Program & Agenda

Each day of the two-day Healthy Soil Summit program will include four hours of education and opportunities to engage with attendees, sponsors and speakers. All times Pacific Daylight Time.

Schedule subject to change.

Agenda

August 25, 2021

(All times listed in Pacific Daylight Time)

8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

Welcome

8:15 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Encouraging Healthy Soil Biology

Steve Becker & Dennis Warnecke, Tainio Biologicals

Dennis Warnecke and Steve Becker will kick-off the program with a look at the many factors that influence soil biology and how they all come together to serve farmer outcomes, including soil health, yields, and overall system resilience.

9:15 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.

Managing Soil for Water on Your Farm

10:05 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.

Soil Innovation Presentations

Quick Break | 10:20 A.M. – 10:30 A.M.

10:30 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.

Featured Presentation: A Farmer’s Journey to Transform Commercial Agriculture with Soil Health

Rick Clark

Indiana farmer, Rick Clark, will walk attendees through his journey of how he converted his operation to commercial scale, organic no-till. He’ll explain what they are trying to accomplish with no-till organic, the economics behind what they do, and the steps they needed to take to transition his land. Attendees will leave this session with a clear pathway to what is possible and an understanding that there is plenty of room along the soil health and reduced input spectrum for each farmer to find what is right for them.

12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.

Using Technology to Advance Soil Health

Meagan Perry Kaiser

Meagan Perry will dive into how reliable lab results can be paired with precision ag to gauge improvements in all three pillars of soil health: biological, physical and structural, which in turn bring profitability to farmers, improve our environment, and supply a sustainable food source.

12:55 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Closing Day 1

August 26, 2021

(All times listed in Pacific Daylight Time)

8:00 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.

Welcome

8:10 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Growing for Nutrient Density

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Soil Innovation Presentations

9:45 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.

Panel: Does Soil Health Pay?

Kyle Bingham, Bingham Family Vineyards; Kelsey Ducheneax Scott, DX Beef; Moderated by: Ben Trollinger

Acres U.S.A. Editor Ben Trollinger moderates a discussion between different types of farmers about the economic advantages of managing operations for soil health. This session will uncover the real and perceived risks and rewards that ultimately play a large role in determining how growers choose to address soil health on farm.

10:40 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.

Soil Innovation Presentations

Quick Break | 10:55 A.M. – 11:05 A.M.

11:05 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.

Orchard Field Tour

Ryan Fillmore, Fillmore Farms

Take a video tour through Fillmore Farms, a northern California orchard operation, producing raw, high quality, organic walnuts using soil health principles.

11:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

Ranch Field Tour

Glenn Elzinga, Alderspring Ranch

Glenn and the team at Alderspring Ranch will share the story of soil health on their remote Idaho organic grass fed beef operation.

11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

Soil Innovation Presentations

12:05 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.

Featured Presentation

Mimi Casteel

Mimi Casteel is a wine maker in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills. At Hope Well Vineyard, she is blazing her own trail and fast becoming one of the leading voices in the regenerative agriculture movement. Mimi talks eloquently and brilliantly — not just about wine, but agriculture and land use in general.

12:50 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Event Highlights & Closing

Soil Innovation Presentations

Mini presentations keeping you on the cutting-edge of soil health!

Soil Innovation presentations are short presentations from some of the most innovative operations in soil health delivered throughout the Healthy Soil Summit program.

Interested in learning more about these presentations and how your company can get involved? Email Rachel Wobeter at events@acres usa.com or call 970-392-5627.

Speakers

Our speakers are vetted practitioners of soil health management and are leaders in agriculture. Click on their photo for more information.

More speakers and agenda details coming soon!
Subscribe to Acres U.S.A. newsletters to stay up to date on the event and other opportunities with Acres U.S.A.

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Acres U.S.A. VIRTUAL EVENT FAQs

We know participating in a virtual event isn’t the same as taking it all in, in person. We get it, but virtual is the best we can do this year.

