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Hayden Payne shared thisAn organization and park in Austin, very dear to me, is about to be severely impacted by the I-35 expansion. The Festival Beach Food Forest is a powerful example of community-led stewardship and a valuable public asset — and right now, it’s at risk. Learn more here (background, timeline, documentation): https://lnkd.in/eJdBEubj A newly disclosed utility relocation tied to the I-35 project is set to damage portions of the site. Organizers say they were notified only weeks before construction and are raising serious concerns about transparency, public process, and the loss of years of community stewardship and public investment. This isn’t just about one food forest or one city park. It raises broader questions about how infrastructure projects engage (or fail to engage) the communities most affected by them, and how cities treat community-built public assets. We have a petition, a press release circulating, upcoming meetings where the public can speak, and representatives who can be contacted. Please consider signing, sharing, and helping preserve this park.
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Hayden Payne reposted thisHayden Payne reposted this’Tis the season for gratitude, and I want to shine a light on a group of true joy-makers I’m especially thankful for. Many of you know that I stepped into the role of Board Chair at Fruitful Commons last year. What you may not know is that my connection to this work started nearly eight years ago—well before I had any idea how deeply it would shape me. Back in 2017, when I was working downtown at GLG, I made it my personal mission to get my (often new-to-Austin) colleagues involved in the community. That’s when I first heard about a small but intriguing project near downtown Austin: the Festival Beach Food Forest. So I rallied about 20 coworkers, and together we spent four hot, happy hours mulching, sweating, and connecting with each other and the land. Fast forward to November 1, 2025, when the Food Forest invited my 40-person brass band, Blowcomotion, to help celebrate their 10-year anniversary. We paraded through the forest, cheering on volunteers, weaving music through a space that had transformed far beyond what I remembered. What was once a patch of bermuda grass and shrubs had become lush, immersive, and magical. My daughter and the other kids danced through the trees, wide-eyed with wonder. This is exactly what Fruitful Commons is committed to building alongside our sponsored projects: vibrant, inclusive, deeply joyful green spaces that belong to—and benefit—all of us. A lot can grow in under ten years, and the Food Forest is living proof. I’ve included a couple of photos so you can see the transformation for yourself (yes, the giant fork sculpture is for scale, and hidden in the fig tree in the second photo!). How to Get Involved 💡 Explore our work: Newsletter + “Get Involved” page are linked in the comments. 🌿 Support our small-but-mighty team: Donation link also in the comments. 🌳 Interested in leadership or partnership? Send me a message—I’d love to chat 🤠
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Hayden Payne shared thisSupport the Festival Beach Food Forest!!! As you may know, this project is near and dear to me. These last few years have been a doozy, and I could not have made it through without these folks. There I rediscovered my love of nature (dirt), and this sparked my entire change of lifestyle, career, and how I relate to the world and my community. The Food Forest represents a sustainable, loving, community-driven way of living and we could really use your support. We are growing something truly special — a vibrant, community-driven space in the heart of Austin that nurtures both people and the planet. This is a place where fresh, healthy food is abundant, the environment thrives, and neighbors come together to learn, share, and grow. And this year, we’re expanding! We have begun the process of tripling the size of our edible forest garden, creating a sustainable ecosystem that nourishes our community and restores the land. Since October 2024, we’ve planted 150 trees as part of Phase II, putting down new roots into our full 3-acre plot. There is so much to do, and so many ways you can help!! Check out this page, or just go by in person some time. It's quite swell
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Hayden Payne posted thisI’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: Mental Health First Aid from National Council for Mental Wellbeing! Thank you to Integral Care here in Austin for facilitating this training. I intend to make this the first of many.
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Hayden Payne posted thisI’m happy to share that I’ve been promoted to a new position as Senior Relationship Manager and Credit Analyst at SmartBiz Loans!
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisFor anyone who missed it the first time -- we're hiring! Come join our amazing, innovative team helping farmers build thriving, sustainable businesses. We're looking for a seasoned accountant with FP&A experience to help us build out our "Premium" service for our largest, most complex agribusiness customers (they are such a fun group of family business owners to work with!)
