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2021 Conference Speakers |
Dr. Elaine Ingham, B.A., M.S., Ph.D.
Founder and President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
Director, Soil Food Web School
Dr. Ingham has pioneered research in the field of Soil Biology over the last 4 decades and is widely recognized as the world's foremost soil biologist.
Behind Dr. Ingham’s user-friendly approach to soil biology lies a wealth of knowledge and research on the different groups of microorganisms that make up the Soil Food Web.
Her goal is to empower people to bring the soils in their communities back to life using the science of the Soil Food Web. Dr. Ingham's revolutionary approach has been used to restore the ecological functions of living-soils all over the world, ensuring healthy, strong plants and super-nutritious food, whilst eliminating soil erosion and the need for chemical inputs.
Behind Dr. Ingham’s user-friendly approach to soil biology lies a wealth of knowledge and research on the different groups of microorganisms that make up the Soil Food Web.
Her goal is to empower people to bring the soils in their communities back to life using the science of the Soil Food Web. Dr. Ingham's revolutionary approach has been used to restore the ecological functions of living-soils all over the world, ensuring healthy, strong plants and super-nutritious food, whilst eliminating soil erosion and the need for chemical inputs.
Adam Chappell Farmer
Adam Chappell farms 8,000 acres in northeast Arkansas growing corn, cotton, rice, soybeans and a mix of small grains. Along with his brother Seth, the Chappell’s have re-envisioned agricultural management their part of the world, jumping into the world of soil health to fend off herbicide resistant weeds and precariously thin profit margins. Adam was recently featured in a Farm Journal article where he was quoted saying: “Call it soil health, conservation, sustainable, regenerative, or any other buzzword of the day—frankly, I don’t care. My savings have been incredible, and I just call my farming what it is: survival and profitability.”
Chuck Peacock Soil Scientist, NRCS
Chuck Peacock is a Soil Scientist with NRCS based in Grand Junction, Colorado. He is currently the MLRA (Major Land Resource Area) Office Leader and supervises a small crew of 2 Soil Scientists and one Ecological Site Specialist. The office is responsible for soil surveys and ecological sites in the majority of Western Colorado and good chunk of Eastern Utah. His work primarily entails mapping soils for publication in soil surveys (Web Soil Survey) and assisting the public in using those surveys and educating people about the nature and properties of soils – and specifically “biologically active” healthy soil. He has been mapping soils and delivering these services in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming for over 25 years. Prior to NRCS he was a "lab rat" performing various soil, water, & tissue analysis at the CSU soil testing lab. Chuck is native of the North Fork Valley in Western Colorado. He has a Master's degree in Soil Genesis & Morphology from Colorado State University (CSU) and a Bachelor's degree in Agronomy/Soil Science also from CSU.
Dave Dearstyne Soil Scientist, Retired
Dave has been a soil scientist for over 35 years, and a Soil Health Technical Provider and passionate advocate for Soil Health for the past 12 years. Dave’s experience includes over 30 years as a soil scientist for NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) and includes several areas in the states of Colorado, Florida, and Maine. Since retiring from NRCS in December of 2014, Dave has continued to work in the soils field as a Soil Health Technical Advisor for the Shavano Conservation District, a National Resource Inventory specialist in the states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Nebraska, a soil scientist on a BAER team (Burn Area Emergency Response) for public land agencies, and as a Soil/Soil Health consultant. Dave has been actively involved with the Western Slope Soil Health conference for the past 10 years (since inception), serving in the capacity as Soil Health team moderator, conference emcee, and presenter. Dave is an avid gardener, teaching a local gardening series and helping other gardening enthusiasts learn about gardening and soil health.
Helen Silver Silver Sustainable Strategies, LLC.
Helen D. Silver is the principal of Silver Sustainable Strategies, LLC. Using her 15 years of experience in environmental law and policy, Helen works with nonprofits, agricultural organizations, and academic institutions to advance sustainable policies and programs. She is a member of the Coordination Team of the Colorado Collaborative for Healthy Soils, representing CSU Agriculture Experiment Stations, and has facilitated the development of proposed legislation for a Colorado Soil Health Program and works in close partnership with Colorado Department of Agriculture, conservation districts, producers, and other partners to develop critical parts of the soil health initiative, such as Colorado specific soil health test and adapting practice-based soil health assessments.
