INDIANA — On March 11, 2021, Indigo Ag will be hosting the Indiana Winter Ag Webinar from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Join us to learn about how soil health positively impacts your bottom line.
Rick Clark will discuss how practices have improved his on-farm profitability, Alyson Wells and Ben Wicker will review state programs that assist farmers with soil health, and Stephanie McLain, Barry Fisher and Ryan Owen will discuss when soil health is a farmer’s focal point, the positive results are endless.
Presenters:
Kacee Bohle is the Crop Production Specialist for Indiana at Indigo. Kacee will introduce Indigo offerings and highlight the benefits farmers have working with Indigo on their acres.
Rick Clark is a 5th generation farmer from Williamsport, Ind. The main goal on the farm is to build soil health and achieve balance with Mother Nature. Rick has developed and is constantly improving a systematic approach to regenerative farming. The farm strives to be a low cost input producer, while maintaining an increase in yield year over year. The farm is 100% NGMO, 100% no till, and 100% cover crop. Rick is currently transitioning the 7,000-acre farm to organic. He is most proud of developing a system of organic farming that uses no tillage. He will suppress weeds with cover crops. Rick cares deeply about human health as well, which is one of the main drivers behind the organic no-till style of farming. Rick is building a system that will be viable and sustainable for generations to come.
Aly Wells is the Director of Production and Environment for the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council. In her role Aly manages checkoff investments in production research, on-farm trials, and environmental stewardship. Prior to joining the corn and soybean organizations, Aly worked for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in the Division of Policy & Regulatory Affairs. Aly received her bachelor’s degree from Butler University and her law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. A Howard County native, Aly currently lives in Noblesville with her husband, two-year-old son and their 100 lb Labrador.
Barry Fisher recently retired after 39 years with the USDA-NRCS. Most recently he was with the Soil Health Division where he served as Central Region Leader providing training and technical exchange for Soil Health Management Systems with NRCS, farmers and partners throughout the Corn Belt and Northern Plains. He remains active with state and regional initiatives which advance technologies and adoption of regenerative farming and improving soil health. He serves on the Midwest Cover Crops Council, is a Certified Crop Advisor though the American Society of Agronomy and a 38-year member of the Hoosier Chapter of SWCS. Barry and his wife Michael operate a cash grain and livestock farm in West- Central Indiana. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy from Western Kentucky University and is a native of French Lick, Indiana. After retirement, Barry has launched Fisher Soil Health LLC- Consulting as a next step on this soil health and regenerative farming journey.
Ryan Owen has been a Farm Bill Biologist with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever for 5 years. The Farm Bill Biologist program in Indiana was started in 2016 and is a partnership between Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the USDA – NRCS, and Indiana DNR. There are currently 4 Farm Bill Biologists in Indiana and Ryan works in the Northeast portion of Indiana, where he was born and raised. As Farm Bill Biologists, he works closely with agencies to provide technical assistance and promote programs geared towards creating and improving wildlife habitat across the state. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Purdue University and prior to this position, he was employed as a utility arborist for 8 years. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s mission is to conserve pheasants, quail, and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public access, education, and conservation advocacy.
Ben Wicker is the executive director of the Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance (IANA), a partnership of agriculture groups, government agencies, conservation organizations and academia working to improve soil health and nutrient management practices on Indiana farms. Before assuming this role, Wicker held positions as an independent crop consultant and agronomist and has spent time with Indiana Pork Producers as the director of producer outreach and The Nature Conservancy where he worked with agribusinesses to expand services that promote nutrient management and soil health. Wicker holds a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and crop science from Purdue University and is an active member of his family’s diversified grain, forage, and cattle operation in east central Indiana.
Stephanie McLain is the Soil Health Specialist for Indiana’s USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. She has been with Indiana NRCS for over 3 years and has worked for NRCS for 19 years in numerous states across the country, including Vermont, South Dakota, Nebraska, and her home state of Minnesota. She works to educate and train NRCS employees, farmers, landowners, conservation partners, agronomists and policy leaders about the benefits of soil health in our cropping systems. Stephanie delivers technical assistance on cover crops, no-till, crop rotations, soil function and other topics related to building soil health management systems.
The event is FREE and packed full of valuable information. We hope you can join us on March 11, 2021 at 1 PM ET. Continuing Education credits will be offered through the Certified Crop Advisor organization. Register at: https://www.indigoag.com/indigo-ag-indiana-webinar-registration
If you have any further questions, please reach out to Elizabeth Haney, ehaney@indigoag.com or Logan Welker, lwelker@indigoag.com.
— Indigo Ag
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