Our mission is to build collective power sufficient to realize a just and sustainable food system.
Transfarmation does this by helping farmers transition from industrial animal agriculture operations to raising crops for human consumption. By creating models of alternative economic opportunities, building solidarity with other movements, and shifting societal narratives to change culture, we will realize a just and sustainable food system.
Then I met The Transfarmation Project.
It’s been a long path.
The hardest thing at first was just to get people to realize that change is possible. My family wanted to get out of hog farming, but that was essentially their retirement fund. Thirty years of doing something every day—it’s hard to even imagine the possibility of doing something else. Something drastically different. So it seems to be going against the grain, which seems intimidating.
Then I met The Transfarmation Project, and they’ve been just an amazing, amazing help. They’ve linked me with different experts and consultants, but then, also—just to have people that you could talk to about this project, that are excited, that are: “Yes, let’s do this! This is great!” Just that attitude: “Yes, that’s great. I love what you’re doing. You’re not crazy. Keep going!” Because that can be really helpful, because ... you’re grinding this out while you’re still working on the farm.
—Tanner Faaborg
Transfarmation-enrolled farmer, speaking at the Food, Not Feed Summit in Washington, DC
You can see the progress of Transfarmation™ farmers transitioning to plants on our impact board.
Our Transfarmation team provides resources and support to industrial animal farmers interested in transitioning their farms to plant-focused operations. The resources we create and data we collect are accessible to other farmers and organizations to facilitate widespread farm transitions, thereby contributing to societal good.
Our Process
Step 1:
Initial Contact
We meet farmers in all sorts of ways: through conferences and events, site visits to rural areas, social media, and word of mouth. If farmers are interested in joining Transfarmation, we invite them to fill out our farmer interest form.
In this initial contact, we try to assess whether Transfarmation is a good fit for the farmer—can we help meet the farmer’s current needs? Do we have the capacity to enroll another farmer? What is the farmer’s opinion of industrial animal agriculture—does the farmer align ideologically with our work?
Step 2:
Farmer Assessment
If we decide to work together, the next step is to complete an intake assessment with our team. This helps us gain a better understanding of the farmer and their situation and determine how we can best work together. This is followed by a needs assessment where our team identifies the farmer’s most pressing needs and how to create a path forward to help them build a thriving plant-focused farm operation.
In this step, we also assess the infrastructure and assets available on the existing farm and their potential to be repurposed.
Step 3:
Transition Plan
After completing the farmer assessments, our team gets to work on building a unique transition plan for the farmer. This includes compiling farmer resources and educational materials, providing the farmer with one-on-one training on a new crop, drafting a business plan, assisting the farmer in identifying and securing buyers for their new product, and offering guidance on infrastructure changes. We focus on repurposing existing infrastructure and transforming former industrial animal facilities. Our team also identifies grant opportunities for the farmer, including our research and innovation grants.
*Note: The resources generated during the transition-planning step are also later converted to evergreen resources for other farmers wanting to transition out of industrial animal agriculture. These are made public on our website and the Farmer Toolkit. In this way, our program benefits the farmers enrolled in our program and other farmers and organizations in the farm transition movement.
Levels of Farmer Engagement
Transfarmation™ Allies
Transfarmation Allies are farmers who are interested in and supportive of Transfarmation but may not be able to take transition steps just yet. For example, high debt may limit transition options for a farmer in the short term, but they can still work with us to advocate alternatives to industrial animal agriculture and spread the word about Transfarmation to other farmers. We also consider farmers who have transitioned their farms independently of Transfarmation, as well as those who support our mission, to be allies.
Grant Recipients
Farmers who receive a research and innovation grant from us are pursuing pilot projects to transition former industrial animal facilities into plant-focused operations. For example, a farmer may receive a grant to begin cultivating specialty mushrooms in a former chicken barn.
Cohort Farmers
Cohort farmers work closely with the Transfarmation team to build out and scale their transition to plants. They receive the one-on-one support outlined in the “Transition Plan” step listed above, including guidance on infrastructure conversion, technical assistance from our roster of subject matter experts, assistance in finding and securing grant opportunities, and brainstorming on branding and marketing. In exchange for these services, cohort farmers report valuable lessons learned and outcome data to Transfarmation to create resources that will benefit future farm transitions. You can read about our cohort farmers here.
