The Conservation Agronomy Nexus

Peter Mead, Agriculture Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy and Amy Robak, Lead Environmental Specialist, Centra Sota Cooperative

There is a growing movement in agribusinesses, government, and non-profit organizations recognizing the value of private-public partnerships when it comes to maintaining farm profitability and achieving environmental outcomes. At the same time, Minnesota is awash with unprecedented state and federal funding for conservation practices such as cover crops, reduced till, strip-till, no-till, nutrient management, conservation crop rotations, and more.

Amy and Peter will discuss one example of a private-public service-based model delivering technical and financial assistance to grower customers and the value to each partner, provide an overview of the services and resources available, and discuss opportunities for building similar programs and partnerships across Minnesota.

Peter Mead joined The Nature Conservancy in 2020 in a new role as the tri-state chapter’s agriculture project manager, where he works to steward, facilitate, and leverage new and existing relationships with landowners, farmers, farmer advisors, conservationists, and supply chain partners to develop strategies and implement programs to accelerate adoption of sustainable practices, with a focus soil health, nutrient management, and emerging ecosystem service markets.

Peter has over two decades of experience in federal, state, local and private conservation delivery, a keen interest in regenerative agriculture, and has long been an advocate for private-public partnerships that offer farmer-friendly, practical, and profitable land management solutions that foster healthy soils, improve water quality, and build resiliency across Minnesota’s agricultural sector.

Born and raised on a dairy operation in central Minnesota, Amy grew up around animal agriculture. After interning for the local NRCS/SWCD conservation office, she pursued a degree in Conservation Planning from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. While working with Centra Sota Cooperative, Amy founded the Environmental Service Department, which focuses on helping producers across Minnesota implement conservation practices in their operations. Her technical skills include navigating the waters of government assistance, nutrient & pest management, and implementing soil health practices on a variety of farm types. Her work centers around developing private and public relationships to drive conservation efforts in Minnesota.  Amy was recently recognized by Successful Farming magazine as one of four women across the agriculture landscape whose work is making a difference by serving farmers.