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisBig news! Our CEO & Founder, Alex Edquist, will be speaking at the Food Well Alliance Metro Atlanta Farm Resource Round-Up on March 31 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM. We’re excited to share insights, connect with fellow farmers, and talk all things farm finance and sustainability. You won't want to miss it: https://lnkd.in/eY8N-Jwq. #goodagriculture
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisThis time of year, I think a lot about legacy. The Terry Foundation is preparing for our 2026 interview season, when we will select the next class of #TerryScholars. We're not just picking students we will support financially, we are selecting the future leaders of our organization. My evolution from Scholar, to board member, to Executive Director and now President & CEO didn't just happen over night. It started with the early years when I made a conscious effort to give back to the organization that supported me. It also required me to say "Yes" to opportunity, and then a willingness to learn from Howard Terry and Rhett Campbell about how to invest in others and build something that will outlast us all. I am starting to see Mr. Terry's vision become a reality, as we hand the torch to the next generation of leaders. This past weekend I had the opportunity to honor Meyling "Mey" Ly Ortiz for her service as a founding board member of the #TerryScholarsFund. Mey keeps saying "yes" when we ask for her leadership and support, just like so many other Terry Scholars! I wish I had a crystal award for all of them. 🏆 Student Org Officers, Alumni Chapter Officers, Interview Panelists, Advisory Board members, and Board Members of the Terry Foundation and the Terry Scholars Fund. Each of them is part of the legacy, along with every one of the 7,165 Terry Scholars who have been invested in over the past 38 years. Howard & Nancy Terry's legacy lives on in each person who has been gifted a debt-free education, and charged with the expectation that they will pay it forward. Legacy. It's an honor to be a part of it, and a thrill to watch it continue! ✨ 💙
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisMeet the Marketing Team at Good Agriculture: Lily is our Marketing & Sales Analyst who brings digital strategies to life while getting her hands dirty alongside our farmers. She spruces up the website, keeps an eye on analytics, chats with you on social media, and builds strong bonds, all with her rich agricultural know-how. Reba is our Marketing & Sales Manager steering the ship at Good Agriculture. With a knack for PR and writing, she focuses on strategy and nurturing farmer relationships, and loves spending time outdoors. Together, they're making marketing friendly and effective for everyone in agriculture! #farmmarketing #marketingteam
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Hayden Payne liked thisThis event is going to be awesome! See you there?Hayden Payne liked thisCome plant trees with us! Join us for the first Gathering of Growers of 2026 — a community tree planting workshop at the beautiful St. John Faith Community Garden! We’re partnering with TreeFolks to expand the garden’s young orchard and plant 30 new fruit trees that will nourish this space for years to come. Together, we’ll learn how to select healthy trees, prepare soil, and plant for long-term success, blending hands-on learning with shared stewardship of the orchard. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or brand new to planting, this event is for you. Come ready to get your hands in the soil, learn, and connect with fellow growers and tree experts from across Austin. 🍵 Snacks and hot beverages provided 🌳 No experience necessary — all ages welcome! 🗣️ Spanish interpretation available 💚 Free and open to the public RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gUqy5M93 to secure your spot and help us root the year in growth and community care! 📅 Saturday, February 28 ⏰ 10 AM–1 PM 📍 St. John Faith Community Garden, 7501 Blessing Ave, Austin, TX 78752
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisIt's still conference season! We’re thrilled to share where Good Agriculture will be this month. Come see us, and let's see how we can help your farm thrive! (We may offer an opportunity for free funding alerts). #ConferenceSeason #farmbookkeeping
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisThe January issue of On the Ground Texas is here! Inside you’ll find a donor thank‑you, quick actions you can take this month, statewide member events, a new Texas environmental snapshot, job openings, and the 2026 Green Leaders Fellowship host organizations. Read the newsletter: http://bit.ly/45zxM6T Don’t miss future updates — sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gcY3ucTd #EarthShareTexas #TexasConservation #TexasEnvironment
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Hayden Payne liked thisHayden Payne liked thisWe’re headed to the Future Harvest Conference! 🌱 Come see us Jan 22–23 in Maryland. Can’t wait to connect, share ideas, and talk all things farming and bookkeeping! #FutureHarvest #goodag
Experience & Education
Licenses & Certifications
Volunteer Experience
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Member
Terry Scholars of Texas State University
- Present 14 years 3 months
The Terry Scholars Organization is a Texas based org comprised of students that have received a scholarship from the Terry Foundation. As a member since 2012, I have completed over 150 hours of volunteering and community service.
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Core Volunteer - Finance, Grant Writing, Community Safety & Mutual Aid Navigation Team
Festival Beach Food Forest
- Present 5 years 1 month
Environment
Creating and managing the budget, writing and managing grants, and coordinating community safety and mutual aid navigation
Projects
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2016 Matt & Jodi Edgar Texas State Undergraduate Business Plan Competition
See projectCo-Director of the competition in charge of facilitating and organizing the competition, judges, and competitors. Work includes creating and facilitating a competition website using WordPress, developing marketing materials, and marketing the competition to the undergraduate students of Texas State University. Tasked with creating and executing a budget, developing the awards and coordinating with the judges, competitors, student organizations, and the McCoy College of Business.
Honors & Awards
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2016 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award in Finance
McCoy College of Business Administration Department of Finance and Economics
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2016 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award in Management
McCoy College of Business Administration Department of Management
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2016 LBJ Outstanding Senior Student
Texas State University Alumni Association
The LBJ Outstanding Senior Student Award is given annually by the Alumni Association to one Texas State University student as recognition for outstanding leadership, character, campus and community involvement, and academic success. Recipients must be candidates for graduation in May of the year that the award is conferred or have graduated the previous August or December. The recipient is recognized at their May commencement ceremony.
