November 16 - 17
2022 Draft Schedule
Meeting the Moment: Strengthening U.S. Food and Agriculture’s Capacity to Drive Change
For more than a decade, leaders across U.S. food and agriculture have been advancing initiatives to secure a more sustainable future for our people, planet, and communities. Despite modest progress, inequality persists, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and, across the American West, producers are faced with an increasingly dire scarcity of the most precious resource that sustains our industry and our world – water – deepening a climate crisis which uniquely threatens the agriculture industry.
*Listed in Mountain Standard Time
The U.S. agricultural value chain and consumers alike, rely on producers in the west for more than half of our specialty crops, a majority of our cattle and poultry, and a significant amount of row crops, dairy and seeds. Yet, agriculture in the American West is facing unprecedented challenges related to water scarcity, ongoing droughts, wildfires, regulations and labor concerns. How are policy makers, producers and academics working together to overcome these challenges and innovate ways to remain resilient and profitable in the face of deteriorating growing conditions? This session will highlight western-agricultural issues, including innovations in methane mitigations and water quantity challenges. Following these micro-keynote addresses, our experts will address questions from the audience.
Moderator:
Sarah Stokes Alexander, Vice President of Programs, Keystone Policy Center
Speakers:
Developing our Next Generation of Change Agents in Agriculture: Agriculture Educator Perspectives
Fostering student career success is challenging. During this agriculture educator panel session questions from the audience will be solicited along the theme of what else needs to be done to better prepare college students to enter the agribusiness workforce? Topics such as being entrepreneurial, dealing with ambiguity, teamwork, soft skill development and creating fundamental awareness of our food and fiber system will be covered. A key outcome is to provide attendees with a candid, inside view of university agriculture education and how we can partner for better student outcomes.
Advancing Sustainability through Innovative Partnerships – Field to Market
The challenges facing farmers and the agricultural value change continue to rapidly evolve. It is crucial now, more than ever, that the entire value chain works together to meet the growing demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel in a sustainable and responsible way that protects farm productivity and the environment. Join us in this session, as we explore how partnerships can be utilized to meet agricultures’ challenges and advance sustainability.
Rerooting U.S. Food Production: A New Paradigm for Animal Agriculture
Our current low food prices are actually paid for elsewhere – by the environment, the animals, the farmers, and our children’s futures. This panel, facilitated by WWF, will discuss how we can feed the growing world population in a sustainable, future-proof, climate smart and fair way, with fewer natural resources and greater animal welfare. We will highlight challenges and opportunities for the partnership between Kipster, MPS Egg Farms, The Kroger Company, and ASPCA to produce eggs and meat with minimal land use while maximizing ‘waste’ streams from the food system in a low carbon and animal friendly way.
Enteric Emissions Reductions Protocol (Verra VM0041)
VM0041, Methodology for the Reduction of Enteric Methane Emissions from Ruminants Through the Use of Feed Ingredients, Version2.0, was approved in December 2021. The Context Network has been engaged by California Dairy Research Foundation to bring together stakeholders to review this protocol, potentially provide changes based on stakeholder consensus, then submit to the California Air Resource Board (CARB) for consideration as a compliance protocol to put through rule making and ultimately acceptance for use by farmers and project developers. This session will provide an overview of the project, outlining details of the protocol, implications, and importance to the industry.
Sustainable vs/or + Regenerative? Which One or Both? – SISC
How are sustainable agriculture and regenerative ag different, the same? Can they work together to achieve greater, more diverse, and widespread positive environmental outcomes for the food and ag industry? If so, how? How do we all need to think/talk about the connection between regenerative and sustainable agriculture to achieve the most positive results for agriculture, the food industry and the planet? This breakout session will bring experts who have worked on some of the most established ag sustainability programs, together with those developing new regenerative practices and programs to explore how sustainable and regenerative ag connect.
FARMER TRACK - Adapting to Drought and Enhancing Resilience Through Feed
Feed production is a critical component to successful livestock production. In dairy and finishing beef production systems, feed not only accounts for a major portion of operational costs but also contributes to a substantial portion of an operations environmental footprint: from associated water and land use to greenhouse gas emissions. In the face of drought, climate change and volatile markets, enhancing the sustainability of feed production is essential to a resilient operation. Join us in a panel discussion highlighting research efforts across the feed and livestock sectors to adapt to drought and enhance resiliency through feed.
