Notill on the Plains

Urban Ag Mini-Conference March 7, 2026, Lawrence, Kansas Keynote Speaker Dr. Daphne Miller Daphne Miller, MD, is a practicing family physician and Professor in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. She also serves as Leadership Faculty at the Lifelong Family Medicine Residency Program in Richmond California, where she teaches physicians-in-training about the ecological determinants of health. She serves as her clinic's lead to Richmond Rising, a $34 million, multi-partner grant designed to build a connected, climate-resilient, healthy neighborhood. She has been a regular health and science contributor to the Washington Post and has published two best-selling books about food, agriculture and health: The Jungle Effect, The Science and Wisdom of Traditional Diets and Farmacology, Total Health from the Ground Up. She lives and gardens in Berkeley California. Registration is open and prices go up next week! Don't miss this opportunity to learn about soil health practices and their implications with human health in the urban ag and smaller acreage agricultural operations. For $75 all educational materials and lunch is included. Register today: notill.org/.../urban-ag-a…...

Make plans to join No-till on the Plains for a Mini-Conference focused on Urban Ag! Registration is $75 for all educational materials and lunch provided. Keynote speaker: Dr. Daphne Miller Session speakers: Rachel Summer Resilient Growers, Ok, Angela Dake, Hidden Hills Farm, KS, and Chris Tecklinberg, Teck Farms, Kansas Check out the speaker bios at: notill.org/.../urban-ag-a…... Stay tuned for more information soon!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will unfortunately not be able to have Dr. Jason Rowntree attend and speak at the Winter Conference this year. Hugh Aljoe, Noble Research Institute will be our Keynote Speaker on January 21, 2026. Hugh Aljoe serves as the director of ranches, outreach, and partnerships at Noble Research Institute, where he focuses on regenerative management of range and pasture, high stock density grazing and holistic ranch management. He has been associated with Noble since 1995 and, before joining, managed a 3,000-acre, 1,500-head cattle operation in Texas. Hugh received his master’s degree in range science from Texas A&M University with an emphasis on grazing management. @nobleresinst @Notillorg #notill2026

Special Guest Speaker!!! Jimmy Emmons doesn't need an introduction in the Regenerative Agriculture or no-till world. This week we confirmed Jimmy will be on hand to share the state of the Natural Resource Conservation Service, as well as the New Regenerative Pilot Program. We hope you will make plans to join us in Wichita for the General Conference January 20-21, 2026, in Wichita, at The Wichita Marriott. notill.org/winter-confere…

Make sure to take advantage of Early Bird price savings ($305 general conference) before prices go up to the full registration price ($400)! Full Speaker line-up: notill.org/annual-winter-… Registration Link: notill.org/winter-confere… Checkout an interview with Aaron Sawyers, from our good friends at the Kansas Soybean Commission. kansassoybeans.org/news/radio/ Agriculture has always been and will always be inherently risky. The more dependent an operation is on outside inputs, the more vulnerable it is to the radical changes in weather, markets, and costs of inputs that are certain to occur. What's your plan to make it through these hard economic times? A few days of investing in continuing your education could have major ramifications on your bottom line. The one thing you can control is how much you spend, come make a plan to get your operation back on track. "To be sustainable, an operation must be profitable; no operation can be truly profitable without being sustainable." Walt Davis-"How to Not Go Broke Ranching

Speaker Spotlight, Rodney Rulon! As a member or Rulon Enterprises LLC in Arcadia, IN, Rodney Rulon has been farming full time since graduation from Purdue University with a B.S. in 1994 and M.S. in 1996 in Agricultural Systems Management.  Rulon Enterprises is a fifth-generation family farming operation which includes Ken, Roy, Rodney, Nick and Neal Rulon as members. The farming business includes more than 7,000 acres of no-till corn and soybeans in central Indiana as well as a Beck’s Hybrids Dealership, The Peer Network, a subscription based ag discussion group, custom drainage design and installation business and several other custom services. Since 1989, the Rulons have been pursuing their no-till system as a business model and a responsibility, with a family history of conservation and a belief in its inherent value environmentally, societally and agronomically. In the late 1990s after achieving what they found to be a good economic production system using no-till combined with intensive input management using GIS and 1 acre grids, the Rulons began to pursue next level soil health by incorporating cover crops and soil amendments such as chicken litter and gypsum into their system. After many years of experimenting with this system the Rulons are now seeing the benefits to a highly sustainable production system which produces excellent yields, minimal environmental impact and improved resilience in their soils. Rodney currently serves as chairman of the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District board and the newly founded FarmAdvisors.Ag, a conservation mentoring program connecting farmers to share conservation ideas. He also is active in several other groups including church and as a 4-H project leader. Rulon Enterprises received the No-Till Farmer Magazine/Syngenta’s  National No-Till Innovator Award in 2011 based on Rodney’s efforts focused on improving soil health and the economics of conservation production practices and the ASA Regional and National Conservation Legacy Award in 2012. In addition the Rulons have won many state and local awards and continue to work hard to promote no-till and soil conservation as a sustainable and responsible cropping system. Register at: notill.org @Notillorg #soilhealth #regenerativeagriculture #notill2026

