Tilth Conference

Conference Schedule

Conference Schedule

Finding Your Market

  • Date: Friday, November 14
  • Time: 4-5:15 p.m.
  • Speakers: Jorge Cano, Casa Cano Farm; McKenzie Don Tigny, Billie's Diner; Brooke Lucy, Bluebird Grain Farms; Paul Rosen, Good Food Store
  • Location: Room 110
  • Track: Farm Business & Marketing

This session producers will learn what buyers need and want. It is important for producers to have a variety of market outlets. In this workshop you will learn how to set up a wholesale market channel and what different buyers want. Each buyer will describe what they need in volume, time, prices, food safety, documentation and communication. They will describe how to develop a long-term relationship that enables the buyer to commit to you ahead of the season.

About the Speakers

  • Jorge Cano

    Casa Cano Farm

    Jorge Cano was born and raised in Spokane, where a high school environmental studies class sparked his passion for agriculture. After studying sustainable food and farming at the University of Montana and working on farms during college, he and his wife, Madyson, founded Casa Cano Farms in Valleyford in 2014. Together they raise vegetables, microgreens, pigs, and cows, and have also been building out a regional food hub to strengthen Spokane’s local food system. As first-generation farmers, they are proud to contribute to a resilient and growing local food community.  

  • McKenzie Don Tigny

    Billie's Diner

    McKenzie DonTigny is the founder and owner of Billie’s Diner in Airway Heights, WA, a “farmer-first” American diner dedicated to sourcing at least 75% of its ingredients directly from local producers across the Inland Northwest. After nearly a decade in the corporate food industry, McKenzie opened the diner in 2022 as a tribute to her father, and a celebration of local food and community.

  • Brooke Lucy

    Bluebird Grain Farms

  • Paul Rosen

    Good Food Store

    Paul Rosen has a BA in Philosophy and an MS in Environmental Studies. He has worked as Produce Manager at the Good Food Store in Missoula Montana for the past 28 years. Due to a passion for local and organic produce, he was recognized as one of the Produce Managers of the Year by United Fresh Produce Association in 2020. Over the years, Paul has served on the boards of Garden City Harvest, the Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, Congregation Har Shalom, and as chair of the Victor School Board. He enjoys playing drums, trail running, and Tai Chi Chuan.