Jerry Allen Irrigation Water Management Specialist, SCD
Jerry is Irrigation Water management Specialist for the Shavano Conservation District and soil health team member. He is a retired agriculture education teacher and current recorder for the Uncompahgre Soil Health Team. Jerry is instrumental to the planning of the Food and Farm Forum and the Western Colorado Soil Health Conference.
Jimmy Emmons 3rd Generation Farmer/Rancher
Regional Coordinator for the Southern Plains Region FPAC (Oklahoma)
Jimmy and his family own and manage 2,000 cropland acres and 5,000 rangeland acres in Dewey County, Oklahoma. The farm was converted to no-till in 1995, and Jimmy later went a few steps further and adopted crop rotations, cover crops, and planned grazing management to Jimmy uses specialized soil and plant tissue testing to monitor soil fertility. This helps him adjust fertilizer application rates by crediting the system for nutrients supplied by soil organic matter. In 2017, Jimmy’s farm received the inaugural Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award. The Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary stewardship and management of natural resources. Jimmy serves as president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and is on the board of the Dewey County Conservation District. As FPAC regional coordinator for the southern plains region, he serves Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas.
Ken Holsinger, Ecologist, Bureau of Land Management
Ken is an Ecologist with Bureau of Land Management in Montrose, Colorado. He has 21 years of experience working for the BLM in fire ecology, botany, rangeland ecology, and wildlife biology. Projects he is most frequently involved in are threatened and endangered species recovery, post fire stabilization and restoration, rangeland health evaluations, rangeland restoration, Assessment Inventory and Monitoring implementation and analysis.
Les Owen Conservation Services Division Director, CDA
Les Owen has been the Conservation Services Division Director with the Colorado Department of Agriculture since August of 2016. He provides oversight and coordination of the Department's efforts to protect and enhance the state's agriculture activities as they relate to land use and range management, conservation, soil and vegetation management, grazing on public lands, water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, and endangered species. The Division also provides administrative and financial assistance to the 76 conservation districts; and oversight and administration of the noxious weed, weed free forage, bio-control (insectary), groundwater, chemigation, and renewable energy programs. Les moved here from New Mexico where he worked for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture on a variety of issues related to federal land management, threatened and endangered species, and other rules and regulations that affect natural resource management. He was raised near the small town of Corona, New Mexico where most of his time was spent working on the family ranch.
Lowell King Grand Valley Farmer - cover crops, no-till, & livestock integration
Lowell King, Regenerative Ag Farmer. Lowell farms 800 acres of hay, small grain, non GMO corn, and cover crops along with his brother Mark and brother in law Ed Weaver. He grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and moved to Western CO in 2005 . After dealing with the frustration that goes along with tillage, he ditched the plow in 2016. Today every acre of farm ground has living roots year around and the farm is full no till under furrow irrigation. In addition to farming, Lowell sells cover crop seed, Esch no till drills, and Furrow Runner no till creaser attachments. He is passionate about Soil Health after seeing how it has transformed the soil on his farm. Offering on farm consulting and field tours are just a few of the ways Lowell is using to further soil health across Western CO .
Matt Darling Curator and Published Railroad Historian
Matt Darling Curator of Cross Orchards Historic Site and a published Railroad historian. Matt was born in Boulder, CO, raised in Grand Junction and has been a railfan since he was a child. Matt Graduated from Mesa State College in 2003 with a degree in History. He also completed an automotive apprenticeship at his father’s repair shop. Matt has worked for the Museums of Western Colorado for over three years working hard to make Cross Orchards a vibrant part of the Grand Valley.
