Alliance Summit

Richmond, VirginiaAugust 5-6, 2025

2025 Alliance Summit

Richmond, Virginia | August 5th - 6th, 2025

The Alliance Summit is an annual convening that brings together key partners of the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture.  Over two days, the Alliance will facilitate group discussions to collect feedback from partners, producers, and technical experts on program design and implementation, and bring together different perspectives on important topics to address the challenges and opportunities that exist in developing climate-smart markets for agriculture.

 

If you have questions about the summit, please contact us at (540) 231-3990 or [email protected].

Please find additional partner resources below.

Summit Information

Airport

Richmond International Airport

Hotel & Venue

Hilton Richmond Downtown

Please click here to access the Alliance room block rate.
The deadline for the summit discount is July 6, 2025.

Check-In: 4:00 PM
Check-Out: 11:00 AM

Hotel Dining

Gather and Hem
La Grotta

The agenda is subject to change.


The 2025 Summit Reception will be hosted at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.  More details to come.

TBD.

Things To Do

Check out Visit Richmond’s website to discover the best local attractions, museums, and shopping Richmond has to offer.

Local Restaurants

Recommendations from the Alliance team:

Buttermilk and Honey
Award-winning chicken sandwiches.

The Lobby Bar or the Q Rooftop Bar at the Quirk Hotel
Mediterranean-influenced sharable plates with local ingredients.  Great happy hour!

Perly’s
Jewish restaurant and delicatessen, loved by locals.

Penny Lane
Liverpudlian pub serving English & American tavern fare.

The VA AG EXPO is an agricultural-based trade show that travels the Commonwealth of Virginia each year, hosted by a member farm from the Virginia Grain Producers Association and the Virginia Soybean Association.

The annual event has more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors showcasing the latest in farming technology. Whether you are a large acreage production farmer or a weekend lifestyle farmer the Expo is an event you don’t want to miss.

The Virginia AG EXPO is sponsored by the Virginia Grain Producers Association and the Virginia Soybean Association in conjunction with the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service and support from Virginia’s soybean, corn, and small grains checkoff boards.


Location:  Brooke Farms

Orange County, VA
August 7, 2025
7:30 am – 2 pm

The Alliance Summit is an annual convening that brings together key partners of the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture.  Over two days, the Alliance will facilitate group discussions to collect feedback from partners, producers, and technical experts on program design and implementation, and bring together different perspectives on important topics to address the challenges and opportunities that exist in developing climate-smart markets for agriculture.

Virtual attendance is available for select sessions.

Agenda — Tuesday, August 13th

Select sessions will be available online.

▸ Sessions marked hybrid participation available allow for virtual participation.
▸ Sessions marked virtual attendance available allow virtual attendance but no participation.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13th
ACTIVITY TIME SESSION TITLE SPEAKERS LOCATION

REGISTRATION
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Foyer

BREAKFAST
7:30 – 8:30 AM
Salon D

Welcome Remarks
Join Online

8:00 – 8:30 AM

Welcome to the first annual Alliance Summit! Tom Thompson
Virginia Tech
Allison Costa
USDA
Chris Colclasure & Megan Perkins
Arkansas Dept. of Agriculture
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

The Impact of PCSC Projects
Join Online

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Reflections on the impact Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects can have for agriculture. P.J. Haynie III
Haynie Farms
Reedville, VA
Fifth Generation Farmer
CEO, Arkansas River Rice
Chairman, National Black Growers Council
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Session 1 – Breakout A

9:15 – 10:30 AM

Climate-smart agriculture and the impact of the Alliance on greenhouse gas emission goals. Kevin Norton
Blue Sky Conservation Concepts
Salon A
Session 1 – Breakout B
Join Online

9:15 – 10:30 AM

Research Highlight
Virginia Tech’s Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Mark Reiter & Joseph Haymaker
Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Salon A

MORNING BREAK
10:30 – 10:45 AM
Palisades

Session 2 – Breakout A

10:45 – 12:00 PM

The data behind climate-smart agriculture. Sarah Gower & Rebekah Slabach
Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture
Salon A
Session 2 – Breakout B
Join Online

10:45 – 12:00 PM

Research Highlight
Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Elinor Benami
Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Salon C

LUNCH
12:00 – 1:00 PM

Year One Reflections
Join Online

12:30 – 12:45 PM

Reflections on the challenges and successes from the first year of the Alliance — and goals for the future. Jamie Lucero, Project Director
Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

