Agendas
Learn From the Experts
Every year, we set a new standard for innovative and practical learning in modern agriculture. Learn from top-notch speakers about tactics that build soil biology, balance chemistry, improve structure and integrate biodiversity like livestock, companion crops and cover crops. Ready to sign up? Register here!
This schedule will continue to be updated for the 2023 event – sign up for our email newsletter to get informed of program updates as they happen!
Eco-Ag U Workshops | Dec 4-5, 2023
Each Eco-Ag U workshop is chock full of opportunities to learn from expert instructors, ask questions, and connect with others through dedicated networking times.
All workshops take place on December 4 or 5 from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. and will include two refreshment breaks and an opening reception on Monday evening, December 4. Lunchtime will be your opportunity to get outside the venue on your own and visit a local Kentucky establishment. For full Eco-Ag U Workshop descriptions, visit the Eco-Ag U Workshop webpage here.
Eco-Ag U workshops are still being finalized for 2023. Keep an eye on this page for updates, or sign up for our newsletter to receive event news in your inbox!
The Foundations and Practice of Biological Farming Systems
John Kempf & Rick Clark
Monday, December 5
Plant Disease and Mineral Nutrition
Dr. Don Huber
Monday, December 5
Integrating Annual Crops into Perennial Systems
Mark Shepard
Monday, December 5
Life Cycle of Health From Humus to Human
Dr. Nasha Winters
Tuesday, December 6
Managing Soil Biology for a Profitable Farm
Kris Nichols
Tuesday, December 6
Day 1 | Monday, December 4, 2023
Workshop Day
- Workshop 1: Plant Disease & Mineral Nutrition with Don Huber
- Workshop 2: Foundations of Biological Systems with John Kempf
- Workshop 3: Practical Strategies for No-Till Market Growers with Jesse Frost
- REGISTRATION: OPENS AT 11 A.M.
- SESSIONS: 1-5 P.M.
- TRADE SHOW WELCOME RECEPTION: 5-6:30 P.M.
- BOOKSTORE: 5-6:30 P.M.
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS: 7 P.M.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW REGISTRATION OPENS
RiverCenter Lobby, NKY Convention Center, 3rd Floor
More 2023 program updates are coming soon – stay tuned!
1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Introductory Level sessions
On-Farm Water Management - Mark Shepard
Grand Ballroom C
Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture and Water for Any Farm, will lead a lively discussion about how to manage water — whether you have too much or too little. Learn how to make a change that will positively impact generations to come. Learn techniques around how to channel water through high-fertility areas, store water through smart land management, or drain water properly without losing valuable topsoil. You will walk away with specific tactics you can employ immediately to store or drain water from your land.
Foundations of Soil Biology - Dennis Warnecke & Steve Becker
Grand Ballroom D/E
As Tainio Biologicals founder Bruce Tainio used to say, “Soil microorganisms are the key link between mineral resources and plant growth.” As scientific methods have evolved, this linkage has become more and more evident. A plant relies heavily on its microbiome for: proper function, growth, health, and production. Without these microscopic “friends” plant life (as well as all other life on Earth) would look very different and many ecological systems would collapse. During this session, Dennis and Steve will take an in-depth look at the relationship between soil biology and plant health, and explore ways to use this key component for crop success.
3 p.m. – 5 p.m
Introductory Level sessions
Wake Up Your Soil With Weeds - Vail Dixon
Grand Ballroom C
When weed seeds germinate, it’s a signal that the conditions are right for soil biology to prioritize that plant in the ecosystem. Understanding why weeds are there and how they work to transform soil helps us design the most efficient and effective way to work with them to change the soil and growing system. The fun begins when we can finally stop fighting them and create what we want. This session goes deep into real world case studies to give you ideas of what works in grazing, cropping and vegetable systems, and what doesn’t.
Growing Top-Shelf Food for Chefs - Marty Travis and a Cincinnati Chef
Grand Ballroom D/E
Do you want to explore the business of supplying restaurants your farm products? The most important aspect is developing a strong, long lasting friendship with the chef. Come and understand what it takes from the chef side and the farmer side to have a successful farm to chef experience. Marty Travis, farmer and the author of My Farmer, My Customer, and one of his chef colleagues in Cincinnati, will lead the discussion about how to sell into a premium market.
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
TRADE SHOW OPENS
Event Center 1
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
ACRES U.S.A. BOOKSTORE OPEN
Event Center 1
New! Find us on the Trade Show Floor this year
5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Book Signing – Marty Travis
Trade Show Floor
Get your books signed by famed farmer Marty Travis, author of My Farmer, My Customer.
