2006 Winter Conference Sponsor and Exhibitor Page

2006 Winter Conference Speaker Page (more information to be added soon) Return to Conference Home Page
Speaker and Biography	Topic and Description
Complete Agenda Available Now! Click here for all the details
Ken Root - Official Emcee for the 2006 Winter Conference No-till on the Plains is pleased to have Ken Root as the official emcee for the 2006 Conference. Ken has a broad knowledge of rural people, agriculture, agribusiness and public policy and is the former host of AgriTalk; a daily, one hour radio program heard on 120 stations in 31 states.
Harry K. Jones is a business consultant and professional speaker who has served clients all over North America. He shares his 30 years of business and leadership experience with a wide variety of industries as the Vice President of Creative Development for AchieveMax, Inc. A straight-forward, "tell-it-like-it-is" approach to current issues coupled with more than 30 years of management and leadership experience makes Harry K. Jones a dynamic and much sought-after professional speaker. During his career, he has worked in and consulted for a number of industries, including education, financial, health care, government, automotive, retail, hospitality, and television. Harry has consulted, trained and authored training programs for major corporations and organizations all over North America. His client list ranges from Coca Cola and the “Big Three” to ESPN and the World Champion Detroit Pistons . He has worked with many clients as they dealt with the challenges of mergers, acquisitions, rapid growth and re-organizations resulting in major culture changes.	Dealing with Change in the Marketplace This program is a refreshingly different view of today's business world! It will focus on many of the strategies, techniques, and tools currently utilized by leaders in every industry to cope with the chaos we find in today's ever-changing and competitive marketplace. Thanks to Frontier Farm Credit for sponsoring this workshop!
Ray Ward is president and co-owner of Ward Laboratories, Inc. since 1983. He holds numerous memberships in scientific and honorary academic societies and organizations. His goals for agriculture and agronomy are to help production agriculture use its resources as efficiently as possible, to provide information and data for developing the best use of soil and water resources while maintaining environmental quality, to be involved in “value-added” agriculture, and to provide accurate laboratory data for managing production enterprises.	Determining Efficient Fertilizer Application Rates Our soil testing laboratory was very busy last fall and remains busy now testing soils to determine how much fertilizer is needed for various crops in 2006. Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for non-legume crops even when price for N is very high. Ray Ward provides the useful things you need to know on soils and fertilizer applications under No-till management (he's great for myth-busting the latest fads).
Dirceu Gassen, an entomologist with COOPLANTIO - Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil, was one of several international No-till experts that has shared information with us in the past. Dirceu does over 50 talks and conferences per year. He has authored books on No-till, pest management and biological control.	Pest management under No-till.
Alan States was raised near Logan, Kansas. After college and a four-year tour of duty with the U.S. Army (including a year of combat in Vietnam) he went home and began to build his farm. Alan has farmed for thirty three years and now operates a 7,000-acre No-till farm. He began No-till on his farm in 1977. During his career the farm has evolved from a wheat-fallow operation to wheat-milo-fallow followed by wheat-corn-fallow to the current wheat-corn-soybean rotation. With the assistance of Jay Hofaker a farmer-rancher also of Logan he operates the farm with one tractor, planter, No-till drill, sprayer, combine, grain cart and two trucks. He also hires custom work as needed.	Thinking Outside the Box, Who took the Box? Outrageous practices, Drilled twin row corn. The next farm bill: can you do without? Alan States has an 7,000-acre No-till farm with no full-time employees, and his farm's profits allowed him to acquire a bank -- gain some insight into how he perennially does more with less.
Ross M. Welch is the Lead Scientist with the USDA-ARS U.S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory at Cornell University. His previous experience includes 33 years as a ARS scientist and professor of plant nutrition at Cornell Univ.	Harvesting Health – Enhancing the Nutritional Quality of Food Crops Better nutrition through improved crop quality is not only necessary to reduce diet-related diseases but also profitable for farmers. Using agricultural technologies to enhance the healthiness of food crops is the wave of the future for North American farms that want to remain profitable in an aging society that is demanding healthier products and affluent enough to pay for quality traits in farmers’ products. Internationally, there are 30 million deaths a year from diet related diseases. It is by far the leading cause of death on earth today. Thus, it is imperative that agricultural systems change in ways that will link agriculture to public health.
