Daren Coppock began serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) in November 2009. In this role he leads a staff of eight people to accomplish the mission of the ARA, which is to ensure a profitable business environment for members of the association through its public policy work in Washington, DC. ARA also provides additional value to members through a variety of educational and leadership training opportunities, an informative and social annual conference, and regular updates on key legislative and regulatory issues.

Chris Novak is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CropLife America (CLA). Established in 1933, CLA represents the developers, manufacturers, formulators and distributors of plant science solutions for agriculture and pest management in the United States. CLA’s member companies produce, sell and distribute virtually all of the vital and necessary crop protection and biotechnology products used by American farmers. Novak joined CLA in August 2018

Jason Troendle serves as the Economist for The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and helps to provide data, information, and reports on the entire fertilizer industry. Prior to joining TFI, Jason worked in agricultural consulting and as a part of another trade association. He has strong agricultural roots growing up in rural MN and has an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State and a masters in Applied Economics with a focus in Food and Agriculture from Cornell University.

Tim McArdle is the Ambassador for Responsible Ag, an industry-driven safety and compliance organization. In this role, Tim provides insights about Responsible Ag and assists retailers in becoming members. Tim recently retired as Corporate VP of Brandt in Springfield, Illinois, where he was responsible for 25 retail locations and wholesale fertilizer operations. Tim is the past chairman of the Ag Retailers Association and Responsible Ag. He grew up on a farm in southeast Alabama and received his Master of Science degree from Auburn University.

Born in Twin Falls; graduated Oakley High School; bachelor’s degree in finance from Brigham Young University; rancher; member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; former president of Idaho Cattle Association; former director of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; former Oakley City Council member; Joint Finance & Appropriations Committee; Revenue & Taxation Committee; Resources & Conservation Committee; Transportation & Defense Committee; Chair Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee; Credit Rating Enhancement Committee; Speaker of the House (December 2012-present); spouse: Sarah; four children; 14 grandchildren.

TBD

David was born and raised in the Helena, Montana, area. Aside from his degree in Environmental, Health, and Safety from the Columbia Southern University, his most valuable education came from serving in United States Air Force where he learned to work smarter not harder, being an avid listener, and spending time with the employees. Employed by Valley Wide Cooperative and then J.R. Simplot for the past 10 years, David works closely with all aspects of agriculture, from agribusiness, farming to ranching and animal feed production. His efforts have focused mainly on safety policy, sustainability, and environmental issues – spending considerable time lately on training and reducing recordable injury. David has conducted over 3000 hours of training and has been authorized to conduct OSHA 10- & 30-hour outreach course for 9 years.

As Product and Field Development Technical Manager at Precision Laboratories, Dr. Rob Osburn brings 35 years of agricultural experience in product development across a wide range of crop inputs. In his 11 years at Precision, Dr. Osburn has been instrumental in technical product development and sales support across the company product portfolio. One of his primary areas of responsibility since 2014 has been development and commercialization of the range of soil surfactant water management products for irrigation injection, with particular focus on field performance and validation. Dr. Osburn has a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Precision Laboratories, he started his career at Gustafson, Inc. working on development and commercialization of seed treatment pesticide products. This was followed by 18 years at what was then the Nitragin Company (ultimately EMD Crop BioScience and Monsanto BioAg), where he managed the research group and was responsible for technical development of many different seed, furrow, and foliar-applied microbial and biochemical products, and ultimately Monsanto as part of their seed treatment group, where he was responsible for technical development of the Acceleron seed treatment system for soybeans.

Edwin Suarez is the Senior Agronomist for Koch Agronomics Services. In the past he has worked with organizations such as United Nations Environmental Program and the USDA NLAE Lab (former Soil Tilth Lab). Suarez also worked for Purdue University where he obtained his graduate degree. He has worked with The US Potato Industry under different roles in multiple projects. More recently his work has been with the Ag Retail Industry. His main area of expertise is soil fertility and plant nutrition with emphasis on soil health and nutrient management.

