Preparing the Next Harvest

Growing Minnesota's Future Food and Farm Economy

Unleashing Minnesota's Biofuel Potential

  • Austin Liepold

    Moderator

    Vice President, Ascendent Partners, Inc.  

    Austin Liepold advises clients across the agribusiness, food, and renewable energy sectors at Ascendant Partners, an agricultural investment bank. He brings more than a decade of strategic, financial, and operational experience spanning mergers and acquisitions, business development, commercial and operational planning, and corporate strategy. His experience is grounded in the grain, oilseed, and energy value chains.

  • Eugene Alvey

    Panelist

    CEO, Swinergy

    Eugene Alvey is a U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Swinergy, an agricultural technology company developing a new approach to converting agricultural waste into renewable energy. Eugene has led Swinergy from initial research and development, the granting of its first technology patent, and now commercial deployment of its first-of-a-kind modular, multi-stage anaerobic digestion technology. Swinergy has built the first anaerobic digester designed to operate with a swine deep-pit barn, with its first commercial system currently operating on a 4,800-head farm in southern Minnesota. The company has signed project commitments representing more than 55,000 hogs across 19 farms.

  • David Kolsrud

    Panelist

    Founder,  Agri Energy LLC

    David Kolsrud is the president of DAK Renewable Energy, Inc. and has 30 years experience in the renewable energy industries. David’s expertise is primarily in the areas of ethanol, biodiesel and wind projects. DAK Renewable Energy manages eleven LLCs with investments in multiple renewable projects. David is also a farmer, project developer and consultant.

  • Brad Matuska

    Panelist

    Business Development Director of Biomass Feedstocks, 

    Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI)

    Brad Matuska is AURI’s Business Development Director of Biomass Feedstocks, with a focus on producers and industry to develop and execute projects and initiatives that result in the commercialization of new value-added products benefiting Minnesota agricultural biomass feedstocks, including manure, crop residues, food waste, and other coproducts.

Cultivating Opportunity: Voices from a New Generation

  • Michelle Rossman

    Moderator

    Olmsted County Commissioner and Owner, Rossman Farms Genetics

    Michelle Rossman brings lifelong, hands-on experience in production agriculture and a career connecting farmers, industry, and communities. She and her husband and three sons operate Rossman Farms, a diversified farm and ranch in southeastern Minnesota. She has led beef safety research and environmental sustainability programs across beef and dairy supply chains and is currently serving as an Olmsted County Commissioner.

  • Anthony Anderson

    Panelist

    Owner, Stone Dairy and Prairie Creek Farms

  • Mark Schoenfeld

    Panelist

    Owner, Circle S Cattle Company

Protecting Minnesota's Water for Food & Farms

  • Drew Kessler

    Moderator

    Houston Engineering

    Drew Kessler leads the Environmental Services sector at Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI), where he helps agricultural, food, and fuel organizations turn complex sustainability and water-resource challenges into practical, measurable outcomes. Drawing on expertise in agricultural systems and environmental performance, he works with producers, industry leaders, researchers, and public agencies to translate data into decision-ready insights. Prior to joining HEI, Drew served as a staff scientist in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Ph.D. in Water Science. Known for his approachable style and ability to bridge diverse perspectives, Drew regularly facilitates discussions that help stakeholders navigate complex issues and identify practical paths forward.

  • Brady Janzen

    Panelist

    Riverview LLP

    Brady Janzen is a partner at Riverview, LLP, a diversified agricultural business based in Morris, Minnesota.  Janzen has extensive experience developing new dairy farms for Riverview, which includes working through state and local permitting processes.  He has also managed ongoing permit compliance for Riverview's farms.  More recently, Janzen focuses his time on directing overall legal services and external affairs for Riverview.   

  • Mike Mills

    Panelist

    Reinke Manufacturing

    Mike Mills is the Director of Sustainability Solutions for Reinke Manufacturing.  Mike has been in the Ag sector for the last 17 years with over 30 years’ total experience in the irrigation industry.  He is a Certified Irrigation Designer for Residential, Commercial, Golf, and Agriculture as well as a Certified Irrigation Contractor and Certified Irrigation Auditor. He has been an instructor for the Irrigation Association for over 20 years. Mike is the chair of the Water Management Leadership Group for The Association of Equipment Manufacturers and sits on the federal and state government affairs committees for both AEM and the Irrigation Association.

  • Heather Stirratt

    Panelist

    The Nature Conservancy

    Heather Stirratt joined The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota in 2026 as Director of Water and Agriculture. She brings three decades of leadership in scientific research, coastal and fisheries management, and environmental governance. Her work has shaped the U.S. response to climate change across North America’s most vital ecosystems, notably the Great Lakes. As executive director of the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Regional Office, Heather led a multinational team advancing science and monitoring programs alongside water quality policy—while mentoring emerging leaders and championing user requirements and science application in environmental decision-making.

    Heather also served for 15 years as the Great Lakes regional lead for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, overseeing dispersed teams and delivering science-based solutions to regional stakeholders. Her career includes nationally recognized contributions to fisheries policy, more than 800 hours of at-sea research, and early work in permitting and advocacy with the State of Connecticut, Environmental Defense Fund and Dade County, FL. Heather earned an M.S. in marine affairs and fisheries science from the University of Rhode Island and a B.S. in marine science/biology from the University of Miami.