December 6 - 7

2023 Draft Schedule

Scaling Collective Impact: Collaborating to Accelerate Agricultural Sustainability
Agriculture is in a unique position. On top of being the source of food, feed, fiber and fuel for billions of people, we have the potential to not only improve our own footprint but also provide solutions for some of the largest environmental and social challenges of the day. How do we transform this incredible potential into needle-shifting reality?

Many within agriculture have been working within their own supply chains to make progress, but it’s clear no single organization or sector can drive this transformation alone. Every link in the broader food and ag value chain has a critical role to play in developing and implementing solutions that support healthy ecosystems, communities and bottom lines.

 Join us for the ninth annual Sustainable Agriculture Summit, Scaling Collective Impact, as we explore how leveraging the interconnectedness embedded within U.S. agriculture can help us scale our collective action and achieve sustainable outcomes faster, more economically, and more efficiently.

Time
*Listed in Eastern Standard Time
Event
7:00 am
Breakfast (Networking Hall)
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

7:00 am
6:30 pm
Networking Hall Open
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

8:30 am
Welcome
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

8:45 am
Opening Keynote
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

9:15 am
The Science of Sustainability: The Impact of Research on a Sustainable Agricultural System

New technologies and  practices are emerging, seemingly daily, that aim to improve the sustainability  of U.S. agriculture. Thanks to scientific research, we as an entire  agriculture industry are able to advance our sustainability efforts in ways  previously not thought possible. This session will explore the pivotal role  research is playing in creating a more sustainable, resilient, and safe food  system, as well as the exciting innovations and emerging technologies that  are shaping the future.  

Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

9:45 am
A Global View: Meeting Global Reporting Needs

With a rapid increase in global reporting schemes, protocols, and standards requiring environmental-related reporting, our sector needs to be at the table to ensure that these items are reflective of  agriculture’s unique position to be an environmental solution and the multiple opportunities presented by the U.S. production system. How does our industry address these reporting needs and what impact do they or will they have on how we operate today?

Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

10:30 am
Networking Break & Lightning Presentations (Networking Hall)
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

11:00 am
Concurrent Breakout Sessions #1
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

12:00 pm
Lunch (Networking Hall)
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

1:30 pm
Concurrent Breakout Sessions #2
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

2:30 pm
Networking Break & Lightning Presentations (Networking Hall)
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

3:00 pm
Advancing Sustainability Through Collaboration: A Value Chain Case

Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather requires tailored solutions for each system. Players across the value chain have a history of coming together to do exactly that: innovate to develop new technologies that are customized to meet producers' unique needs, identify what drives producers to adopt these technologies, incentivize adoption of these technologies, and create the infrastructure to measure and monitor progress. In this session, we will explore a case study from the beef value chain, sharing specific examples of how each player contributes to the sustainability space. Panelists will share successes and challenges and present actionable steps that can be applied across all sectors of agriculture.

Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

3:45 pm
Collaborating to Mitigate the Environmental Impact of Feed

There is an inextricable link between the farmers and ranchers who raise the nation’s dairy, beef and poultry and the growers of specialty and row crops: feed. The way feedstuffs are produced can account for a large portion of animal agriculture’s environmental footprint, however how they are grown is often out of the livestock farmer’s hands. With limited control over the environmental impact of many feed components, how can livestock producers work with crop sectors to improve the footprint of all those involved? This session will discuss initiatives underway to further partnerships between ag sectors, progress that is being made to eliminate barriers between supply chains, and look ahead at opportunities to scale solutions to unlock environmental benefits.  

Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

4:30 pm
Producer Voices – 1

Farmers, ranchers, producers, growers - whatever you call them, the actions they’re taking in their fields and at their farms offer huge opportunities to improve the environmental footprint of agriculture supply chains. In a series of short case study presentations, farmers from across commodity sectors will share real-world examples of the innovative ways they are addressing sustainability on their operations, before coming together to answer your questions and discuss how industry-wide collaboration could help scale similar efforts in economically viable ways on farms across the country. 

Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

5:30 pm
6:30 pm
Networking Reception (Networking Hall)
Tom Ryan
President, Truterra

Tom Ryan

President, Truterra

As President of Truterra, Tom leads Land O’Lakes’ sustainability business and is driving farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. Under Tom’s leadership, Truterra is focused on creating new value streams up and down the supply chain by connecting farmers, ag retailers, and food and CPG companies. Not only does Tom have industry-spanning experience working with farmers and ag retailers, but he is also a multi-generation farmer who practices sustainability and soil health practices on his own farm.

Tom is a 23-year veteran of the Land O’Lakes Federated system, and throughout his tenure, he has held multiple leadership roles, most recently leading WinField United’s business operations team where he oversaw customer experience, business analytics and data science. He also led WinField United’s Strategic Retail Alliance efforts executing partnerships, alliances and joint ventures across 40 ag retailers.

Tom has strong experience in precision agriculture and working directly with farmers and ag retailers to evaluate and adopt conservation practices. He first joined Land O’Lakes in 2005 as a Seed & Agronomy Advisor and previously served as a Technical Service Provider with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this role, he helped farmers develop conservation plans, apply for federal conservation funding, and adopt new regenerative practices.

Tom is a multi-generation farmer who is an active partner in his family’s 1,200-acre corn and soybean farm near Springfield, MN. He currently resides in Ham Lake, MN with his wife Kori and their son Jack.

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