Zach Worden serves as Agronomy Business Director in TELUS Agriculture's Agribusiness Division. Zach began his career at Agrian as an intern and quickly rose through the ranks holding leadership positions within Agrian's Client Success department. His client skills and passion for technology and agriculture have made for a successful career trajectory. Zach received his bachelor's degree in Agriculture Business from California State University, Fresno. Outside of the office, Zach is an avid golfer and hunter.

Mir is the Director of Research and Development for BioGro Inc and Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho. Mir has 40 years of applied research experience in soil health, nutrients, water-use efficiencies, and salt bioremediation. A pioneer in promoting humic substances in the Pacific Northwest, Mir has also gained international recognition for on-farm applied research on regenerative agriculture and his innovative, applied research on the effects of functional nanocarbons on soil and plant metabolisms. In addition, Mir is the recipient of 34 scholarly and prestigious awards, including the 2016 Hall of Fame Award in Agriculture.

Linda joined the University of Idaho (UI) as the Soil and Nutrient Management Extension Specialist based in Twin Falls in January 2019. Originally
from Iowa, she received her MS at Iowa State University and Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Agricultural Engineering. Dr. Schott's
research and extension program focuses on how management practices, such as tillage, cover crops, and manure application, impact soil
health and water quality.

Jason is a graduate of North Dakota State University with a bachelor's and master's degree in Natural Resources Management with an emphasis in Soil Science. In his master's research he took part in a large project setting benchmark soil carbon levels in CRP for 5 states from Montana to Iowa. Some of this data was recently published in an article in the SSSA Journal of Soil & Water Management & Conservation. After grad school he spent over 3 years in research agronomy in western North Dakota working in Winter Wheat, over 6 years in the oil and natural gas industry, and multiple roles within Bayer. At Bayer he worked in Crop Protection for 2 years before transitioning to his current role on the Bayer Carbon team. In his current position he works with the operations team to work with farmers on the carbon journey through enrollment, data collection, verification, validation, and payment. Outside of work Jason enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, 3 boys, and yellow lab. They currently reside in a small town in Missouri.

Michael Larkin has worked extensively in the West, Northwest, and Northern Plains as a technical agronomist supporting retail sales and precision ag initiatives in many geographies and across a diverse array of crops and cropping systems. His expertise in soils, plant nutrition, and interpreting soil, plant, and water analyses has helped many growers improve and increase productivity. He earned a BS in Agronomy and MS in Soil Science from Utah State University.

Kahl manages the Soil and Water Resources Lab where much of the research is focused around carbon and nitrogen cycling, earthworm ecology and soil health monitoring in regional conservation agriculture soils and native ecosystems.

Dr. Abigail Tomasek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and is the statewide Soil and Water Quality Extension Specialist at Oregon State University. She has worked locally and internationally on the effects of land management practices on soil and water quality, and she is broadly interested in developing and implementing practices that promote agricultural productivity while maintaining environmental health. In her extension role, she is interested in learning from and working alongside the Pacific Northwest’s agricultural community to co-create efficient, innovative, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Dr. Archie Flanders is the Agricultural Economist at the Soil Health Institute. His prior research and extension responsibilities in production economics and farm management included development of interactive economic decision tools for crop and livestock commodities, agricultural policy programs, and whole-farm analysis which helped producers customize enterprise budgets to represent unique production situations. As Agricultural Economist at the Soil Health institute he works with producers and agricultural researchers to develop decision support tools that farmers and ranchers can use to make informed decisions about production practices on a field-by-field basis, optimizing soil health while realizing economic efficiencies. Dr. Flanders received his B.S.A. in General Agriculture, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia.

