Attend the Cultivating Change Summit
Summit is coming to Minneapolis, MN October 4-6, 2026!
The purpose of the Cultivating Change Summit is to bring together LGBTQ+ individuals connected to agriculture, natural resources, and food systems, along with employees, human resources and diversity and inclusion professionals, employee resource group leaders, executives, organizational leaders, allies, and others who are working toward creating an equitable industry environment for LGBTQ+ people.
Registering a group? Companies and organizations who wish to register 5 or more people should contact Tandy Kidd at Cultivating Change for a group discount.
Location
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403
We recommend booking your room early to stay with the community. The room block closes on September 11th.
Apply for a Summit Scholarship
The Cultivating Change Foundation offers scholarships to help LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in agriculture attend the Cultivating Change Summit in Minneapolis on October 4 to 6, 2026. Scholarships of up to 1,500 dollars support registration, travel, and related summit expenses, with preference given to students, underrepresented communities, farmers/producers, and applicants with demonstrated financial need. Awards are made possible through the generosity of the Nothmann Family Charitable Fund and the Cultivating Change Board of Directors, and applications must be submitted online by May 29, 2026.
Cultivating Change Annual Award Nominations
The Cultivating Change Foundation’s annual awards recognize individuals, organizations, and students who are advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion across food and agriculture through leadership, advocacy, and community impact.
Nominations are open to anyone, including self-nominations, and may be supported with additional materials such as letters of recommendation or examples of impact.
Priority consideration will be given to submissions received by July 17, 2026, and we encourage you to take this opportunity to highlight those making a meaningful difference in our industry.
Speakers
Keynote: Kiah Twisselman Burchett
Kiah Twisselman Burchett—known as Coach Kiah—is a multigenerational California rancher turned Kentucky-based international motivational speaker who helps people reconnect with their roots and rise into their own legacy.
Raised on her family’s cattle ranch in California and now living on a small farm in Louisville, Kentucky, Kiah’s life reflects the heart of her message: that we can honor where we come from while courageously choosing how we move forward.
Her story has been featured on Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, People Magazine, and Women’s Health, and she’s been named Cowgirl Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30, the 2020 Beef Advocate of the Year, and a keynote speaker at the 2025 National FFA Convention.
With authentic vulnerability, humor, and contagious energy, Kiah invites you to celebrate your roots, release what no longer serves you, and step into the legacy only you can live.
These leaders and partners join together to share strategies and best practices to create a community inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions within the food, fiber, and natural resources industry through workshops, expert panels, networking mixers, and keynotes from prominent agriculture LGBTQ+ and ally industry leaders
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Farmers and Ranchers
Human Resources
Executives
Employee Resource Groups
Organizations and Societies
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Cooperative Extension Agents
State and Regional Agricultural Education professionals
Leaders in educational organizations and societies
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College of Agricultural and Life Sciences undergraduate and graduate students
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Food and Ag leaders who are allies of the LGBTQ+ community
Friends and family of LGBTQ+ people in food and agriculture
Unique and elevated professional development opportunities
Network with a purpose and expand your human capital
Collaborate and share best practices for solving problems facing the industry
Activate with tools and resources to take back and implement in your community
Thank You To Our
2026 Partners