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
KEYNOTE: David Montgomery & Anne Biklé
Grand Ballroom C
What Your Food Ate: David and Anne will entertain the audience by sharing information from their latest book.
A grand synthesis of science, history, and visits to farms reveals the connections between soil health and human health. The pathway runs through the bodies of crops, animals, and microbiomes into our own, showing that agriculture can not only feed the world, but nourish it too.
You will walk away motivated and able to connect the dots between human health, soil health, animal health and crop health. As Montgomery says, “It’s a lot of dots to connect, but we’ve done the homework.”
Day 2 | Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Workshop Day
- Workshop 1: Building Permaculture Operations with Mark Shepard
- Workshop 2: TBD
- Workshop 3: Building a Regenerative Organic No-Till System with Rick Clark
- REGISTRATION: OPENS AT 7 A.M.
- BOOKSTORE: 8 A.M.-5 P.M. and 7-8:30 P.M.
- SESSIONS: 8:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M.
- TRADE SHOW: 8 A.M.-5 P.M.
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS: 7 P.M.
More 2023 program updates are coming soon – stay tuned!
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
TRADE SHOW & Bookstore OPEN
Event Center 1
Stop by, talk to vendors, shop for books! Breakfast and coffee available for purchase.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Soil Health
THE STATE OF SOIL HEALTH – MERI MULLINS
Grand Ballroom C
Agricultural soil health across the globe has been declining for decades, driven by extractive farm practices. Explore the status of soil health today, how it has been degraded and some key principles for restoring it. Presented by Meri Mullins of Biome Makers, a global agtech company on a mission to empower farmers and recover soil health worldwide, this is a foundational soil health session that will give you the “why” behind our need for change.
Nutrient Density & Human Health
Soil Health and the Erosion of Civilizations - David Montgomery
Grand Ballroom B
The researcher and author, who will co-lead Tuesday night’s kickoff keynote talk, will lead a more focused session on erosion and degradation of topsoil that helped take down past societies. Modern conventional agriculture threatens to do the same at a global scale. But we can change this historical pattern to sustain ourselves and the planet through adopting farming practices that rebuild soil health.
Farm Strategies
Transitioning Land to Organic Farming - Gary Zimmer
Grand Ballroom D/E
You can’t just take-take-take from your land without introducing disease, pests, weeds and other symptoms of imbalanced soil. Join Gary Zimmer as he shows how to transition from a conventional system, which includes details on remineralizing your soil. Learn how he incorporates organic fertilizers into his composting system, uses cover crops to improve nutrient deficiencies, and leverages soil testing data to continuously improve his soil.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Free Trade Show Coffee & Presentations
Event Center 1
Fuel up and meet some vendors while you’re at it! Also, enjoy presentations from Grassroots Carbon Benefit at 9:40 a.m. and a vendor to be named at 10:05 a.m. on the floor.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Consulting Hall
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by Dr. Kris Nichols.
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Soil health
Carbon soil management - Jesse Frost
Grand Ballroom C
Certified organic marketer and host of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast, Jesse Frost will lead this session on managing carbon in soil.
Nutrient density and Human Health
Production methods and nutrient composition - John fagan
Grand Ballroom B
This session will examine the relationship between different production methods (conventional, Albrecht and organic) and the nutritional composition of the crop those systems produce. John Fagan will share unique research that uses a special mass spectrometric analytical methodology can allow you to see the full spectrum of nutrients in the food and measure between 1,200 and 4,000 different nutritional compounds.
Farm Strategies
Cover Cropping – Jimmy Emmons
Grand Ballroom D/E
Oklahoma grower Jimmy Emmons explores how he integrates cover crops in his own 2,000-acre operation near the town of Leedey. Attendees will learn about the economic benefits of cover crops, as well as the benefits to water retention and soil health. Look at real case studies into how his systems manage water, biodiversity and soil health.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
CONSULTING HALL
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by organic no-till farmer Rick Clark.
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
FREE TRADE SHOW COFFEE & presentations
Event Center 1
Fuel up and meet some vendors while you’re at it! Also, enjoy presentations from Hiwassee Products at 11:40 a.m. and a vendor to be named at 12:05 p.m. on the floor.
11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Book signing: Gary Zimmer
Event Center 1
Get your book signed by Gary Zimmer, author of The Biological Farmer and Advancing Biological Farming, right across from the Acres U.S.A. Bookstore.
