John Wallace, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of Weed Science at Penn State, will discuss his team’s cover crop interseeding research and future directions of this practice. Wallace conducts cutting edge sustainable cropping systems research aimed at developing cover cropping strategies to manage weeds in full- and reduced- tillage systems. He also specializes in finding cover crops and other solutions to managing herbicide-resistant weeds. 

John Wallace received his degrees from Penn State and University of Idaho. After completing his Ph.D., he rejoined Penn State as a Post-doc under Bill Curran, a well-respected Agronomist and Weed Scientist (2014-2017). John Wallace then served as the Specialty Crop Systems Specialist at Cornell University for a short period before returning to Penn State to his current position.

Panelists:

• Forrest Watson, Mulligan Farm
• Ryan Akin, Hemdale Farms
• Jason Burroughs, Aurora Ridge Dairy

-Moderated by Janice Degni, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Jennifer Moore-Kucera, Ph.D., leads the Farmers Combat Climate Change program at American Farmland Trust that focuses on regenerative agricultural practices, farmland protection, and clean, renewable energy. Moore-Kucera has been a leader in soil health research and outreach via previous positions in academia and the USDA. She will speak on the linkages between soil biology and soil health. Soil biology underpins many of the critical soil functions that we depend on in agriculture. 

Before joining AFT, she served as the Western Soil Health team leader with the NRCS Soil Health Division, where she developed curricula and helped trained NRCS and partner staff on soil health principles and practices. Before that, Moore-Kucera was an associate professor of soil and environmental microbiology at Texas Tech University. She holds a B.A. in biology and environmental studies from Binghamton University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in soil science from Iowa State University and Oregon State University, respectively.

Jean-Paul Stewart-Courtens has dedicated much of his career educating the next generation of farmers. Stewart-Courtens will discuss his on-farm research and experience with reduced tillage and cover cropping on organic vegetable farms. He will share some of the lessons about what has worked and what hasn’t worked in his trials over the years.

A native of the Netherlands, he is a graduate of Warmonderhof, part of Groenhorst Agriculture College, specializing in biodynamic farming. He moved to the U.S. in 1986 and founded Roxbury Farm in 1990. In 2018 he and his wife Crystal founded Philia Farm in Johnstown, NY, to further education and research in regenerative agriculture. Jean-Paul was part of the original CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance of Farmer Training) in 1995. He shared many resources on the Roxbury Agriculture Institute Website (known as the Farm Manuals) and taught numerous workshops at farming conferences. Between 2014 and 2017, Stewart-Courtens created the ProFarmer program at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub in Hurley, NY, an on-the-job training program to provide a path to farm-ownership. During this time, he guided the transition of their 1250-acre sweet corn operation to organic and biodynamic practices. Stewart-Courtens was recognized as Farmer of the Year by NOFA NY in January 2018.

Panelists:

• Aaron Munzer, Plowbreak Farm
• Josh Jurs, Krehers
• Rick Pedersen, Pedersen Farms
• Jean-Paul Courtens, Philia Farm

– Moderated by Crystal Stewart, Cornell Cooperative Extension