Hyatt Regency
1300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN
November 20 - 21
2024 Draft Schedule
Sustainable Agriculture Summit: A Decade of Progress and a Vision for the Future
Ten years ago, the first Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Minneapolis brought together farmers, suppliers, processors, brands, academia, conservation organizations, and the public sector to advance sustainability in U.S. agriculture.
Since then, agriculture has undergone massive shifts driven by ground-breaking technologies, global supply chain disruptions, social change, and more. Now, more than ever, collaboration within the agricultural supply chain is essential to solving our shared challenges and driving a more sustainable future for our industry.
The 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Summit will offer actionable insights from world-class experts, on-the-ground perspectives from farmers and ranchers, additional interactive breakout sessions, and valuable networking opportunities. Join us as we celebrate a decade of collaboration – exploring the past, present, and, most importantly, the future of sustainable agriculture.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Sustainable farming practices often come with significant costs, which are typically paid for by farmers and ranchers. Like all business owners, producers are more likely to adopt sustainable practices if there is a clear opportunity for a return on investment and less financial risk. To support this, agriculture stakeholders, sometimes in conjunction with state entities, have been working to demonstrate the financial benefits of these practices and identify financial planning solutions. The Minnesota Farm Business Management Program is a prime example of this, developed to provide one-on-one business support to farmers to help them understand the strengths and weaknesses of specific practices and prepare a strategy for long-term success. Learn how successful local programs, like Minnesota's, can be a model for nation-wide farm financial benchmarking efforts that support farmers in their endeavor to implement sustainable practices while sustaining their business.
Tom Ryan
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.
38% of all food in the U.S. goes unsold or uneaten, lost at various points from the field to the family table. This surplus food consumes land, water, fuel, and other valuable resources as it’s grown, processed, prepared, and disposed of, adding to overall GHG emissions, and costing the U.S. economy $473 billion. This session will consider a variety of solutions and partnerships aimed at reducing the environmental, social, and economic impacts of wasted food.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.
For more than a decade, we have examined the potential for U.S. agriculture to accelerate environmental solutions while also creating a thriving economy. We aren’t yet there, so what more is needed to unlock that potential? In this session, we’ll explore how food and beverage companies can work with their suppliers to address many of the sticking points – farmer financial risks, complex metrics and reporting systems, challenging policy environments, and the need for technical support – that pose barriers to widescale adoption of sustainable practices. Learn what will be needed for U.S. agriculture to move beyond individual projects to industry-wide action that delivers tangible results for farmers and the supply chain.
Tom Ryan
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.
Solutions for a more sustainable future for food and agriculture are within reach on America’s farms and ranches. No two farms are alike, so a key ingredient for accelerating agriculture-driven solutions is a robust bench of technical assistance and peer support that provides farmers with expert guidance for successful implementation of new practices and technologies. Farmers from across commodity sectors will discuss where they already find support, what resources they feel are missing, and how the value chain can bolster existing or develop new systems that provide clarity and advance sustainability approaches.
Tom Ryan
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.
Tom Ryan
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.