Conference Speaker spotlight! Liz Haney Liz is a soil and ecosystem scientist with experience in soil testing and analyses, carbon and conservation practice modeling, and is the co-developer of the Haney soil health test. Liz’s purpose, drive, and passion are helping to improve producer profitability, environmental sustainability, and human health through regenerative practices and soil health. Throughout her career, she has developed an expansive network of scientists, thought leaders, consultants, farmers and ranchers within the sustainable agriculture space. Liz loves nothing more than creating community and is skilled at coordinating and conducting educational events, workshops, and conferences that bring together today’s leading innovators in regenerative agriculture. Liz is also a co-founder of Regen Mills and Heritage Ground with Russell. Liz is proud to also be a part of farmer-owned Farmers Reserve Distillery. Register to take advantage of Early Bird Pricing: notill.org/winter-confere…

Registration is open for the 30th Annual No-till on the Plains Winter Conference! Make plans to join us January 19-22, 2026 in Wichita, Kansas. Register today to save money! Early bird pricing for Winter Conference, $305, is good until December 20th. After that, price goes up to full registration of $400. Speakers can be found at: notill.org/.../2026-winte… Harvest has been long for many producers so there are still a few more that we're waiting on photos and bios for the website. Preconference workshop: notill.org/.../philip-and…... Early bird Pricing for the workshop only is $150. AIM-Post-Conference Workshop: notill.org/.../agricultur…... Early bird Pricing for the workshop only is $275. If you have any questions, please contact Aaron at 785-210-4549 or director@notill.org Registration is handled in-house this year, so no more frustrations of getting passed along to another person to help! notill.org/winter-confere…

Join us January 20-21, 2026. Register today notill.org/winter-confere…

Speaker Spotlight!! Our Keynote speaker for the 2026 AIM Workshop will be Klaas Martens AIM Keynote Speaker, Producer, NY Klaas is a third-generation farmer in New York. He operates Martens Farm and Lakeview Organic Grain Mill with his wife, Mary Howell Martens, and their son Peter. On 1,600 acres, he produces numerous crops, including corn, soybeans, spelt, wheat, einkorn, emmer, triticale, buckwheat, oats, barley, rye, cabbage, dry beans, and hay. He’s been farming since the 1970s and shifted to organic farming in the 90s. Klaas is a Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow (since 2015) and also serves on the Farm Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves as a mentor in our Young Farmer Accelerator Program. Klaas is also a cofounder of the Soil Health Institute and an advisor to Cornell's organic and no-till research projects. Agriculture’s Innovative Minds (AIM) Symposium will be January 22, 2026 at The Marriot in Wichita, Kansas. Registration is open and you can save by registering with early bird pricing by December 20, 2025. For more information or to register: notill.org/.../agricultur…...

Registration will be open soon! Just a reminder if you haven't had a chance to hear Keynote Speaker, Philip Mulvey, check out this YouTube link: youtu.be/bnWoqxMTh_M?si… Also, the eBook link is now back up and running! amazon.com.au/Ground-Breakin… Check out all the Winter Conference Updates at: notill.org/winter-confere…

2026 Winter Conference Keynote Speaker Spotlight! Jason Rowntree The 30th Annual Winter Conference will be in Wichita, Kansas January 19-22, 2026 at the Wichita Marriott. Registration will be open soon, as we continue to release our full lineup of speakers! Professor of Animal Science, Michigan State University Jason Rowntree is a professor of Animal Science at Michigan State University where he holds the Charles Stewart Mott Distinguished Professorship for Sustainable Agriculture. Rowntree’s research focuses on identifying the metrics and management that reflect ecological improvement in grazing land and other agricultural systems. Rowntree has given presentations and conducted research throughout the United States, Australian, Canada, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Africa and New Zealand. Rowntree has led or been a co-investigator on $27.75 million in funding to conduct food system research. Jason is also the co-director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Michigan State University. His work in beef sustainability was featured in the movies Sacred Cow and Roots So Deep. His work has been highlighted in The Washington Post, New York Times, Forbes and many other popular media publications.