Ademir Calegari is pioneer of No-till farming in Brazil. Ademir brings forth experience from tens of thousands of hectares of cover-crop usage. The soil degradation process observed in traditional system in many agricultural areas from Brazil and other countries all over the world are shifting to a sustainable soil management system. The No-tillage system in Brazil, with an annual rate of 8% growth, comprises today more than 22 million hectares (almost 50% of the total producing grain area). In the last years, the grain productivity practically it was doubled with the advancing of this system. The adequate use of cover crops in appropriate cropping sequence can promote soil properties improvement, great soil biodiversity, increase crop yield and enhance profitability in a sustainable way.	Soil and Crops Improvement With A No-tillage System - including the adequate use of cover crops and crop rotation
No-till Producer Panel Brad Clark, Kent Stones, Matt Moreland, and Brian Berns	MYTHBUSTERS – Interactive Discussion for Beginning and Intermediate No-tillers
Andrew Barkley, is a Kansas State University Agriculture Economics Professor who specializes in agricultural trade and public policy, with research and teaching interests in international trade and related public policy issues. Barkley’s research evaluates teaching and research programs, with the goal of improving teaching, learning, and the quality of life for all individuals and groups.	The Future of No-till Agriculture in a Global Economy
Keith Berns has a unique background as both a No-till farmer (South Central Nebraska) and as a web designer (designs, maintains and hosts over 50 websites, including the No-till On The Plains website). Keith will use his background and expertise to help you more effectively use search engines, discussion boards, web resources, and the No-till On The Plains website to help you find the No-till information that you need.	Mining the Internet for No-till Resources In this session, Keith will use a live Internet connection to demonstrate how to use the Web to answer the following sample questions that farmers might have: I found a new weed in my field and I’m not sure what it is! How can I identify it and learn how to control it? Is applying fertilizer with the planter more efficient than other application methods? If so, how can I best do this? I need to know the soil types on a new piece of ground and what their productivity levels might be. I am interested in cover crops – where can I find more information?
Gabe Brown (North Dakota No-tiller and Rancher) Jay Fuhrer (USDA NRCS)	Integrating Livestock in a No-till Cropping System Gabe and Jay will explain how far Soil Health has taken this central North Dakota ranch. They will discuss rotations geared toward forages, with stunning results.
Al Davis	Myths versus Reality Come listen to this energetic keynote speaker who will mentally prepare you for the events to follow!
Bud Davis is the USDA NRCS State Agronomist is and is responsible for the technical adequacy of agronomic practices planned and implemented by USDA-NRCS in Kansas. It is Bud’s vision and passion that has brought No-till on the Plains to the forefront in educational practices, and he continues to serve as an invaluable advisor to the Board of Directors.	Rainfall Simulator Bud will be demonstrating the rainfall simulator during the conference breaks. A great way to see how No-till virtually eliminates soil erosion!
Dan Forgey of Cronin Farms (South Dakota) will describe their 15 years of successful No-till on large acreages with a lean labor force. Dan has been farming for 36 years and No-tilling for 14 and says "A lot of our success belongs to Dwayne Beck. We feel that we are a very aggressive farm and we never want to lose our edge."	Rotations and Fertility Lessons Learned In 14 years of No-till we have made our share of mistakes. We feel we are gaining, and as long as we keep learning from them it will work. We still say that if you take care of the land it will take care of you.
Mike Hubbs is the National Agronomist with NRCS in Washington D.C. As an agronomist for Tennessee and on the Soil Quality Institute, he trained and presented on agronomy and soil quality to agricultural groups and farmers with diverse agriculture enterprises in vegetables, irrigated specialty crops, corn, cotton, wheat, rice, soybeans, different variety of oil crops (canola, safflower, etc.), etc. in all regions of the United States.	No-till Effects on Soil Quality
Gary James is a Hypro Sales Representative for Kansas. Missouri, and Oklahoma. With 16 years in sales and management experience with Ag-Chem Equipment Co. in Minnesota, Texas and Kansas, Gary has presented spray tip training seminars for numerous Kansas and Oklahoma groups.	Drift Control and Nozzle Selection Gary will cover the Basics, Guide to Selecting Spray Tips, Tip Calibration, Ways to reduce drift, and Asian Soybean Rust.
Paul J. Jasa serves as an Extension Engineer, University of Nebraska where he develops and conducts educational programs related to No-till equipment and system management. No-till on the Plains is fortunate to have Paul’s presence at our Winter Conferences and summer events each year where he has shared his vast knowledge with hundreds of No-tillers.	Using Management and Experience to Overcome Myths When considering changes, myths often overshadow reality and discourage people from exploring and adopting new technologies. When learning about No-till, we've all heard the myths and of the failures and, only occasionally, the successes. Paul will use research results and producer experiences to show how proper management can reduce the risks when implementing No-till systems. He will also debunk several of the myths while explaining the realities of several of the common No-till concerns.
Norman Klocke is a Professor, Water Resources Engineering, Kansas State University, Garden City with 30 years of No-till experience.	Water Conservation from Crop Residue Management in Sprinkler Irrigation
David Lobb, University of Manitoba Lobb brings 19 years of research and extension experience in soil erosion and soil conservation from across Canada, the United States and around the world. We have been told for decades that farmers should adopt No-till to reduce wind and water erosion and that in doing so farmers would conserve their productive topsoil and rebuild degraded topsoil and they would protect the environment. It turns out that wind and water erosion are not the major cause of the severe erosion that we see on our agricultural land. And, it turns out that farmers may need to do much more than adopt No-till to get the most out of their eroded land.	Turning Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation Upside Down In this presentation Lobb examines the major advances in research that are causing a revolution in soil erosion and soil conservation.