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Soil Health
The New Paradigm of Crop Nutrition - DAVID KNAUS
Grand Ballroom C
With rapidly developing innovations in regenerative and organic agriculture, economies, businesses and consumers are either reaping the benefits or falling behind the curve. Join Apical founder and CEO David Knaus on an exploration of the changing modern agronomy industry through the laboratory analysis of plant nutritional stress and agronomic problem solving using regenerative organic inputs. Attendees will learn how to implement simple strategies such as identifying plant nutrient excesses and antagonisms that make a visible impact on crop performance and build long term success.
Nutrient Density & Human Health
Environmental Impact on Health - Dr. Nasha Winters
Grand Ballroom B
It’s no longer a matter of if you have toxicity, rather how much, how bad and what to do about It. This presentation will highlight the top known environmental toxins, their source, how to evaluate for, and how to mitigate them. Dr. Nasha will bring on tangible and actionable ways to get the toxins out of your life and your body.
Farm Strategies
Organic Regenerative with No-Till - Rick Clark
Grand Ballroom D/E
“Change is good,” Rick Clark says, as he talks about how he is able to successfully manage his Indiana farm with a no-till system. You will gain confidence in changing your own systems by learning how Rick approaches planting into cover crops, harvesting, fertilizing, and pest and weed management in his unique, innovative farming system.
2:15 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Book Signing: Dr. Nasha Winters
Event Center 1
Get your books signed by Dr. Nasha Winters, author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer and Mistletoe, on the Trade Show Floor, right across from the Acres U.S.A. Bookstore.
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Soil Health
Building Soil Biology for Climate Resistance - Kris Nichols
Grand Ballroom C
Damaging weather. Hotter, longer dry seasons. Shorter, more intense wet seasons. Sound familiar? Dr. Kris Nichols will lead a session looking at how soil biology can help store water, maintain ground temperature, and provide natural defenses for our fields in a time of rapid climate change. You will be able to connect the dots between the signs of life in your field and the natural defenses they are employing in your ecosystem.
Nutrient Density & Human Health
Care and Feeding of Microbiomes - Anne Biklé
Grand Ballroom B
From crop to cow, the microbiomes found in agricultural systems are as dependent on us for care and feeding as we are on them. Anne Biklé, who will co-lead Tuesday’s keynote talk, will explain how when we integrate their dietary and habitat needs into farming practices, we reap plant and animal foods that nourish our bodies and safeguard our health.
Farm Strategies
Cover Cropping for the Small- to Medium-scale Grower – Jesse Frost
Grand Ballroom D/E
Cover cropping strategies are often discussed in reference to larger scale systems, while small to medium scale producers are left wondering. Jesse Frost will address cover cropping for these operations, explaining the why and how, including when to sow, pairings, and how to terminate it.
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Free Trade Show Coffee & Presentations
Event Center 1
Fuel up and meet some vendors while you’re at it! Also, enjoy presentations from SQM at 3:40 p.m. and Ward Labs at 4:05 p.m. on the floor.
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Consulting Hall
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by biological farmer Gary Zimmer.
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Book Signing: Jesse Frost
Event Center 1
Get your books signed by Jesse Frost, author of The Living Soil Handbook, on the Trade Show Floor, right across from the Acres U.S.A. Bookstore.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
RoundTable Discussions
Grand Ballrooms C & D/E
Join your peers in discussions around common topics.
SOIL HEALTH
Today's Realities of Agriculture – Acres U.S.A. Leadership
Grand Ballroom C
Join the team at Acres U.S.A. for an interactive discussion about the issues that matter most to eco-farmers today. Bring your passion and your questions to this unique opportunity to both engage in peer-learning and inform the Acres U.S.A. team on what you need addressed most in 2023.
NUTRIENT DENSITY & HUMAN HEALTH
Path to Nutrient Density – Dan Kittredge
Grand Ballroom B
Dan Kittredge, founder of The Bionutrient Food Association, will explain the latest progress in his tools for testing nutrient density in our food. Learn about the future of grocery shopping and food selection, as Dan explains how soil management can be directly related to the nutrients in our food and how we make this information mainstream.
FARM STRATEGIES
Kentucky Resources for New Farmers – Organic Association of Kentucky
The Organic Association of Kentucky leads a discussion on the resources that are available in Kentucky for beginner farmers.
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
KEYNOTE
KEYNOTE: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Grand Ballroom C
The mindset we carry into our fields is directly related to how we farm and what we produce. Join Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin for an evening that will challenge conventions in how we approach farming, our communities and our own personal health. The talented author and farmer will help us redefine our business and personal goals through an understanding of what truly will create a regenerating world.
