A Night of Storytelling Honoring Our Farmers

"A Night of Storytelling Honoring Our Farmers" at Climate Week NYC brings together ten extraordinary farmers whose daily work is shaping a more just, sustainable, and resilient food future. Through a powerful blend of live performance, theater-inspired dramaturgy, and unscripted narrative, these farmers share their lived experiences of land, of legacy, of hope, and of heartbreak.

Confirmed farmer voices include Karen Washington, a farmer, activist, and co-founder of Black Urban Growers, working to uplift food justice and community farming in the Bronx and beyond; Patrick Holden, farmer and founding director of the Sustainable Food Trust; Bob Quinn, organic farmer and plant geneticist from Montana, who revived ancient grains and promotes sustainable agriculture; Ron Mardesen, a third-generation hog farmer from Elliott, Iowa, who has raised pigs for Niman Ranch for over 20 years using humane and sustainable practices; Sabrina Servais, a passionate young dairy farmer and Assistant Herd Manager at her family’s Organic Valley member farm in Wisconsin; Sea Matias, a regenerative farmer and community organizer growing culturally relevant crops and advancing food sovereignty through mutual aid; Brian Mattingly, Director of Star Hill Farm Operations for Maker’s Mark, who manages 1,100 acres of regenerative farmland in Kentucky, integrating crops and livestock for resilient agriculture; Olivia Fuller, a fourth-generation farmer at Fuller Acres in upstate New York, raising pastured livestock and maple products on protected land to build a resilient and diversified future; William Dennehy, a dairy farmer from County Kerry, Ireland, managing 85 acres of heavy pastureland and over 85 cows with a focus on improving soil health and efficient grazing; Azeem Zakir Kareem, who partners with his wife in running Samad Gardens Initiative, leading efforts in regenerative herbal and vegetable farming, education, and advocacy for farmers; Caroline Radice, co-owner of Black Dog Farm & Catering in Northern California and co-founder of the Good Farm Fund, supporting small farmers with microgrants and EBT access; and April Wilson, a third-generation hog and chicken farmer who continues her family’s ranching legacy at Seven W Farm, established by her grandfather in 1959.