Great time Friday afternoon with the Lohrding Three Bar Ranch crew!

Oklahoma Soil Health Bus Tour Photos! conservationcommission.smugmug.com/Soil-Health... Thank you Justine, Jean, Trey, and Taylor for the photos! It's always hard to organize a tour and take quality photos. It is greatly appreciated for the work on taking good photos and helping tell the story. If you haven't attended a No-till on the Plains Bus Tour, add it to your bucket list! There's something about getting like-minded people together for 3 days of learning and touring.

2026 Winter Conference Keynote Speaker Spotlight! Philip and Freya Mulvey The 30th Annual Winter Conference will be in Wichita, Kansas January 19-22, 2026 at the Wichita Marriott. Philip Mulvey has 45 years experience in restoring degraded land to productive use. He is the founder of several companies operating in the US and Australia including: an agriculture software company, a regenerative agriculture company, and environmental consulting and contracting companies. Phil has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture majoring in Soil Science from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Hydrogeology from The University of New South Wales. With that background, Phil's skill is being able to assess landscape in terms of production, resilience and hydration. He's passionate about landscape repair and the role of regenerative agriculture to achieve this. His focus in recent years is teaching the techniques to keep water in, on and under the landscape. He has co-authored with his daughter Freya a book on the impact soil degradation through agriculture has on landscape and climate and is currently working on a book for farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture. Freya Mulvey is an author, environmental lawyer and soil advocate. Freya is a 2023 Winston Churchill Trust Fellow and a 2017 recipient of the Australian Lawyers Alliance Civil Justice Award for her work on the Montara Oil Spill Class Action. Freya advocates for soil and landscape regulation and agricultural reform; essential and complementary climate mitigation tools. Freya is a co-author of Ground Breaking: Soil Security and Climate Change, and host of the SOIL podcast. Freya's strength is in being able to explain complex issues in plain and pragmatic terms. They authored a book, Ground Breaking-Soil Security and Climate Change, that would be beneficial to read before conference. Here's the link to the homework for reading their book ahead of time: amazon.com.au/Ground-Breakin…

We had a great time touring Oklahoma farms and ranches! Thanks for the coverage @KOSURadio!

We're excited to hear from Logan Pribbeno and Mark Lohrding in August! We'll also be visiting rangeland grazing sites managed by the Lohrding Three Bar Ranch. Visit our website to learn more: kssoilhealth.org @Notillorg

The next Bus Tour featured site is with our good friends Noble Research Institute at their Oswalt Ranch site! The largest of Noble’s ranches, Oswalt Ranch is 5,169 acres in southern Love County, Oklahoma. The property is about 50% native grass grazing land and 50% post oak woody complex timber. This ranch is home year-round to an actively managed herd of cattle, with goats added through the growing season. Both herds serve to improve the landscape and help the ranch managers return more acres to native grass grazing land and reduce brush encroachment. In 2021, the ranch transitioned from conventional to regenerative management. Oswalt Ranch was donated to Noble by D. Joyce Coffey upon his death in 1981, with Noble taking possession in 2002. Oswalt Ranch steer grazes on cover crop Historically, Oswalt Ranch was rotationally grazed and had occasional prescribed burns applied to enhance wildlife habitat. A large, prescribed burn-stocker cattle grazing project was conducted in the early 2010s. Oswalt Ranch is also home to a robust low-stress cattle handling and feeding facility. The facility serves as an entry point for purchased livestock and any large-scale processing and health management needs thanks to its system of holding pens with feed bunks and large shipping and receiving facility. Don't wait to register, the bus is filling up fast! We plan on touring the ranch and eating supper on site. Join us, June 30-July 2 on the Crossroads on the Road Oklahoma Bus Tour! Photos and information from the Noble Research Institute. noble.org/noble-ranches/ The registration deadline has been extended! notill.org/.../ntop-and-o…... #notill2025 #crossroadsontheroad #NTOPbustour

The next featured Bus Tour stop is Alig Farm, Okarche, Oklahoma. Alig Farm is an Oklahoma Centennial Farm with a multi-decade history of regenerative practices. Matt and Jerry Alig are running cattle and sheep on a mix of annual and perennial forages. This year they started a wool pelletizing enterprise to turn sheep wool into a natural fertilizer and mulch product. Article from the Noble Research Institute noble.org/regenerative-a… Register at: notill.org/events/ntop-an…

Our good friend and former No-till on the Plains Board member, Jimmy Emmons, is continuing his journey of advocating for soil health! As Jimmy says, "Long live the soil." @LongLiveTheSoil