8:30 p.m.
Book Signing: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Event Center 1
Get your books signed by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, author of In the Shadow of Green Man, on the Trade Show Floor, right across from the Acres U.S.A. Bookstore.
8:30 p.m.
Book Signing: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Event Center 1
Get your books signed by Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, author of In the Shadow of Green Man, on the Trade Show Floor, right across from the Acres U.S.A. Bookstore.
Day 3 | Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Trade Show Open All Day
- REGISTRATION: OPENS AT 7 A.M.
- BOOKSTORE: 8 A.M.-6 P.M.
- TRADE SHOW: 8 A.M.-3 P.M.
- SESSIONS: 8:30 A.M.-4 P.M.
- KEYNOTE ADDRESS: 5 P.M.
More 2023 program updates are coming soon – stay tuned!
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
TRADE SHOW & Bookstore OPEN
Event Center 1
Stop by, talk to vendors, shop for books! Breakfast and coffee available for purchase.
8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Morning Keynote - TBD
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Plenary Session - TBD
1:45 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout1: Soil Health: TBD
Breakout 2: Plant Health: Don Huber
Breakout 3: Human Health: Nasha Winters
4 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Breakout Session
Breakout 1: Soil Health: TBD
Breakout 2: Plant Health: James White, John Duke, Ruben Parrilla
Breakout 3: Marketing: Megan Neubauer & TBD
5:15 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Tradeshow Reception
Day 4 | Thursday, December 7, 2023
Trade Show Open All Day - Raffle 3:30pm
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Soil Health: TBD
Breakout 2: Management Strategies: Mark Shepard
Breakout 3: Animal Agriculture: TBD
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Soil Health: Andre Leu
Breakout 2: Management Strategies: Jesse Frost
Breakout 3: Animal Agriculture: Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: TBD
Breakout 2: Jason Mauck
Breakout 3: TBD
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Closing Keynote: Gary Zimmer
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closing Panel - TBD
8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
SOIL HEALTH
The Rhizophagy Cycle - Dr. James White
Grand Ballroom C
Dr. James White, a professor of plant pathology at Rutgers University and an expert on the rhizophagy cycle, will unveil an amazing world of biology, mycology, and elemental chemistry that shows how plants and the soil interact. He will demonstrate how plant root systems attract and absorb microbes, how microbes interact with plant root cells, how bacteria extracts nutrients through oxidative processes, and how those little hairs on the roots — trichomes — fix nitrogen. You will leave with a clear picture of how your nutrients cycle between plant and soil, all thanks to a complex, natural world, and why it is important to maintain living and microbially rich soils.
Animal Agriculture
Grazing Success Checklist - Vail dixon
Grand Ballroom B
Vail Dixon will lead a useful, checklist-driven workshop to help you managing your grazing system.Learn how to read and interpret what your animals are telling you and let them teach you and they will tell you what they need. Learn how to identify early signs of stress before things go way off track and take home a whole checklist you can start using immediately.
Farm Business
Bringing Soil Health into Ag Policy – Aria McLauchlan and Harley Cross
Grand Ballroom D/E
Attention to the role of policy in encouraging and enabling adoption of soil health practices has taken a huge step forward in the last few years. This session, led by Aria McLauchlan and Harley Cross of Land Core, will explore the opportunities to further soil health at the federal level, especially after mid-terms; incentives for risk-mitigation and changes to crop insurance and lending; and how we can remove basic barriers within crop insurance that are preventing soil health practices with. The session will also review the importance of the grassroots work we all need to do – providing examples of messaging and coalition building with fellow farmers and to policy makers.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Free Trade Show Coffee & Presentations
Event Center 1
Fuel up and meet some vendors while you’re at it! Also, enjoy presentations from Sea Agri at 10:10 a.m. and American Biochar Company at 10:35 a.m. on the floor.
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Consulting Hall
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by nutrient density expert Dan Kittredge.
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Consulting Hall
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by nutrient density expert Dan Kittredge.
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Book Signing: Mark Shepard
Event Center 1
Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture and Water for Any Farm, will sign his books on the Trade Show floor, across from the Acres U.S.A. bookstore.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Plant Nutrition & Crop Protection
Managing Plant Nutrition - John Kempf
Grand Ballroom C
Eco-Ag thought-leader John Kempf leads a lively and insightful session on the strategies to regeneratively manage plant nutrition.The founder of AEA and executive editor of Acres U.S.A. will walk you through why and how foliar sprays can stimulate nutrient cycling and soil life.