State Updates
Join Online

12:45 – 1:15 PM

Updates on outreach and enrollment from each partner state, including successes and challenges. Chris Colclasure, Arkansas Dept. of Agriculture
David Weirens, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources
Matt Perdue, North Dakota Farmers Union
James Martin, Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Equity Outreach Strategy
Join Online

1:15 – 1:45 PM

Update on the Alliance Equity Outreach strategy, including lessons learned from the National Black Growers Council’s work with other PCSC projects. Rebekah Slabach
Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture
Elzadia Washington
National Black Growers Council
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

AgriCapture: Certifying Sustainable Rice + Grassland Practices
Join Online

1:45 – 2:15 PM

Overview of AgriCapture’s organization and their climate-smart commodity project, including an introduction to their collaboration with the Alliance. Lee Atwill, Senior Agronomist
AgriCapture
Trevor Freemyer, Rice Programs Manager
AgriCapture
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Advisory Council Meeting
Join Online

2:30 – 4:00 PM

Advisory Council members only. Salon A

Hybrid participation available

Reception at the Old State House Museum

5:00 – 7:00 PM

Networking + Hors d’Oeuvres
Thank you to our sponsors!
Tom Thompson
Virginia Tech
Chris Colclasure
Arkansas Dept. of Agriculture
Old State House Museum

DINNER ON YOUR OWN


Agenda — Wednesday, August 14th

Select sessions will be available online.

▸ Sessions marked hybrid participation available allow for virtual participation.
▸ Sessions marked virtual attendance available allow virtual attendance but no participation.

 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14th
ACTIVITY TIME SESSION TITLE SPEAKER LOCATION

REGISTRATION
7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Foyer

BREAKFAST
6:30 – 7:30 AM
Salon D

Welcome Remarks
Join Online

7:00 – 7:15 AM

Reflections from Day One Tom Thompson
Virginia Tech
Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Climate-Smart Certificate
Join Online
Passcode:  415464

7:15 – 7:45 AM

An introduction to Sustainable Food Lab, climate markets, and the Alliance climate-smart certificate. Sustainable Food Lab Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Climate-Smart Certificate
Join Online
Passcode:  415464

7:45 – 8:45 AM

Table & Group Discussions Sustainable Food Lab Salon D

Virtual attendance available

MORNING BREAK
8:45 – 9:00 AM

Session 3 – Breakout A
Join Online
Passcode:  056164

9:00 – 10:15 AM

Livestock Working Group
Research highlights from Livestock Working Group, including results from the Livestock Sub-Pilot Interest Survey and next steps for livestock producers in Minnesota and Virginia.
Robin White
Virginia Tech School of Animal Sciences
Salon C

Hybrid participation available

Session 3 – Breakout B
Join Online
Passcode:  645153

9:00 – 10:15 AM

Outreach Strategies to Expand the Applicant Pool Elinor Benami
Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Samantha Jameson
Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture
Kent Messer
Center for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-Environmental Research
Salon C

Virtual attendance available

Producer Perspectives Panel
Join Online
Passcode:  405138

10:30 – 11:30 AM

Panel Discussion Moderated by Matt Perdue, North Dakota Farmers Union

Panelists:
Kelly Robbins, Arkansas Rice
Ariel Kagan, Minnesota Farmers Union
Sarah Tunge, Mercer County Conservation District (North Dakota)
Jessica Shippen-Hansen, Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District (Virginia)

Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Lunch
Join Online
Passcode:  405138

11:30 – 12:00 PM

Lunch + Closing Remarks Tom Thompson, Virginia Tech Salon D

Virtual attendance available

Load Tour Bus for Farm Tour
12:30 – 1:00 PM
Meet In Front of Hotel
Farm Tour at LTD Farms
1:00 – 5:00 PM
Stuttgart, Arkansas

DINNER ON YOUR OWN


Travel & Lodging

Parking: Please use the Robinson Center Parking Deck for parking at the meeting and hotel venue. Hotel guests will receive a parking hang tag at check in that will be used to swipe in/out of the parking garage. Rates will be $12 per day. For our non-hotel guests, you will be issued a ticket when you enter the garage and then pay when you leave. Rates are either $2 per hour or $12 per day.