Demonstration Hubs
This is the newest category of Transfarmation farmer engagement. We have selected two sites, one former chicken farm and one former pig farm, where farmers will work hand in hand with Transfarmation to convert their entire barns for mushroom and specialty-crop cultivation. These sites will serve as crop-testing facilities and learning centers where the Transfarmation team will share and educate on all the exciting possibilities of Transfarmation. We are eager to share more about these sites as they develop.
The Case for Transfarmation™
Over the past few decades, consumers have become increasingly aware of the environmental and animal welfare concerns associated with industrialized agriculture. But most people are unaware of the exploitation farmers themselves often endure.
Most farmers who raise chickens do so on a contract basis for major meat companies. But many farmers refer to themselves as “indentured servants” in these relationships. They take on massive debt, often struggle to pay it off, and have little to no control over their operations. They fall into the “debt treadmill” of chicken farming: an endless loop of paying off loans they take on to make improvements to their chicken houses. Christopher Leonard, author of The Meat Racket and former Associated Press agriculture reporter, said that farmers “end up taking orders from a big company like Tyson Foods in the same way a serf might be tied to a lord many, many years ago.” To learn more about contract farming and the broader economic structure of animal agriculture in the United States, please visit Transfarmation’s detailed fact sheet:The Economic State of U.S. Farming.
Numerous contract poultry farmers have blown the whistle to expose how the system harms farmers, animals, and consumers. One such pioneer is Craig Watts, who was profiled in theNew York Times after he blew the whistle with Leah Garcés, now president of Mercy For Animals.
The plant-based food industry is expected to be worth $85 billion by 2030. To get there, plant-based food producers will need a reliable source of key ingredients, such as peas, mushrooms, oats, and greens. Similarly, the demand for hemp as food, textile fiber, and medicine is growing. Transfarmation partners with farmers to help them transition to plant production and then connects them with businesses in need of their products. It’s a true win-win—for farmers and their families, for consumers, for animals, and for the planet.
Creating Systemic Change
We know that helping farmers transition from animal agriculture alone won’t transform our food system. That’s why Transfarmation also catalyzes larger-scale shifts through powerful storytelling, policy change, and a broad network of organizations and individuals working to build a more just and sustainable food system.
For policymakers, Transfarmation is an opportunity to shift state and federal funding, programs, and other resources toward transitioning farmers to plant-focused agriculture. The Transfarmation team partners with policymakers who are passionate about improving the lives and livelihoods of farmers and communities in their districts. A primer for policymakers is available here.
Success stories—and the lessons learned—will inspire other farmers to follow suit, so even farmers not formally affiliated with our program will benefit as they pursue their own transitions. Ultimately, we hope Transfarmation will also help new farmers avoid animal agriculture altogether by highlighting other ways to support their families and communities on the land.
Our Team
Meet the team leading Transfarmation™
Leah Garcés
Founder of Transfarmation and CEO and President of Mercy For Animals
Leah Garcés is the CEO and president of Mercy For Animals and author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry. With more than 20 years of…
Leah Garcés is the CEO and president of Mercy For Animals and author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in the animal protection movement, she has partnered with corporations, communities, and governments on her mission to build a better food system.She is the founder of Mercy For Animals’ Transfarmation program, working to transition factory farmers from industrial animal agriculture to production of specialty crops, such as mushrooms and hemp. Her book about this program and ways to transition to a just and sustainable food system will be published by Beacon in fall 2024. Leah oversaw international campaigns in 14 countries at the World Society for the Protection of Animals and launched Compassion in World Farming in the United States. Her work has been featured in national and international media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, VICE, and the Chicago Tribune. She has presented at global forums, including TEDx, RIO+10, and the World Health Organization’s Global Forum for Health Research. She was proud to be called a “moral weirdo” by philosopher Will MacAskill and named in Vox’s Future Perfect 50list of scientists, thinkers, scholars, writers, and activists building “a more perfect future.”