Animal Agriculture
Regenerative Poultry Production - Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
Grand Ballroom B
Scaling up your chicken operation to become a commercial operation can be difficult. Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin’s system of integrating poultry into your crop and pasture operation is spreading around the world because it helps farmers see clear, humane paths forward, and how to reach the larger markets. He brings an indigenous-based approach to putting poultry back into its natural environment and to the business development process for aggregating and scaling the collective impact of small farms for a new and regenerative industry.
Farm Business
Balancing Farm Finances - Paul Dorrance
Grand Ballroom D/E
Farming is time consuming enough as it is, who wants to pay attention to balance sheets, income and expense charts, or enterprise profitability? The answer to that question should be “everyone,” but too many times farmers concentrate on operational considerations at the expense of their financial bottom line. Learn how to treat your agricultural enterprise as a business, ensuring a better balance between the financial and operational aspects of farming.
12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
FREE TRADE SHOW COFFEE & PRESENTATIONS
Event Center 1
Fuel up and meet some vendors while you’re at it! Also, enjoy presentations from Holganix at 12:10 p.m. and a vendor to be named at 12:35 p.m. on the floor.
12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Book signing: Paul Dorrance
Event Center 1
Paul Dorrance, author of Farming Without Losing Your Hat, will sign his book, published in 2022 by Acres U.S.A. Find him across from the Acres U.S.A. bookstore.
12:15 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Consulting Hall
Meeting Room 4
Get your questions answered by Dr. James White.
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Plant Nutrition & Crop Protection
Managing ecosystems for insect control - Jonathan Lundgren
Grand Ballroom C
The focus of agroecologist Jonathan Lundgren’s work is assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for regenerative food systems. In this session he will address how you can manage your farm ecosystem to manage pest risk.
Animal Agriculture
Organic Hog production - Rick Carr and Sara Major
Grand Ballroom B
Most pigs raised in the United States are housed in commercial confinement operations with poor conditions that restrict innate behaviors that are associated with chronic stress. Animal welfare is improved when pigs are given outdoor access, but raising pigs outdoors presents additional obstacles. In this workshop, Rodale Institute employees will give an overview of the benefits and challenges of pastured pork production.
Farm Business
Capital Resources to Fund Regen Farmers… and the Systems Around Them – Angela Blatt & Sarah Day Levesque
Grand Ballroom D/E
Investment in food and agriculture-related businesses is essential to increase capacity in local food economies. While there is a tremendous amount of capital flowing to agriculture, historically the proportion supporting regenerative farming has been limited. Events during the past few years, and 2022 in particular, have shown a small but noticeable increase in local food systems investments. This session will explore the types of public and private capital that can support regenerative farmers and provide case studies that show how capital has been utilized to expand their efforts within the food system.
2:15 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Book signing: TBD
Event Center 1
Get your books autographed by your favorite Eco-Ag authors.
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Plant Nutrition & Crop Protection
Managing Plant Disease - Don Huber
Grand Ballroom C
Plant diseases are a major limitation to improved production efficiency and crop quality as they reduce nutrient availability, uptake, distribution, or utilization by the plant. Disease symptoms frequently reflect the altered nutritional status of the plant, but it’s not always easy to determine what to do once this fact is discovered. Dr. Don Huber updates his classic talk with the latest information about managing plant disease without using harmful chemicals. Dr. Huber’s research has been critical to connect human health and soil health; if you have not been to a Dr. Huber talk, you have missed out on something special.
Animal Agriculture
Managing Predators with Livestock Guardian animals - Paul dorrance
Grand Ballroom B
Integrating your farm with some sort of livestock is almost always the right answer, but isn’t as easy as simply buying animals and putting them on the land. Enter the heroes of the hour: Livestock Guardian Animals. Learn about different options for guardian animals and their unique behaviors, as well as required adaptions for successful integration, using specific examples from one farmer’s journey.
Farm Business
OPEN
Grand Ballroom D/E
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Keynote: Farmer Panel – Vail Dixon, Jimmy Emmons, Jonathan Lundgren and Gary Zimmer
Grand Ballroom C
Listen, engage, and learn as leaders in the transition to an ecological agriculture system explore the shifts that need to happen to make lasting impacts on your farm and across the agriculture sector.
Speakers
We are currently in the process of finalizing our Speaker Lineup for 2023. Stay tuned and be sure to sign up for our News & Announcements email newsletter to get the latest updates on speakers, program, early bird pricing and more!