Max Neumeyer Principal, Ground Up Consulting LLC
Max Neumeyer is the principal of Ground Up Consulting LLC and helps to coordinate the Colorado Collaborative for Healthy Soils (CCHS) and the Colorado Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (CO-CEWL). CCHS and CO-CEWL are bottom-up, big tent organizations working to bring the agricultural community together around soil health and good land management. Max comes to this work after a career as a science teacher and a graduate degree in public policy focused on soil health policy for Colorado. After graduation, he worked with Mad Agriculture and several other partners to launch the Collaborative in order to explore a new direction for soil health. He is now working in close partnership with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, conservation and conservancy districts, Colorado State University, and other entities to design, launch and fund a soil health program.
Patrick O'Neill Soil Health Services, PBC
Patrick O’Neill works with farmers and ranchers using a holistic approach to develop and sustain soil health. This process involves engaging management decisions ranging from soil chemical and microbial balances, soil fertility & tilth, plant nutrition, grazing planning, cover crop mix design, seed- and soil-inoculant selection, agricultural pest prevention and management, pollinator and predatory insect habitat development, compost, compost extract, and compost tea utilization, and irrigation water management, and economic enterprise analysis.
Since 2005, Patrick O’Neill been based in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, working as an independent adviser with diverse cropping and livestock operations. Patrick also served as a Franciscan Mission Service lay missioner in Brazil for 3 years, working as an agronomist with farmers possessing limited land and economic resources. Areas of emphasis during his service in Brazil included project development and training in community food security and sovereignty, seed production, soil conservation and fertility management, and biological pest control. Patrick also worked as coordinator of a community supported agriculture program on a mixed organic vegetable farm, and as a farmhand on his parents' homestead vineyard, both in California.
Since 2005, Patrick O’Neill been based in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, working as an independent adviser with diverse cropping and livestock operations. Patrick also served as a Franciscan Mission Service lay missioner in Brazil for 3 years, working as an agronomist with farmers possessing limited land and economic resources. Areas of emphasis during his service in Brazil included project development and training in community food security and sovereignty, seed production, soil conservation and fertility management, and biological pest control. Patrick also worked as coordinator of a community supported agriculture program on a mixed organic vegetable farm, and as a farmhand on his parents' homestead vineyard, both in California.
Philip Frank Green Cover Seed Rep & Farmer and Rancher
Philip Frank was born and raised in Colorado and had a fascination with agriculture from a very young age. Over time his fascination developed into a passion for all aspects of crop and livestock agriculture. He graduated from Colorado Mesa University in with an associate’s degree in agriculture science and a bachelor’s degree in business/entrepreneurship. He has been focusing on building his own farm and herd of commercial cattle for 6 years now, and has delved into the use of covercrops, no-till, and livestock integration to boost his sustainability, profitability, and his own personal enjoyment. He works directly with GreenCover Seed and is passionate about helping producers get started with cover crops, no-till farming, and livestock integration. He is glad to help farmers design a cover crop program that will best fit their goals, and if he can’t answer a producer’s question, he is more than willing to help connect producers to the people who have the answers they need.
Phillip Cunningham Environmental Scientist
Phillip Cunningham is an environmental scientist at Ruby Canyon Environmental with experience in technical research, data collection and analysis, and report writing to qualify greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories and reduction projects. To date, he has completed over 200 verifications as a lead validator/verifier. His recent activities include verifying an energy efficiency project from technical energy dispatch at a downstream oil and gas refinery and avoided emissions through beneficial use of annular gas- both located in Colombia. Phillip has also been involved with auditing data from oil and gas entities reporting to The Climate Registry and el Registro Nacional de Emisiones (RENE) in Mexico. In the fall of 2019, Phillip was a peer reviewer for several sections of the U.S. EPA’s Global Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections and Mitigation report.
During his career at RCE, Phillip has visited a variety of facilities including power plants, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, steam distribution plants, sawmills, underground coal and Trona mines, refrigerant reclaiming facilities, hazardous waste combustion facilities, dairy and hog farms, vegetable greenhouses, nitric acid plants, a quick lime plant, composting facilities, a petrochemical and hydrogen cyanide production facility, and other general manufacturing facilities.
