Conservation in Action NEWS August 2022
AUGUST 2022
Message From the Interim Executive Director
At the outset, I want to thank the Board for this opportunity to reprise this interim role. I’d also like to recognize Mike Komp for the successful term he had as our Executive Director over these past three years, during which CTIC experienced considerable growth in our reach and impact on our important mission.
I also need to say how much I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming combo 40th anniversaryand 15th Conservation in Action tour, this year in-person and in my adopted hometown of St. Louis. Although I moved back to my original home state of Washington during the pandemic (which was always my personal plan), I confess that my heart still remains with the wonderful “Gateway to the West.” I get back there quite frequently, primarily to tend to a non-profit that I launched there in 2012, the St. Louis Reconciliation Network, which I’m pleased to report is still going strong.
It was during one of those recent visits that I met with a former Monsanto colleague, Stephanie Regagnon, who now serves as Executive Director of Innovation Partnerships at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. It was over a cup of coffee at my old neighborhood Starbucks that we brewed up the idea of bringing the next CTIC Tour to St. Louis. The program is shaping up nicely and promises to be yet another #BestTourEver!
Elsewhere at CTIC, we’re busy planning our next series of training events and eagerly awaiting news on our proposal for an Indiana Pilot of the new USDA Climate Smart Commodity Partnerships. We’ve also just wrapped up Phase 1 of our new Conservation Validation Network, which is also being piloted in Indiana. Later this year, we’ll be hosting a Stakeholder Workshop for our successful PLUS-UP program in the Western Lake Erie Basin, funded through the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
And of course, we’re actively seeking candidates to fill this open role as full-time Executive Director. The opportunity was recently posted on Indeed and LinkedIn, both of which have already generated a number of applications. The search committee is already pouring over these and we hope to have news to report soon.
That’s all for now, but please plan to Meet Us in St. Louis!
Dave Gustafson
Register Now for Conservation in Action Tour and 40th Anniversary Celebration!
Register now for the September 12-13 Conservation in Action Tour and CTIC 40th Anniversary Celebration, in St. Louis.
Here are some highlights:
- CTIC 40th Anniversary Gala in St. Louis' Forest Park on Monday evening, September 12.
- September 13 field tour at the Henry White Experimental Farm in St. Clair County, Illinois, including cover crops, conservation tillage systems, and healthy pollinator habitat alongside fields managed with all the tools of modern agriculture technology.
- Panel discussions on carbon-smart farming, remote sensing technology, and the latest approaches to nutrient management.
- An Ag Tech Showcase and tour of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Register now online—space is limited. The $275 registration fee includes the 40th Anniversary celebration, bus transportation, all tour stops and meals.
If you're joining us from out of town, the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac is holding a CTIC room block at the special rate of $138 per night. Click here to book your room.
Sponsors of this year's Conservation in Action Tour include:
Ruby Sponsors: Syngenta, The Mosaic Company, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Diamond Sponsor: John Deere, Indigo Ag
Platinum Sponsor: National Corn Growers Association, The Nature Conservancy, Field to Market, Anonymous
Gold Sponsor: Regrow Ag
Silver Sponsors: Nutrien, Case IH
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Crystal Hatfield for details at hatfield@ctic.org.
4R Nutrient Stewardship Training Workshop, August 23, Maumee, Ohio
Join us Tuesday, August 23 for a free nutrient training workshop in Maumee, Ohio, part of our PLUS-UP/Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Here's a rundown:
The Andersons
1947 Briarfield Blvd.
Maumee, OH
8:00 am to 2:30 pm
Join us for a free nutrient stewardship training workshop that will include presentations from:
- Dr. Laura Johnson and Judy Smith of the National Water Quality Research Center at Heidelberg University
- Julie Payeff of The Andersons
- CTIC Staff and the Bayer Carbon Program
- Ron Restum of Ostara
- Kip Studer of H2Ohio
- Greg LaBarge, Ohio State University
We have applied for 4 CEU credits from the American Society of Agronomy's CCA program.
Lunch will be served, and participation is free. Click here to register and see more details.
More CTIC Events:
August 11: Veggies, Pollinators and More!
Soil and Water Conservation Society Hoosier Chapter
Teter Organic Farm, Noblesville, IN
10:00 am-3:00 pm
Join us for an informative field day that will include a tour of Teter Organic Farm with farm manager Katy Rogers; hands-on learning with director Ellie Blaine of the Urban Soil Health Program; and insight into pollinator habitat opportunities by Mike Smith of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.
Register online by August 8 to secure one of the limited spaces in this free program.
Presented by the SWCS-Hoosier Chapter with support from USDA-NRCS, the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) and CTIC.
August 23: Drainage Water Management Certification Course
Hendricks Co. 4H Conference Center
Danville, IN
9:00 am-4:15 pm
Earn 5 CEUs and dive deep into drainage water management design with the Agricultural Drainage Water Management Coalition and instructor Gary Sands of the University of Minnesota.
An optional design installation activity and seminar on becoming an NRCS-approved technical service provider (TSP) will be held on August 24.
Click here to register.
Check Out the PLUS-UP Story Map
We are paying the farmers who participated in our Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulus Program (PLUS-UP) for preventing nearly 400 pounds of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) from entering Lake Erie's watershed.
An interactive online ".png)
story map" details the PLUS-UP program by overlaying facts about the pilot project over an ArcGIS map of the Western Lake Erie Basin.
story map" details the PLUS-UP program by overlaying facts about the pilot project over an ArcGIS map of the Western Lake Erie Basin.The story map, created by Roger Meyer and Kevin Stark of Geospatial Services team at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, is a dynamic exploration of the challenges of nutrient enrichment in the basin, the PLUS-UP pilot project, and the role of cover crops and no-till in reducing the off-target flow of DRP.
Click here to explore the map on the CTIC website.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 00E02797 to the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.