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Open Future Coalition
Today, we officially launched the U.S. Food Systems Infrastructure Lab, welcoming an inaugural cohort of 16 Fellows. Across the country, communities and organizations are developing innovative approaches to regenerative agriculture, cooperative finance, culturally rooted foodways and distribution, community wealth building, ecological stewardship, market access, and more. While these efforts respond to the distinct needs and opportunities of their regions, many encounter similar barriers—and are developing approaches that could benefit others working across the country. The Lab creates a space to connect this work: supporting organizations in advancing their own priorities while creating better ways to learn across regions, share promising approaches, and build shared social, technical, and financial infrastructure. Over the coming year, Fellows will: - Strengthen regional implementation through individualized workplans, tailored support, and access to Open Impact as shared digital infrastructure. - Connect across regions through peer learning, shared knowledge, and documentation of promising approaches. - Build together by identifying common needs and co-developing shared resources, workflows, tools, and other infrastructure. - Grow pathways to resourcing by connecting emerging needs and opportunities with aligned resources, partners, and complementary capital pathways. The cohort brings together organizations doing deep and vital work at regional and national scales, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, design, and build alongside them. We’re honored to welcome: Agricultural Platform Collective • American Sustainable Business Network • The Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED) • Del Norte and Tribal Lands Community Food Council • Federation of Southern Cooperatives • Foodshed Capital • Foodshed Small Farm Cooperative • Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming • Hudson Valley Food Systems Coalition • Local Seeds Coalition • Locus • MSU Center for Regional Food Systems • Small Farms Research & Innovation Center at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University • The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation • ROGUE VALLEY FOOD SYSTEM NETWORK • The Farmers Land Trust We’re excited to learn alongside this group and to explore what becomes possible for us all when strong regional efforts connect, share, and build together. Meet the Fellows and learn more about the U.S. Food Systems Infrastructure Lab: https://lnkd.in/gS-gp6YM In town for New York Climate Week next week? We’ll be hosting an interactive workshop series focused on regional food systems resilience next Thursday. Apply to join us: https://luma.com/hv54j7fp
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California Department of Water Resources
The Underrepresented Communities Technical Assistance Program expanded in 2025, creating additional funding for more small farmers and partnered with several Tribes to provide technical assistance, farming support and grants for communities in need. Check out some of the incredible testimonials highlighting the importance of this work at https://lnkd.in/gJ-aFAee #California #Water #Grants #Community
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Compassion in World Farming (USA)
The 2026 Farm Bill just passed the House Agriculture Committee — and among its most contentious provisions are measures that would override state-level farm animal welfare protections. Compassion in World Farming's Head of Farmer Advocacy and Policy, Julia Johnson, MDiv, MS, was quoted in The New Lede's coverage of the bill, offering an expert perspective on what these rollbacks mean for farmed animals, for democracy, and for the future of food policy in America. The provisions specifically target California's Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3 — voter-approved laws requiring that farm animals be given sufficient space to turn around, lie down, and extend their limbs. The bill would bar states from enforcing welfare standards that differ from other states, effectively giving the federal government power to override the will of voters. As Julia noted, the challenges to these laws have been led by the pork industry and are driven by corporate interests rather than the concerns of actual farmers or the public. It's worth remembering that the US Supreme Court already upheld Prop 12 in 2023. At CIWF, we believe meaningful change in food and farming requires credible voices at the policy table. That's where we'll remain — advocating for animals, for farmers who want to do right by them, and for a food system built on compassion and accountability. The bill now moves to a full House vote. We'll be watching closely. 🔗 Full article: https://lnkd.in/eeU2t6GG #FarmBill #AnimalWelfare #FoodPolicy #FarmBill2026 #AgriculturePolicy #CompassionInWorldFarming #FarmAnimals #Sustainability #FoodSystems
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Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
New Farm Bill Advances in Senate Committee: Key Impacts for Hunters & Anglers https://lnkd.in/diiV595K Today, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 on a party line vote – bringing us closer to a comprehensive ag policy update than we have been since 2018. A lot has happened in agricultural conservation policy since then, but without a Farm Bill, there has been no opportunity to improve the underlying structure that makes these programs work. "It has been far too long since the Farm Bill conservation programs that fish, wildlife, hunters, anglers, and farmers depend on were updated. We're grateful to Chairman Boozman, Ranking Member Klobuchar, and members on both sides of the aisle who are working to advance positive updates to these critical programs.” said Aaron Field, TRCP's director of private lands conservation. “This is a significant step, but there is still a lot of work to do and very little time to do it. Despite that challenge, we encourage bipartisan commitment to passing a Farm Bill that works for sportsmen, sportswomen, and working lands alike.” TRCP dug into the bill to break down what it means for fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing access - from Farm Bill dynamics on Capitol Hill to the specific provisions that matter most for sportsmen and sportswomen. Read our full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/diiV595K 📸: NickMKE
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