How to Inspire the Next Generation to Care About Climate Change and Sustainability – MANRRS
According to recent research, younger activists are often at the forefront of the climate debate. Compared with older adults, GenZers and Millennials are talking more about the need for action on climate change, viewing more climate change content online, and doing more to get involved with the issue through activities such as volunteering and attending rallies. It is not enough to prepare youth to assume the roles adults currently hold. Student leaders are prepared to be impactful now and need those above to become mentors. Attend this session to hear why this generation is so passionate about change.
Activating Solutions to Meet the Need for Feed
Feed industry innovations have delivered continuous improvements enabling animal production systems to do more with less. With growing demand for more sustainable animal proteins, the feed industry has a significant role in helping production systems meet increasingly complex challenges. The Institute for Feed Education and Research and World Wildlife Fund collaborated to engage the full feed value chain during the first-of-its kind Feed Systems Sustainability Summit to identify and catalyze needed actions. Using curated case studies and participant insights, we’ll engage and gather feedback from the audience to advance understanding and action around circularity, innovation, regenerative agriculture, and responsible sourcing.
Connecting Aquaculture to U.S. Soybean Farmers Through a Closed-Loop Model for Sustainable Nutrition
U.S. soy farmers can play a pivotal role in a new approach to the feed, food, and fuel sector through a sustainable, vertically integrated, farmer-to-customer model for aquaculture. In our current data-driven, customer-focused climate, a closed-loop approach can deliver sustainably grown, high-nutrition soybean ingredients to end-use customers, while also bringing greater purpose to the U.S. farmer, a linkage that is often lost in segmented supply chains. Learn how new aquaculture innovations, stronger relationships with farmers, and a supply-chain grounded in a shared commitment to sustainability can benefit all players, from CPGs and fish farmers to soy processors and consumers.
SAI Platform & U.S. Dairy: Aligning Global Sustainable Sourcing with Regional Programs – Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy
Many food and ingredient companies employ sustainable sourcing assessments for their suppliers and associated farms. These assessments often differ and may fail to recognize meaningful programs already in place, which can dilute focus and impact. For more than three years, dairy suppliers, national programs, and global customers have collaborated to develop the Sustainable Dairy Partnership (SDP), a multinational sourcing assessment to streamline supplier assessments through recognizing regionally applicable and locally relevant management systems and programs. This session explores the value of the SDP, and the collaborative process behind it, as a replicable model that can inform similar outcomes across sectors.
Financial Innovations to Accelerate Sustainable Agriculture
Earlier this year, Field to Market released the Financial Innovations to Accelerate Sustainable Agriculture report. Since then, the US agriculture sector has seen growing interest and funding for innovations that highlight the important role farms play in the sustainable management of natural resources and the mitigation of climate change. But perceived risks, long payback periods and upfront investment requirements continue to delay practice adoption. Innovation and partnerships can help drive efficiency in funding. Join this conversation with panelists from the financial services and research community about the sustainable agriculture finance landscape, the role of innovators and the opportunities for collaboration.
FARMER TRACK - Clearing Up Climate Market Confusion
The Agricultural Climate Markets Collaborative is a voluntary group facilitated by the Keystone Policy Center to identify collective, precompetitive actions that could create more transparency and build trust in the marketplace and ultimately contribute to a clearer marketplace that can scale towards meaningful impact. This session will aim to answer questions that we can about climate markets and have discussion about the questions we can't.
Direct action related to most of the topics and actions discussed at this meeting will take place at the field and farm level, so it’s critical that the people who will be making this impact are part of the conversation about them. Across the American West, producers face unique conditions that are not always experienced by those in other parts of the country. In this town-hall style conversation, western farmers from across commodity sectors will react to the top sustainability matters of the day, provide their perspective on their role in advancing sustainability, highlight the challenges they’re facing, and speak to the importance of industry-wide collaboration to build economically viable pathways for progress.
