Ceres Solutions has announced that a new resource is available to help local farmers expand their on-farm stewardship initiatives. This new full-time position is the result of a collaboration between Ceres, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Truterra LLC, the sustainability solutions business of Land O’Lakes Inc., and sustainability champions and food leaders in the area, Tate & Lyle and PepsiCo.
Precision agriculture conservation specialist, Sina Parks, will help growers identify and utilize a suite of Farm Bill conservation programs to increase environmental stewardship on their farms while helping to improve bottom line profits.
“I am excited to meet new growers and help them expand their stewardship opportunities, by utilizing a new set of resources combined with my Farm Bill conservation program experience,” Parks said.
Parks also will work with Ceres Solutions to engage local producers in new opportunities to realize economic benefit for advancing stewardship on their fields. This unique and innovative position will be hosted by Pheasants Forever and embedded alongside Ceres Solutions team members in west central and southwest Indiana. This arrangement will provide direct access for Ceres Solutions customers and staff, with links to Pheasants Forever’s Conservation Operations Team and extended conservation partner network.
“Farmers are always driving to find right tactics and expertise to incorporate the conservation practices that help them remain competitive. Our participation is part of our larger commitment to sustainability solutions,” said Jeff Nagel, director of agronomy programs at Ceres Solutions.
The precision agriculture conservation specialist will use the Truterra Insights Engine, Truterra’s sustainability tool, to help growers measure current practices field by field and then identify and track opportunities for improvement over time. The Truterra Insights Engine is a live and interactive tool that allows growers to “plug and play” different combinations of stewardship practices to identify the system that maximizes ROI and minimizes environmental impact for each field.
“We are pleased to provide grant funding to support the placement of a full-time dedicated precision agriculture conservation specialist in the west central and southwest portions of Indiana,” said Todd Hogrefe, central regional office director for NFWF. “This position will help deliver progressive and innovative sustainability programming that will drive important conservation and economic outcomes for local farmers.”
“Ceres Solutions put our stake in the ground for conservation best practices decades ago. We’re passionate about it,” said Betsy Bower, veteran agronomist for Ceres Solutions. “We encourage all customers to take advantage of this new resource and the benefit it can offer your operation.”
