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Sep. 10, 2012 Source: Conservation Technology Information Center news release The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) will celebrate its 30th anniversary on October 25, 2012, in St. Louis, Mo., with a pair of panel discussions exploring the past, present and future of agricultural conservation. The panels will tap the experience of leaders from across the agriculture industry. "Celebrating CTIC's 30th anniversary is a perfect opportunity to take stock of the conservation achievements of American agriculture over the last 30 years, trace the path that the industry has taken to get where we are, and chart a course for the future," says CTIC board member Ron Olson of The Mosaic Company, the lead sponsor for the event. "It's also a chance for us to recognize some of the dedicated people whose shared vision has linked farmers, researchers, agribusiness, policymakers and non-profit leaders with the common goal of making American agriculture more environmentally and economically sustainable." Panel 1: Looking Back The first panel discussion, titled "Looking Back on 30 Years of Conservation," will be held at 1:45 p.m. at Monsanto's campus in St. Louis. Moderated by Neil Strong, a retired Syngenta executive and former CTIC board chair, the panel will bring together a variety of speakers, including: Steve Taylor, president of the Missouri Agribusiness Coalition, former director of the Environmental Resources Coalition and a veteran of the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources; Bill Richards, an Ohio farmer who served as chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under President George H. W. Bush; Brent Haglund, president of the Sand County Foundation and the Bradley Fund for the Environment, a long-time consultant on conservation issues and author of Wild Wisconsin and Hands On Conservation; Jane Frankenberger, head of Purdue University's Cooperative Extension program in soil and water engineering and author of dozens of papers on water quality issues; and Bruce Knight, a conservation policy consultant and third-generation farmer and rancher. In 2002, Knight was named chief of the NRCS, a position he held until being promoted to USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, where he served from 2006 to 2009. After panelists share their perspectives on questions posed by Strong, the floor will be opened to questions from the audience. Panel 2: Looking Ahead The celebration's second panel, which will begin at 3:30 p.m., is titled "Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for Ag Conservation." Sara Wyant, president of Agri-Pulse Communications, veteran farm policy reporter and former director on CTIC's board, will moderate. The panelists include: Fred Luckey, chairman of Field to Market, the Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, and retired executive vice president at Bunge North America; Dan DeSutter, a long-time conservationist on his 3,800-acre Indiana farm and host of one of CTIC's Conservation In Action Tours; Larry Clemens, The Nature Conservancy's assistant state director for conservation programs in Indiana and a CTIC board member who has worked on conservation farming issues from the American Midwest to the Brazilian Cerrado; Jerry Hatfield, director of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service's National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment and member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) team; and Jim Moseley, an Indiana farmer who has served in a variety of academic and government posts, including deputy secretary of USDA and agricultural advisor to the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He is currently one of four co-chairs of AGree, a long-term, collaborative initiative focusing on U.S. food policy. As with the first part of the program, the moderated discussion will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience. Before and After Prior to the panel discussions, attendees may tour one of several St. Louis-area facilities for a look at cutting-edge agricultural science and deep commitment to sustainability. Tour options include: Monsanto's global headquarters in Creve Coeur, Mo.; The Monsanto research facility in Chesterfield, Mo.; The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a hub for research on sustainability for global crops; Koch Agronomic Services' urea and ammonia terminals; The 95,000-ton Lange-Steadman fertilizer terminal near St. Louis. Following the tours, lunch and panel discussions, CTIC will honor several of its founders and leaders at a gala dinner emceed by Mike Adams, host of the nationally syndicated AgriTalk radio program and past president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. Registration is a Must Thanks to gifts from The Mosaic Company, Monsanto, Syngenta and other sponsors, participation in the CTIC 30th Anniversary program is free. However, warns CTIC executive director Karen Scanlon, space is very limited, so pre-registration is required. Scanlon expects the seats to fill up quickly, and notes that tight space and logistics mean that walk-ins cannot be accommodated. For those who can't be in St. Louis on October 25 or miss out on the available space, CTIC will be recording the sessions and finding ways to share the information in webinars or online archives, Scanlon says. To learn more about CTIC, view details of the 30th Anniversary Celebration program, or join the festivities, register online at https://www.ctic.org/registration/21/step/0/ or call (765) 494-9555. Tweet |
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