Moderator:
- Tara Vander Dussen, Co-Founder, Elevate Ag and Dairy Farmer & Environmental Scientist, New Mexico Milkmaid
Panelists:
Sustainability is a topic too big for any single company, commodity, or supply chain sector to solve on its own. That’s why this Summit was created – to serve as a convening for all agricultural stakeholders to collaboratively drive a more sustainable future for our industry. Now, a surge of public and private investment into climate-smart agriculture is poised to springboard our collective approach to sustainability. In this session, representatives from various U.S. food and ag value chain sectors share their insights, learnings, and what’s to come as they attempt to advance innovative approaches to mitigating climate risk, align measurement and reporting standards, and ensure the full value chain has a seat at the table during these important conversations.
Moderator:
- Philip Brasher, Editor, Agri-Pulse
Speakers:
*Listed in Mountain Standard Time
Meeting the Moment: Measuring Welfare Beyond Compliance - U.S. Poultry & Egg Association / US Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs
"Good welfare” has evolved to mean more than compliance with required minimums for care. It encompasses every step taken to create a prosperous environment for livestock and poultry and the people who care for them. A case study of progress can be found in poultry — under immense pressure around emissions, transportation, processing, and almost every aspect of husbandry. This session offers a first look at how the poultry sector is strengthening its capacity to drive change by bringing the attitude of measurement present in sustainability to poultry welfare via a multi-stakeholder initiative with the International Poultry Welfare Alliance.
Enhancing Sustainable Food Systems Through Technology and Innovation on Livestock Farms
New practices or approved animal health technologies – such as data analytics software for beef cattle or genetics testing – can help livestock producers grow more with less. Building on the livestock industry’s tremendous strides in the last few decades to produce meat, milk, poultry, and eggs more efficiently, future-minded livestock farmers are incorporating innovative practices, collecting more data, and utilizing digital tools that can help them make more informed decisions and even differentiate to customers and consumers how they are raising their animals.
Leveraging Satellite Data to Drive and Inform Climate-smart Livestock and Dairy Agriculture at Scale
Demand for livestock and dairy products sourced from operations that incorporate regenerative climate-smart management is accelerating across the value chain. To meet this demand producers, suppliers, and businesses require innovative solutions that provide metrics from field to supply-shed scales, identify lands managed sustainably, and quantify greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration. Consistent and objective satellite data can track grazing lands and vegetation response to climate and management practices at scale that result in lands resilient to extreme events. Coupled biogeochemical models can then provide carbon and emissions metrics for lifecycle assessments, monitoring conservation objectives, and supply-shed scale reporting.
Advancing Biodiversity Across the Ag Value Chain - Corteva
As the foundation of agriculture and our food system, a healthy biodiversity ecosystem is critical to advancing yield, productivity, incomes and revenues for farmers and businesses throughout the agriculture value chain. This panel will highlight examples of collaborations and actionable strategies that are delivering measurable progress today –toward a more sustainable future.
Using N-Balance Methodology to Make Claims at Scale Toward Reduced N2O
Environmental Defense Fund’s guidance for N balance model implementation provides a scientifically robust framework for measuring and reporting progress toward nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emission and nitrate leaching reduction goals related to crop production. While N2O is more potent than CO2 at heating the Earth’s atmosphere, it is largely unaddressed in climate policies and passed over in corporate emissions reporting. During this session, you’ll learn aboutN2O, how to calculate N balance scores, and about Farmers Business Network’s Regenerative Agriculture Finance Fund, which utilizes N balance to qualify growers for discounted operating lines.
FARMER TRACK - Envisioning a Diverse and Resilient Corn Belt
Meeting the moment necessitates thinking about agricultural productivity in he Corn Belt differently. This session will highlight (1) the work of a USDA-NIFA funded research and outreach project called “Diverse Corn Belt” – this project engages farmers, farm advisors, agribusiness, and policy makers in creating alternative visions for the Midwestern US, (2) the experiences of a farmer who has diversified beyond corn and soybeans, and (3) investments made by The Nature Conservancy to support innovative transformations. Following brief presentations, the audience will actively engage in small group discussions about barriers and opportunities for diversification.
From Momentum to Transformation: Embedding Social Equity in Regenerative Agriculture
Tools for measuring and reporting environmental outcomes in regenerative agriculture exist aplenty. Yet, there is little guidance on how to ensure social equity for farmers delivering those environmental benefits. Representatives of farm communities, brands and NGOs will share their perspectives on embedding social equity in regenerative agriculture. They will explore resources, strategies, and innovative approaches used by grassroots movements and institutional procurement that are applicable to the broader agricultural sector. Attendees will improve their understanding of the critical link between social equity and environmental challenges facing the agriculture system as well as specific solutions to carry forward in their work.