Gary Maskus of Arriba, CO is a member and former President of the Colorado Conservation Tillage Association. He also is the owner/operator of a dryland farm in Colorado, 50 miles West of the Kansas border, just north of I-70. With an elevation of 5200 ft. and a 16” annual rainfall, he gets the most out of his short grass prairie environment.	Breaking The Neighborhood Rules
Alan Mindemann, Southwest Oklahoma Farmer Alan is a Certified Crop Advisor, farm manager, custom farmer, and seed dealer as well as operating his own farm. A fourth generation farmer, he been No-tilling for 10 years. The benefits he experiences from No-till are lower cost of production, higher yields, improved soil structure, and improved water infiltration.	Covercrops and Moisture Management in S.W. Oklahoma Alan will explain how to keep and use most if not all the rainfall you get and how you can have a successful year on 2/3 normal rainfall, even while growing covercrops in the rotation.
Gyles Randall is a Soil Scientist and Professor at the southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca, MN. His tillage and nutrient management research program focuses on the development of Best Management Practices to improve the economics of corn and soybean production and reduce losses of sediment and nutrients to water resources.	The Realities and Myths of No-till Farming in the Northern Corn Belt His talk will outline the challenges and benefits of NT farming in a corn-soybean rotation.”
Don Reicosky is a soil scientist at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service-North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory in Morris, MN.	Tillage "Myths" Versus Carbon "Reality
Chuck Rice, Kansas State University Dr. Chuck Rice is a Professor of Soil Microbiology at Kansas State University. His long-term research interests include: 1) soil organic matter dynamics in agricultural and grassland ecosystems; 2) soil nitrogen transformations; and 3) soil microbial ecology. He has been working in No-tillage systems for over 25 years.	How Does the Soil Store Carbon and What Does It Mean to Me! We have been studying how carbon is stored in soils and what management practices enhance soil carbon. Understanding how No-tillage and other management affects soil microbes and soil structure help determine the rates of carbon increases we can expect. We also have been identifying the benefits of improved soil carbon levels to soil quality and crop production. This information is essential for producers and aggregators as trial projects develop for carbon offsets and other environmental service benefits.
Dick Richardson, University of Texas at Austin was operating the family farm and ranch in central Texas from the time he was 13, along the way receiving the American Farmer Degree in FFA and graduating with a BS in Plant and Soil Science at Texas A&M University. Leaving his life on the farm, he received an MS in Plant Breeding and a PhD in Genetics from NC State University in Raleigh. Since coming to the University of Texas, he has worked on eradicating screwworms, and teaching Natural Resource Management and Genetics.	Managing When You Expect the Unexpected -- What You Don't Learn In College: We don't control the weather, our markets, or our wife. How do we have a good life and enjoy the process?
Patricia Richardson, University of Texas at Austin, is a Research Fellow in Integrative Biology at the University of Texas and is a videographer of the colorful, unusual critters that live in the soil.	Soil Meso-Fauna - Why Feed Your Soil If There's No One Around To Distribute And Recycle The Nutrients? What is it about complex soil life that we're missing? There's the bacteria and fungi - the micro-fauna. There's the earthworms and dung beetles - the mega-fauna. Now witness in action the middle sized critters - the meso-fauna, who repackage and move nutrients around in a healthy soil food web. Learn how and why your management should support this essential layer of life in the soil.
Allen Seaman is a risk management teacher working with farmers, bankers, and crop insurance agents. He has 23 years in Agri-Business throughout North Central Kansas and South Central Nebraska, working 7 years for Tetlow Grain Inc. at Downs and later owning Lebanon Grain Inc. for 16 years. Allen owned and helped start J CROSS FEEDS. He has been a risk management independent contractor with Agricultural Solutions for the last 18 months.	Farming For Profit - Do You Know How? This talk will show how to tie 100% APH, Price, crop insurance, government programs, and weather all together to become profitable as well as how to control input costs. In addition, Allen will show how to secure a positive cash flow with upside in price and productions and NO risk of delivery.
Mike Stamm, Kansas State University, is the Canola Breeder for the joint breeding program coordinated by Kansas State and Oklahoma State Universities. He will be presenting on winter canola’s growth and management, and its use as a No-till alternative crop for the central Great Plains. Crop production in the Great Plains has been challenging for decades. Low rainfall, high temperatures, and high evaporative demand impede “traditional” crops such as corn and soybeans. Winter canola has great potential, since it is a broadleaf crop with a growth period similar to winter wheat, and appears adaptable to the region. A market for canola presently exists, considering the oil is in high demand with large quantities imported into the US each year. A large machinery investment is not required as the same equipment is used for canola production as for winter wheat.	Winter Canola – An Alternative Crop for the Central Great Plains Information will be given on improving canola establishment and yields through No-till seeding. Information will also be presented on the history of canola production in the region, harvest methods, insurance, and the objectives of the K-State breeding program. Continued research with canola is underway to evaluate No-till by conventional tillage methods, planting dates by tillage method, and tillage method by crop rotation.