Tyler Whitley
Director of Transfarmation
Tyler Whitley brings more than a decade of experience in agricultural and financial systems to his role. He worked in home-mortgage lending for three years before returning to graduate school…
Tyler Whitley brings more than a decade of experience in agricultural and financial systems to his role. He worked in home-mortgage lending for three years before returning to graduate school where he earned a master’s in public health from Tulane University. As part of his master’s degree, he interned for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on a project in Cambodia. There he administered cash transfers and community reinvestments for more than 7,500 smallholder farmers in two rural provinces. After his time in Cambodia and graduation from Tulane, Tyler accepted a position as the manager of a food and farming intervention program in two rural Haitian provinces. While in Haiti, he implemented programs similar to those he administered in Cambodia, specializing in cash transfers, input sourcing, community investment, and creating market linkages. After years abroad, with little time at home, Tyler chose to return to the United States. He moved to North Carolina and began working for a small farmer-advocacy organization, managing the Challenging Corporate Power program and staffing a farmer financial-crisis hotline for four years before joining Mercy For Animals as the director of The Transfarmation Project.
Katherine Jernigan
Farmer Outreach Manager
Katherine Jernigan is the farmer outreach manager for Transfarmation. She has a background in food systems and sustainable agriculture and has grown food and worked with farmers for more than…
Katherine Jernigan is the farmer outreach manager for Transfarmation. She has a background in food systems and sustainable agriculture and has grown food and worked with farmers for more than 10 years. She has a BA in environmental studies and is currently pursuing a dual MBA and MS in sustainable food systems. Katherine is a relationship builder and collaborator focused on bringing people with diverse backgrounds and specialties together to achieve common goals. She works with Transfarmation farmers to develop and execute their plans for farm transitions and ensures they have the tools and support to be successful.
Paulomi Joshi
Demonstration Hub Project Manager
Paulomi Joshi is the demonstration hub project manager for Transfarmation. Based in Massachusetts, she has worked at a university for the past 18 years, partnering with a variety of teams…
Paulomi Joshi is the demonstration hub project manager for Transfarmation. Based in Massachusetts, she has worked at a university for the past 18 years, partnering with a variety of teams to streamline processes and introduce innovative systems. She also volunteers for local campaigns and advocacy groups, effecting positive change in her community. Passionate about creating a kinder, healthier food system and always looking to explore what is possible, Paulomi is excited to collaborate with the Transfarmation team and farmers to evolve industrial animal farms into plant-based educational community hubs.
Megan Hunter
Midwest Coordinator
Megan Hunter is the Midwest coordinator for Transfarmation. Born and raised in the Midwest, Megan has a background in telecommunications and worked as a 911 emergency dispatcher in rural Indiana…
Megan Hunter is the Midwest coordinator for Transfarmation. Born and raised in the Midwest, Megan has a background in telecommunications and worked as a 911 emergency dispatcher in rural Indiana for over six years. She lives in Ossian, Indiana, with her family and two cats. As a previous first responder, she values approaching obstacles with compassion and a problem-solving mindset. Megan enjoys connecting people with diverse backgrounds to resources that fit their needs. She is involved with onboarding new Transfarmation farmers, developing resources to support existing ones, and providing R&I grant and administrative support.
Ashley Niblett
Business Engagement Specialist
Ashley Niblett is Transfarmation’s business engagement specialist and lives in northwest Arkansas. She has spent the past 20 years working in retail marketing and product development, shopper marketing, and CPG…
Ashley Niblett is Transfarmation’s business engagement specialist and lives in northwest Arkansas. She has spent the past 20 years working in retail marketing and product development, shopper marketing, and CPG (consumer packaged goods). Ashley is passionate about moving the food system toward a more compassionate plant-based model. She holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in nutrition education. Ashley uses her retail and CPG experience to help Transfarmation farmers better understand their local markets and secure purchasing commitments.