Dan Olk is a soil biochemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and works at the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa. He is a Ph.D. graduate (1993) of the University of California, Davis and worked for eight years at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines before his employment with the USDA-ARS (2001-present). Since 2009 Dr. Olk has conducted field evaluations of humic products in corn─soybean rotations of the U.S. Midwest, studying the efficacy of humic products for improving crop growth as influenced by environmental variables, including annual weather patterns and soil type. Field research has also addressed responses by corn structural biochemistry and root growth to humic products, and more recently has studied long-term benefits to soil physical properties. His laboratory research has used an integrated extraction for physical and chemical fractions of soil organic matter to link seasonal changes in their masses and biochemical natures to crop production and soil nutrient cycling in field conditions.

Dr. Olga Walsh is an Associate Professor, an Agronomist, and an Extension Specialist with the University of Idaho. Dr. Walsh is directing the Cropping Systems program at Parma Research and Extension Center since 2014. The program is focused on developing scientifically based, field-tested grower recommendations for improved sustainability and profitability of farming operations. Enhancing fertilizer nitrogen use efficiency and irrigation water conservation are the two major focal points of her work. The current projects are in wheat, barley, beans, corn, sugar beets, onions, potatoes, and hops. Dr. Walsh’s training and background is in Soil Fertility, Plant Nutrient Management, and Precision Agriculture. Originally from Russia, she obtained her BS degree in Soil Science at St. Petersburg State University, Russia. She received her MS and PhD degrees in Soil Science at the Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, focusing on Precision Nutrient Management. Prior to her University of Idaho appointment, she has served as an Assistant Professor of Soil Nutrient Management with Montana State University for 4 years. Dr. Walsh is a published author on a variety of precision agriculture topics and has presented at numerous national and international precision agriculture events.

Rhett Spear was raised on a commercial farm in southern Idaho growing sugar beets, alfalfa, and small grains. He received a Bachelor's degree from Utah State University in chemistry and a PhD in Horticulture focusing on potato production from Washington State University. Following graduation, he worked for four years as the agronomist at McCain Foods in Burley, ID before accepting his current position as an Assistant Professor and the Potato Variety Development Specialist at the University of Idaho Research and Extension Center located in Aberdeen, ID.

Wesley Haun is a senior agronomist with Tiger-Sul Products. He coordinates soil fertility and crop nutrition research with various research organizations in the United States of America and internationally. He conducts agronomic educational programs emphasizing the benefits of a complete plant nutrient
management program. Wesley received his Bachelor of Science Degree with major in Agricultural Mechanization and a Master's Degree with a major in Plant & Soil Science from the University of Tennessee. His certifications include Certified Professional Agronomist, Certified Professional Soil Scientist, and Certified Crop Adviser. He has a diverse agronomy background that spans retail sales consulting at the farm gate to agronomist at regional, national, and international levels.

Christi is an agronomist with a passion for putting applied research and new advancements into practical application on the farm to maximize ROI and soil/environmental benefits. She has worked in cropping systems in the Western US for over 20 years. Training and learning from the next generation of agronomists are near and dear to her heart.

Dr. Alan Blaylock earned a Ph.D. in Soil Fertility from Iowa State Univ (1989) and BS and MS degrees in Agronomy from Brigham Young Univ. He supports marketing, sales, and product development for Nutrien and has managed research and education programs in critical global markets, such as No. America, Europe, and China. He joined Nutrien (formerly Agrium) in 1996 after serving as an Extension Soils Specialist at the University of Wyoming. Alan has served on numerous regional and national committees and as chair of multiple divisions in the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). He was recognized in 2018 by SSSA with the Soil Science Industry and Professional Leadership Award and in 2010 by ASA with the Agronomic Industry Award. Alan is a recognized expert in the fertilizer industry on various nutrient management topics and has spoken on nutrient management at numerous regional, national, and international conferences.

As Chief Science Officer,Steve Becker’s job at Tainio affords him an up close and personal view into the world of soil biology. Steve has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Eastern Washington University, and over a decade of experience in microbiology at Tainio. He has mentored with Bruce Tainio and Dr. Arden Andersen, and has successfully completed a certified crop advisor course.