Selling Sustainability: The Role for Ag Retail in Scaling Regenerative Agriculture
Agricultural retailers represent a key stakeholder in the food and agriculture supply chain, both in the inputs and services they provide farmers and in their larger role as trusted advisors to their farmer customers. Particularly as farmers’ most trusted source of information outside of their peers, ag retailers represent a significant resource for accelerating behavior and social support to help farms transition to regenerative practices. In this session, we’ll share insights and action steps for continuing to engage ag retailers in regenerative agriculture.
Conquering Sustainability Challenges Through Genetic Improvement - U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
Genetics are at the core of creating more sustainable beef and dairy supply chains. For generations, genetic improvements in beef and dairy cattle have made strides to make production more efficient, which, today, translates into a direct reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Joining this panel are three industry experts, each presenting a unique perspective on genetic improvements as they relate to beef and dairy sustainability. Keep in mind – progress doesn’t happen overnight, but work is being done to engage in research and management practices associated with conquering sustainability challenges through genetic improvement. Join us to hear more.
Creating Opportunities for Almond Growers to Participate in Ecosystem Service Market Programs
Many agricultural carbon market programs focus mainly on annual and row crops. To increase opportunities for almond producers to receive ecosystem services payments, ESMC has partnered with the Almond Board of California to conduct a pilot project for supply chain outcomes in almond production systems. The project is testing and streamlining the creation and sale of supply chain environmental credits from CA almond orchards and adapting the program for this perennial cropping system. ESMC’s program pays growers for quantified, verified, certified, and outcomes-based soil carbon, net greenhouse gases, water quality and water conservation credits generated from regenerative agricultural practices.
Scaling Up Conservation Practices in Dairy
Participants will learn about the U.S. Dairy Feed in Focus (FiF) Program, which is designed to pilot and scale the adoption of best management practices in feed/forage production and efficiency, for feed grown on dairy farms. These practices are expected to result in significant benefits for climate change mitigation, improved soil health, and increased water quality on dairy farms of all sizes. Panelists will also discuss a new project emerging to trial dietary interventions to mitigate enteric methane emissions in dairy cattle. USDA recently announced a $537,440 award for this project through its CIG On-Farm Trials program.
FARMER TRACK - Achieving Success with Climate Positive Agriculture – Corteva
Farmers and ranchers – as well as the entire agriculture industry – face the impacts of climate change on a daily basis. But there are early adopter producers who are leading the way in successfully implementing, scaling and sharing climate positive practices that reduce the impact of our changing climate while increasing resilience. This panel will share successful examples of on-farm practices that meet yield/productivity goals while protecting natural resources and habitats
It’s a pivotal time for us in the agriculture industry to take the wheel and advance transformational change against the backdrop of issues facing our producers and populations in the West and around the globe. Having just returned from COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, Anjali will share her reflections of the on-going discussions as well as intersectional opportunities for progress that strengthens our industry toward a more resilient food system.
Farmers, ranchers, producers, growers. Whatever you call them, they are indispensable to the food we eat and the clothes we wear and so many of our daily essentials making their way into our homes in a sustainable way. Direct action related to most of the topics and actions discussed at this meeting will take place at the field and farm level so it’s critical that the people who will be making this impact are part of the conversation about them. In this town-hall style conversation, farmers from across commodity sectors will react to the top sustainability matters of the day, provide their perspective on their role in advancing these initiatives and speak to the importance of industry-wide collaboration to build economically viable pathways for progress.
Moderator:
- Natalie Kovarik, Co-Founder, Elevate Ag and Rancher, Kovarik Cattle Co.
Panelists:
Agricultural economist, futurist and commentator Dan Basse operates at the intersection of economics and agriculture, providing market intelligence and presenting a vision for the future. Join us as he shares his analysis of current agricultural markets and trends, delivering valuable insights into the impacts of climate change and sustainability pressures on U.S. agriculture, and how the food and agriculture value chain can best position itself to meet this moment.