Heather Decker
Social Media Specialist
Heather Decker is the social media specialist for Transfarmation. She joined Mercy For Animals with more than five years of experience managing social media in the animal protection sphere. After…
Heather Decker is the social media specialist for Transfarmation. She joined Mercy For Animals with more than five years of experience managing social media in the animal protection sphere. After earning a BFA from Emerson College and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, Heather spent much of her professional career working at an animal sanctuary, where she developed a deep love for farmed animals. Heather is thrilled to be part of an organization that is actively creating a more just and sustainable food system.
Ronnika A. McFall, APR
Director of Public Relations, U.S. & Canada
Ronnika A. McFall, MBA, APR, is the director of public relations for the U.S. and Canada region. She joined Mercy For Animals with more than 10 years of public relations,…
Ronnika A. McFall, MBA, APR, is the director of public relations for the U.S. and Canada region. She joined Mercy For Animals with more than 10 years of public relations, media, and communications experience. Most of her career has been spent working with nonprofits, including the American Red Cross and Compassion in World Farming. Highlights at the Red Cross include serving as a spokesperson for the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. At Compassion in World Farming, Ronnika built and developed the U.S. team’s media department and strengthened communications policies and strategies. She is eager to continue this great work with Mercy For Animals!
Andie Thompkins
Global Director of Research
Dr. Andie Thompkins is the global director of research at Mercy For Animals. She is trained in animal cognition, with a focus on human-animal interaction and behavioral neuroscience. She has…
Dr. Andie Thompkins is the global director of research at Mercy For Animals. She is trained in animal cognition, with a focus on human-animal interaction and behavioral neuroscience. She has extensive research and operational leadership experience and has served as a director of research, an executive director, a program and research coordinator, and a front-line researcher in nonprofit and academic environments. At Mercy For Animals, Andie provides planning, assistance, and oversight for research activities, and she liaises with senior leadership to support strategic decision-making that promotes the organization’s vision and mission.
Dennis Powers
Research Economist
Dennis Powers is a research economist at Mercy For Animals. Before joining Mercy For Animals, Dennis spent 26 years in academics, engaged in both teaching and research. Much of his…
Dennis Powers is a research economist at Mercy For Animals. Before joining Mercy For Animals, Dennis spent 26 years in academics, engaged in both teaching and research. Much of his research was studying the management of community irrigation systems in the Middle East. In 2021, Dennis decided to join Mercy For Animals and turn his attention to addressing the economics of animal welfare in animal agriculture, as well as engaging in economics research in support of Transfarmation.
Jodi Medoff
General Counsel
Jodi Medoff is general counsel at Mercy For Animals, overseeing legal affairs and advising on all legal matters that arise concerning the organization’s programs, operations, compliance, and corporate governance. With…
Jodi Medoff is general counsel at Mercy For Animals, overseeing legal affairs and advising on all legal matters that arise concerning the organization’s programs, operations, compliance, and corporate governance. With more than 17 years in legal practice, including 11 years of in-house counsel work, Jodi brings a breadth and depth of corporate and transactional experience. She also brings experience in law enforcement. Jodi received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, her master’s in business from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, and her bachelor’s in psychology from Brandeis University.
Patrick Sarsfield
Deputy General Counsel
Patrick Sarsfield serves as deputy general counsel at Mercy For Animals and advises the organization on various legal matters, including transactions, development, operations, and compliance. Before joining Mercy For Animals,…
Patrick Sarsfield serves as deputy general counsel at Mercy For Animals and advises the organization on various legal matters, including transactions, development, operations, and compliance. Before joining Mercy For Animals, Patrick represented private clients primarily in commercial litigation matters and served as in-house counsel at a large financial institution. Patrick earned his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Contact:For media inquiries, please contact RONNIKA A. MCFALL, APRDirector of Public Relations, U.S. & CanadaPhone: 404-398-7804Email: [email protected]
If you are a member of the media, please email [email protected] for the quickest response. If you are not a member of the media, please direct your request to [email protected].Members of the media can also contact the Mercy For Animals public relations department at 404-398-7804 or 310-776-3769. After hours (weekdays from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern time or weekends) your media inquiry will be handled as soon as possible. Thank you.