He is an approved Lead Verifier for Landfill, Livestock, Ozone Depleting Substances, Coal Mine Methane, Nitric Acid Production, Organic Waste Digestion, Organic Waste Composting, Nitrogen Management and Grasslands Project types under the Climate Action Reserve; an Air Resources Board (ARB) accredited Lead Verifier for Livestock, Ozone Depleting Substances and Coal Mine Methane project verifications; has worked as Lead Verifier under The Climate Registry (TCR) verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories for local governments, universities, a transportation company, utility companies and a variety of other industrial sectors. In Canada, he has acted as a Lead Verifier for carbon offset projects and emissions inventories under the British Columbia Climate Investment Branch and British Columbia Reporting Regulation, verified carbon offset projects under Alberta’s carbon registry, and verified several facilities under Ontario’s mandatory reporting regulation. He has also verified power plants and a variety of manufacturing and industrial facilities reporting under RENE in Mexico as well as manufacturing facilities reporting voluntarily under Mexico’s Programma GEI.
During his career at RCE, Phillip has visited a variety of facilities including power plants, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, steam distribution plants, sawmills, underground coal and Trona mines, refrigerant reclaiming facilities, hazardous waste combustion facilities, dairy and hog farms, vegetable greenhouses, nitric acid plants, a quick lime plant, composting facilities, a petrochemical and hydrogen cyanide production facility, and other general manufacturing facilities.
He is an approved Lead Verifier for Landfill, Livestock, Ozone Depleting Substances, Coal Mine Methane, Nitric Acid Production, Organic Waste Digestion, Organic Waste Composting, Nitrogen Management and Grasslands Project types under the Climate Action Reserve; an Air Resources Board (ARB) accredited Lead Verifier for Livestock, Ozone Depleting Substances and Coal Mine Methane project verifications; has worked as Lead Verifier under The Climate Registry (TCR) verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories for local governments, universities, a transportation company, utility companies and a variety of other industrial sectors. In Canada, he has acted as a Lead Verifier for carbon offset projects and emissions inventories under the British Columbia Climate Investment Branch and British Columbia Reporting Regulation, verified carbon offset projects under Alberta’s carbon registry, and verified several facilities under Ontario’s mandatory reporting regulation. He has also verified power plants and a variety of manufacturing and industrial facilities reporting under RENE in Mexico as well as manufacturing facilities reporting voluntarily under Mexico’s Programma GEI.
Reed Irwin
Reed has been growing plants commercially and in his home garden for more than 50 years. His special interest is growing plants in different ways using unconventional methods. This includes applying soil health principles in the backyard vegetable garden. He uses 15 different cover crops and several techniques which are not usable by large-scale commercial producers.
Steve Hale Business Development Specialist, Triton Environmental
Steve is a native of Montrose, CO. He operates his family’s 4th generation, Colorado Centennial farm and ranch, raising natural Grass-fed beef, and other farm enterprises. Steve graduated from CSU with a Bachelors in Agricultural Business. For past 11 years, Steve specialized in reclamation and surface management while working as an Environmental Specialist for oil and gas operations in Northwest Colorado and Utah. Currently, he is a Business Development Specialist for Triton Environmental, representing a wide range of environmental products for industry, agriculture, and construction. Steve served on Shavano Conservation District (Montrose area) from 1999-2008, and recently returned to the Board as a Supervisor. He also represented Gunnison and Colorado River Districts on the Colorado State Conservation Board from 2001 to 2005. Steve is a member of the Society for Range Management, serving on the Reclamation and Restoration Committee.
Steve Woodis Wildlife Biologist, Down To Earth Natural Resource Solutions, LLC
Steve worked for NRCS for most of his professional career as a wildlife biologist in the Montrose Colorado Field Office. He also worked for the US Fish & Wildlife Service. He received his bachelors in wildlife biology and masters in range science from Colorado State University. He operates a small farm with his wife Peg a few miles west of Montrose. After retirement, Steve started his own consulting business and now works with landowners to help them address natural resource issues of varied sorts.