby Myers is the Public Affairs Advisor for Farm and Conservation Programs at Farm Credit Mid-America helping team members and customers understand, implement and optimize these programs while advancing Farm Credit Mid-America’s public affairs and sustainability strategies centered on communication, education, and advocacy. With a background in agricultural policy and crop market economics, she previously served as an Economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation and held key roles at Indiana Farm Bureau and Ever.Ag Insights. Shelby was appointed to the USDA Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers and holds degrees in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University. She and her family raise beef cattle and farm corn, soybeans, and custom sweet corn in West-Central Indiana.

Kait Thornton

Kait “Apple Girl Kait” Thornton is a fourth-generation apple & pear grower from Tonasket, Washington, blending deep agricultural roots with modern storytelling and entrepreneurship. Raised in her family’s orchard, she grew up immersed in the realities of food production, land stewardship, and the business of farming, experiences that continue to shape her work today.

Kait holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Washington State University. She is the founder of Kait’s Crates, a direct-to-consumer fruit business that began as an FFA project and has grown into a mobile operation selling farm-fresh apples, pears, and other tree fruit across Eastern Washington. Through this venture, she focuses on connecting consumers directly to where their food comes from while supporting local agriculture.

Known online as Apple Girl Kait, she has built a large and engaged social media following by translating complex agricultural practices into relatable, educational content. Her work highlights orchard science, sustainability, labor, and the people behind food production, helping bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. In addition to her personal brand, Kait is deeply involved in agricultural technology and advocacy, collaborating with ag-tech companies, grower organizations, and national brands.

Through speaking engagements, partnerships, and digital content, Kait champions transparency, community, and innovation in agriculture, with a mission to celebrate farmers while helping the next generation better understand how food is grown.