Riley Reed grew up on his family’s farm in eastern Washington and developed a fascination with insects at an early age. After completing his bachelor's degree in agricultural biotechnology at Washington State University, he joined the WSU honey bee program as a Ph.D. student in 2021. Currently, Riley is studying beekeeping best management practices and strategies to improve pollination in the vegetable seed.

Cynthia Gleason is an associate professor at Washington State University (WSU) in the Department of Plant Pathology working in nematology. She obtained her PhD from UC Davis with Dr. Valerie Williamson. She then worked as a post-doctoral fellow in plant biology at the John Innes Center (Norwich, UK) and CSIRO (Perth, Australia). In 2011, she moved to Germany to become a Jr. Professor at Georg August University working on plant parasitic nematodes. She moved to WSU in 2016 to continue her research program on root-knot nematodes. Her research group focuses on the molecular mechanisms underpinning root-knot nematode - plant interactions.

Aaron Esser is a Washington State University Regional Extension Agronomist in the Lincoln/Adams County region of eastern Washington. He grew up in Genesee, Idaho and got his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economic from the University of Idaho and his Master of Science in Plant Science, also from the University of Idaho. He has been with WSU Extension for 24 years and his program has focused on conservation tillage and winter wheat production.

Doug is a UI Area Extension Educator serving the rainfed cropping systems of north-central Idaho. He provides continuing education opportunities for regional farmers, landowners and associated ag-industry professionals. His research and extension efforts focus on improving farm resiliency, including herbicide resistant weeds management, crop rotation diversification and acid-soils mitigation. Based in Lewiston, Doug has worked for UI Extension for a decade. Previously, he spent five years as a UI Support Scientist conducting small grains and grain-legume variety trials across northern Idaho. He obtained BS and MS degrees in Environmental Science from the University of Idaho.

Crawford is a Certified Crop Advisor and previously served as the Sustainability Committee Chair for CropLife America. He has more than 20 years of experience in production agriculture with JR Simplot Company, Ag Concepts Corporation, and Plant Foods, Incorporated. He also served for four years in the US Navy. Crawford’s experience working with Crop Advisors and developing products will serve him well in this position. He has a degree in Agricultural Science from the College of Southern Idaho and will be based out of his home in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Dr. Ruijun Qin is an Extension Agronomist at the Oregon State University (OSU) ‒ Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Crop and Soil Science of OSU. His extension and research activities focus on sustainable soil/plant nutrient & water management, crop production (potatoes, cereals, dry beans, alfalfa, grass seeds, peppermint, etc.), cropping system, wastewater reuse, environmental quality, and soil health. From 2006 to 2016, he had been employed by the San Joaquin Agricultural Research Center of the USDA-ARS and the University of California Davis, and his research was mainly focused on soil fumigation, high-value crop production, plastic mulching, and water management. Dr. Qin received his Ph.D. in Agronomy (2003) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences). His research topics included root exudation under heavy metal stress, root morphology, and distribution of crop production and crop nutrition, tillage systems, and crop rotation in the temperate region. He received his MSc in Soil Science at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (1995). He successfully carried out projects concerning soil aluminum toxicity, the use of soil organic amendments, and the productivity of cropping systems in the subtropical zone. Dr. Qin is an Associate Editor of the Agronomy Journal. He was the Chair of the Nutrient Management Professionals Community in 2020 and a member of the Agronomic Industry Award Committee and Environmental Quality Research Award Committee. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed research articles and acted as a reviewer for more than 20 peer-reviewed Scientific Journals.

Earl Creech is a Professor and Extension Agronomist at Utah State University. Earl grew up on a family dairy and crop production farm near Logan, Utah and received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from USU before earning his Ph.D. at Purdue University in Weed Science. He spent three years at the University of Nevada, Reno as the Extension Weed Specialist before accepting his current position at USU. In his research and Extension efforts, Earl works to address critical agronomic issues facing farmers and ranchers in Utah and throughout the western U.S.