Rhea Landholm, brand marketing and communications manager, rheal@cfra.org, 402.687.2100 ext. 1025
AINSWORTH, IOWA – Researchers Lance Gunderson and Liz Haney will be the keynote speakers for “Resiliency in Agriculture” on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in Ainsworth, Iowa, hosted by the Center for Rural Affairs, Continuum Ag, LLC, and Indigo Ag.
Both speakers will dive into topics such as soil science, carbon sequestration, and water quality while demonstrating how improving soil health can increase on-farm resiliency.
Liz Haney, Ph.D., is a research scientist at Texas AgriLife Blackland Research & Extension Center in Temple, Texas. She researches soil health principles and processes, including regenerative agriculture practices and their effect on soil biological activity, soil carbon storage, and nutrient cycling.
Lance Gunderson, M.S., previously served as the director of Soil Health and New Test Development at Ward Laboratories where he researched soil enzymes, aggregate stability, and water holding capacity tests. In 2018, Lance started Soil Health Innovations, which offers instruments for measuring soil respiration and consulting services surrounding soil testing.
“Resiliency in Agriculture” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Steinbeck Conference Hall at Marr Park, 2935 Hwy 92-9, in Ainsworth, and is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
“Across Iowa, farmers have been exploring and implementing soil health practices at a rapid pace,” said Cody Smith, policy associate at the Center for Rural Affairs. “We’re excited to host these keynote speakers so farmers have the opportunity to figure out how improving soil health can help them become more resilient while realizing meaningful returns on their investment.”
In addition to the keynote speakers, the event will feature tours of Vittetoe Farms and Stout Seed in Washington County, Iowa. Participants are encouraged to ask questions about agricultural practices that focus on building soil health and keeping carbon in the soil.
“The event will be a hands-on opportunity where farmers, landowners, and community members can have a dialogue about what a more resilient agricultural system looks like,” Smith said. “During a time when growers are facing more variability in markets and weather, we hope they’ll come and engage with these experts on the topic of building resiliency on their farms.”
For more information and to RSVP to this event, visit cfra.org/events.