Please note:
The Little Rock Doubletree Hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service between 5 AM – 11 PM to and from the Clinton National Airport.  The shuttle will also take you to attractions within five miles of the property.  The airport is approximately 4.5 miles from the hotel.


You can book your hotel room using one of the following options:

1. Use the Direct Booking Link

2.  Through the DoubleTree website:

⋅  Go to the hotel website ⇗
⋅  Enter arrival and departure dates (Summit dates are August 13-14, 2024)
⋅  Click the “Special Rates” box
⋅  Enter 91G in the “Group Code” box, then click Done
⋅  Click the “Check Rooms & Rates” box

3.  Call 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667) and reference the Alliance/Summit 2024 room block to receive the discount.

Farm Tour

To wrap up the 2024 Alliance Summit, LTD Farms will host a farm tour on their 3,500 acre rice, soybean and corn operation located south of Stuttgart, Arkansas — the Rice and Duck Capital of the World.

Owned by Terry and Lori Dabbs and Trent and Kristian Dabbs, they participate in many conservation programs on their farm through many different agencies. They were one of the original farms in the Arkansas Discovery Farm program where water quality is being studied through runoff monitors to see what nutrients or other particles are present in the water that runs off their fields.  Located in a critical groundwater area, they have implemented moisture sensors and other conservation measures to make irrigation more efficient.  Find out more about their conservations efforts here.

LTD Farms is the recipient of many awards, including the American Soybean Association Southern Region Conservation Legacy award and, most recently, the 2024 Southern Cotton Ginners Association Ag Achievement Award for their work with the University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

Terry serves on the board of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation and was elected to the office of Secretary/Treasurer. He also serves on the Southern Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Arkansas Discovery Farm Advisory Committee.  Lori is on their county FSA Committee and the Board of Trustees for the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie and was named Arkansas “Agvocate of the Year” and Arkansas County’s Woman of the Year in Agriculture.  Trent was named to the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board and is active with the Arkansas Rice Federation and Arkansas Agricultural Council. Kristian serves as principal of a local parochial school. All are active in their church and with their kids and grandkids and travel extensively to support them in softball, baseball and dance.

Learn more about LTD Farms here:

TIME ACTIVITY LOCATION
12:30-1:00 PM Load tour buses DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock
424 W Markham St
Little Rock, AR 72201
1:00-2:15 PM Travel to farm LTD Farms, Inc
Stuttgart, AR 72160
2:15-3:45 PM FARM TOUR AT LTD FARMS
Led by Lori Dabbs
3:45-5:00 PM Return to hotel DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock
424 W Markham St
Little Rock, AR 72201

Reception
All summit participants are invited to a reception on Tuesday, August 13th for hors d’oeuvres, drinks and networking.

VenueOld State House Museum
Address: 300 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72201
Date:  Tuesday, August 13th
Time:  5:00 – 7:00 PM

ABOUT THE VENUE

The Old State House Museum is the original state capitol building of Arkansas. Since 1833, when construction began, the building and its grounds have witnessed many of the most important events in Arkansas history.

It was here that Arkansas was admitted into the Union, a fatal knife fight between two sitting legislators took place, Arkansas voted to secede from the United States and join the Confederacy, pioneering medical research into hookworm and malaria occurred, and our front porch served as the site of two election night victories by a president of the United States. Today, the museum’s exhibits and events are open to the public.

In 1836, Arkansas became a state. Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock, appointed to design the new capitol, chose the Greek Revival style for the new state capitol to emphasize the connection between the newest state of the young United States and the original democracy of ancient Greece.

In 1947, the Old State House was made a museum by acts of the Arkansas legislature, a status it has enjoyed ever since. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997. It continues to play a vital role in preserving, sharing, and celebrating the history of Arkansas and its people.

Attractions & Things To Do

While in Little Rock, we hope you get to explore some of what the city has to offer!  Use the below resources to make the most of your trip outside of the summit activities.

▸ The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Little Rock.  Use the trip planner or view the recommended Attractions & Things To Do!

▸ Take advantage of the free guides from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism.

▸ Explore the River Market District, the heart of Little Rock’s downtown scene.

▸ Discover Little Rock’s hidden gems in A Local’s Guide to What’s New in Little Rock, Arkansas for the can’t-miss museums, restaurants, and outdoor recreation spots.

If you have questions about the Alliance Summit, please call or text us at (540) 231-3990.