Ryan Heiniger is Trust In Food’s director of America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM), where he leads all aspects of its state and local projects. ACAM is a national public-private partnership program that empowers collaborators to leverage Farm Journal’s 145+ years of market trust and farmer-to-farmer networks to accelerate adoption of regenerative practices, products and technologies. The program includes a growing portfolio of farmer-led learning communities and multi-stakeholder coalitions. Prior to Trust In Food, Ryan served as the director of agriculture and director of field operations – north region for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, two non-profit upland conservation organizations. In these roles, Ryan created and led the organization’s Precision Ag and Conservation Solutions Program which focused on private-sector ag tech partnerships to improve farmer profitability, sustainability and creation wildlife habitat and led a team of 85 staff delivering PF’s mission in the five-state region of IA, MN, WI, ND, SD.  Prior to joining PF in 2013 and returning to his roots on the family farm, Ryan worked for Ducks Unlimited for 15 years in several field and leadership capacities in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota and Kansas. 

Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Iowa State University. Ryan and his wife Nikki are raising their son and daughter as fifth-generation family farmers along the banks of the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa. 

Ryan works from a home office on their farm north of Burlington, Iowa and can be reached at rheiniger@farmjournal.com or on Twitter @FarmrHuntr.