Feb. 7-8, 2024 | Loews Kansas City Hotel 

Join sustainability professionals from across the food value chain.

Days
Hours
Minutes

Hotel Information

Courtyard Kansas City Downtown/Convention Center

Discounted Room Rate:  $209 per night plus taxes

Last Day to Book: Friday, January 19, 2024

7:30-8:30  Breakfast

8:30-10:00  Q1 ACAM Board Meeting (invitation only) 
Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 200 W 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64105 Bennie Moten Room, Third Floor 

10:00-11:00  CSC Connected Ag Project Partner Meeting (invitation only)
Kansas City Marriott Downtown, 200 W 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64105 Bennie Moten Room, Third Floor 

General Sessions Begin

11:30-1:00  Lunch and Opening Panel Discussion, co-located with Top Producer Summit at Loews Kansas City Hotel, City Beautiful Rooms D&E

Information Overload: How AI is Making A Sea of Data More Useful

There’s no lack of data in today’s farm operations. Everything you do either captures or generates data, but how does that information become insights to help you manage your agronomy and your operations? Technology companies are investing in cloud computing and AI-based tools to analyze data that allows producers to make real-time prescriptions from the wealth of data you’re generating on your farm. Learn how big tech is helping producers make data more valuable to their unique weather, soil and crop conditions.

– Megan Fallon, Marketing Lead, Mineral, an Alphabet Company
– Jake Joraanstad, CEO of Bushel
– Connie Bowen, Farmhand Ventures
– Steve Cubbage, Longitude 94

Moderated by Margy Eckelkamp, Brand Lead, Top Producer and The Scoop

Remainder of Symposium held at Loews Kansas City Hotel in City Beautiful Ballrooms A&B

1:45-2:00  Meeting the Moment, Putting Producers at the Center of Decision Making 

Amy Skoczlas Cole, President, Trust In Food 

2:00-2:30  Game Changers Workshop Introduction
Industry Leaders set the stage for Transformative Issues for Stakeholders Supporting Producers for this Seminal Moment

Our Game Changers Workshop at the Symposium will engage our unique expert audience to mine insights and advance innovative thinking intended to examine what’s been working, what opportunities lie ahead, and how we can pragmatically take action. The results of the Game Changers workshop will be produced into a report under Chatham House rules, and publicized though Trust In Food channels.

2:30-4:00  Breakout tables brainstorm solutions using provided firestarter ideas

Topic 1: Putting Animal Agriculture in Context 

The Opportunity: Today, there’s a growing awareness and concern around animal agriculture from consumers, policy makers, and stakeholders. And yet, properly sited and integrated animal agriculture presents an opportunity to protect and conserve America’s remaining open spaces, to preserve and restore grasslands, to conserve and capture water resources, and to diversify habitats for more healthier livestock and sustainable ecosystems.

Table leaders: 

–  Rob Cook, National Grazing Lands Coalition
– Liz Hunt, Syngenta
– Christy Melhart Slay, The Sustainability Consortium
– Samantha Werth, U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
– Kevin Mobley, Merck Animal Health

Topic 2Technology Adoption and Optimizing Data Use

The Opportunity: Producers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to diversify revenue and respond to emerging market opportunities for climate-smart. Field-level practices are the basis for progress, but many current practices and potentially new ones are not being recognized without proper data capture, management and sharing. Yet today, some producers are wary of sharing data, and others are unsure of its value. Increased data transparency throughout the agriculture and food supply chain could enable consumers, regulators, and stakeholders to gain valuable insights into production practices, ensuring accountability and fostering trust.

Table leaders: 

– Andy Greenlee, John Deere
– Luke Zwilling, Nutrien Ag Solutions
– Darren Howie, Trimble
– Jake Joraanstad, Bushel

Topic 3: Assessing the ROI of Climate-Smart Agriculture

The Opportunity: Producers are hungry to compare, evaluate, and more deeply assess the value of participating in different voluntary climate-smart programs. But today, most producers don’t have the information, support and tools to feel secure in the economic and operational advantages of regenerative agriculture. Additionally, most ecosystem service markets appear to be designed for end users, and out of touch with annual production cycles. Add to this the wide variability that producers are experiencing with participation in voluntary programs, and it makes sense that 97% of producers shared with Trust In Food that they are not ready to enter carbon or other ecosystem service markets.

Table leaders: 

– Josh VanDeWalle, Bayer
–  Billy Gascoigne, Ducks Unlimited
–  Jay Watson, General Mills

4:00-4:15  Refreshment break

4:10-5:00  Presentation of key findings and discussion. Recommendations will be compiled into an executive summary for all attendees

5:00-5:15  Closing remarks

Reception and Dinner 

5:30  Please join us for a cocktail reception followed immediately by dinner. All are welcome. 

7:30-8:30  Breakfast

8:30-9:15  NRCS Program and Partnership Updates

Join NRCS Regional Conservationist for the Central Region Curtis Elke for a keynote address followed by a panel discussion with other NRCS leaders to discuss priorities that are driving partnerships and conservation innovation, including an update on Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects and how IRA funding is being distributed to the states. Learn how organizations can build partnerships based on shared priorities and solutions for our climate-smart future.

Scott Edwards, State Conservationist for Missouri
– Troy Daniell, State Conservationist for Minnesota 
– Eric Hansen, National Program Coordinator, Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities

Moderated by Jimmy Emmons, Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs, Trust In Food

9:15-10:30  Understanding Farmer Perspectives: Data-Driven Insights to Accelerate Outreach and Adoption

Regenerative agriculture starts with farmers, each a unique individual with their own perspective not just about conservation agriculture but on a variety of challenges they face and goals for their operations. What
do producers value and what motivates them? These are essential questions we must ask and understand the answers to usher in the next wave of adoption with mainstream producers. Farmer-centered insights on data use, technology, innovation, risk management and legacy planning all factor into how producers engage with opportunities and progress on their journey to more resilient production systems. 

– Christy Melhart Slay, The Sustainability Consortium
– Josh VanDeWalle, Bayer, a member of the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative 
– Rebecca Bartels, Trust In Food

Moderated by Amy Skoczlas Cole, President, Trust In Food

10:30-10:45  Refreshment break

10:45-11:45  Deep Roots and Muddy Boots: A multi-generational discussion by producers of what the climate-smart agriculture world looks like from the front lines: Challenges, opportunities and a practical discussion on how value chains can support farmers in their operations and in their outreach and engagement with other producers.

Dwane Roth, Leopold Winner and fourth-generation farmer in Kansas
– Mark Isbell, fourth-generation rice farmer in Arkansas specializing in sustainable production
– Mitchell Hora, seventh-generation Iowa farmer and founder/CEO of Continuum Ag

Moderated by Jimmy Emmons, Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs, Trust In Food

11:45-12:00  Closing remarks & adjourn  

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— Your Trust in Food Team