The circumstances in 2020 have changed how everyone can produce events— and we are no exception! So we’re rolling with the punches and hope you’ll join us. We’re working to create an engaging and inspiring virtual experience that will provide the in-depth education you need to improve your operation.

Additionally, see below for helpful information regarding our virtual events and what to expect if you choose to embark on the Acres U.S.A. virtual experience.

Please email events@acresusa.com with additional questions.

What is a virtual event?
Do I have to watch at that time?
Can I watch on my phone or other device?
Are there services for hearing impaired?
Will I be able to ask questions?
Will I still get special deals to your bookstore?
What is Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show and Healthy Soil Summit?
How can I register for the Healthy Soil Summit?
How can I register for the Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show?
Can more than 1 person watch with a single registration?
How can I sign up to learn more?
Will I continue to get CEU credits for attending virtual events?
Where will I be able to access the event replays?

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WHAT IS A VIRTUAL EVENT?

A virtual event allows attendees to access content exclusive to our event. From 20-minute workshops to half-day educational sessions, our attendees will be able to see and hear presenters while following along with their presentation slides.

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DO I HAVE TO WATCH AT THAT TIME?

Yes and no? To get the full experience, attending live will connect you with attendees and allow you to ask our presenters questions directly. That said, replays will be available for any registrant, as will special deals on books, presentation materials and connections with trusted brands in Eco-Agriculture.

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CAN I WATCH ON MY PHONE OR OTHER DEVICE?

Yes, our event will be viewable on every major device, from tablet to phone to your desktop computer. You can also call in from your phone to listen in.

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ARE THERE SERVICES FOR HEARING IMPAIRED?

Yes, we are working to provide real-time closed captioning services for all attendees. Plus, we will make transcripts available whenever possible in the event replays.

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WILL I BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS?

Absolutely. Getting your questions answered is the number one goal for all of our events. We will host Q&A sessions following each presentation allowing you to have easy access to our speaker’s expertise and get your questions answered in real-time. Plus, real-time chat functions will allow you to ask other attendees for advice.

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WILL I STILL GET SPECIAL DEALS TO YOUR BOOKSTORE?

Yes, just like at our in-person events, we will be giving special coupon codes and deals for attendees at our virtual events. In fact, we are likely to give even more aggressive deals for virtual events since we are not shipping our bookstore across the country.

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WHAT IS ECO-AG CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW and HEALTHY SOIL SUMMIT?

Those are our two biggest events ever year. This year, our Healthy Soil Summit is on Aug. 25-26, and our Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show is Dec. 1-4. Our plan for 2021 is to return to in-person events.

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HOW CAN I REGISTER FOR THE HEALTHY SOIL SUMMIT?

Registration is now open. Click here.

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HOW CAN I REGISTER FOR THE ECO-AG CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW?

Registration is now open. Click here.

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CAN MORE THAN 1 PERSON WATCH WITH A SINGLE REGISTRATION?

Technically, yes. We can’t control that. But we do ask for our audience to be respectful and do their best to follow the rules, just like at an in-person event. If you want to organize a viewing for a few folks, contact us at events@acresusa.com to let us know what you are planning, and we can find a very reasonable rate to get you all in.

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HOW CAN I SIGN UP TO LEARN MORE?

If you’d like to sign up for our regular newsletters, visit this page to sign up and customize your newsletter preferences.

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WILL I CONTINUE TO GET CEU CREDITS FOR ATTENDING VIRTUAL EVENTS?

We are currently exploring CEU credits for live virtual events through the ASA. Stay tuned for more information.

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WHERE WILL I BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE EVENT REPLAYS?

You will be able to find all event replays at Eco-Ag U Online within 72 hours of the end of the event. View all the video recorded presentations, plus get access to downloadable presentations, special book coupons and more through the replay experience. Visit Learn.AcresUSA.com to find out more about our online education offerings available 365 days per year.