The Colorado Conservation Tillage Association has announced that it will feature more than 25 speakers at the High Plains No-Till Conference on August 24-25 in Burlington, Colorado, to present on topics related to soil health, no-till, regenerative grazing, and farm profitability. 

Keynote speakers Alejandro Carrillo, Loran Steinlage, and Dr. James White will headline the event. Carrillo, a rancher from the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, will discuss “Greening the Desert” and “Under the Hood: Making Adaptive Grazing Work in Brittle Environments.”

Owner and operator of FLOLOfarms, Steinlage will focus on the peaks and valleys that his family has faced in his keynote address “Subject to Change” and on the evolution of equipment and practices on their farm in his breakout session “Adaptation vs. Adoption.”

Dr. James White will utilize his experience as Professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey to speak about the rhizophagy cycle in roots and the roles of endophytes in interacting with plants and promoting overall growth and health.

The two-day event will also showcase a full schedule of breakout speakers, including several industry professionals in the region. Chief Meteorologist Don Day Jr. will discuss the main climate drivers for the High Plains and expected long range trends for 2022, while AgWest President Paul Mussman will provide a grain and livestock market update. Additionally, Jenna Keller of Keller Law will discuss “Legal Issues Pertaining to Succession and Estate Planning,” and Brad Justice, CEO of Soil Metrics, LLC, will present “Soil Carbon Markets – A Practical Primer.”

“We are really excited about the speakers who are able to present at this year’s conference,” said CCTA Coordinator Joni Mitchek. “And we’re also looking forward to highlighting some of the innovative work being done by producers in the region.”

Among the producers speaking at the event will be several participants from CCTA’s Soil Health Demo project, FARMS: Farmers Advancing Regenerative Management Systems. These producers will discuss topics such as composting, diversifying crop rotations, grazing, pasture cropping, adding perennials, and the profitability of soil health systems.

Finally, several sponsors have partnered with CCTA to provide educational sessions related to improving drought resiliency, sunflowers, triticale, bean production, managing bugs in grain, and financial management.

A complete listing of speakers and registration for the conference is available online at www.HighPlainsNoTill.com. Questions about the event may be directed to CCTA Coordinator Joni Mitchek at coordinator@highplainsnotill.com or 1-833-4No-Till.