Table of Contents

This pre-conference session will introduce the generalized concept that insects only attack unhealthy plants. The overarching reasons for this include compromised plant physiology and biochemistry and a brief discussion on what healthy plants do to defend themselves against insect herbivores. Dr. Dykstra will then demonstrate how specific insects only attack specific plants in predictable succession.

A review of the Brix levels for different parts of the plant will help to flesh out the understanding that not all plant parts exhibit the same Brix levels and that there are clear differences between the leaves, the stems, the roots, and the fruit. Following this will be a discussion about the factors that can both lower and raise Brix in plants. Dr. Dykstra will conclude with a comprehensive review of plant sugar production, transportation, and storage throughout the plant so that we may all understand better what we are testing when using a Brix refractometer. 

Speaker bio

Dr. Thomas Dykstra is the Laboratory Director of his own lab, Dykstra Laboratories in Gainesville, Florida. For 29 years, he has studied bioelectromagnetics (how electromagnetic fields affect life), especially as it relates to insects. He holds entomology degrees from Cornell University as well as the University of Florida and has been awarded eight patents. Dr. Dykstra consults for farmers, agricultural companies, tech firms, attorneys, international governments, and insurance agencies. He has visited three continents and presents lectures on diverse topics covering entomology, olfactory physiology, biophysics, paramagnetism, neurobiology, and biological antennae. In terms of active research, Dr. Dykstra deciphered the insect olfactory code back in 2016 and characterizes chemoreceptors for various medical and agricultural insect pests. He teaches both farmers and agricultural consultants how to raise healthy crops for their families and for profit.

Healthy soil isn't just dirt—it's a living ecosystem. International educator Matt Powers brings the hidden world beneath our feet to life, making the science of soil biology engaging, practical, and accessible. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the soil food web and discover practical strategies for building healthier soils, stronger crops, and more resilient farming systems.

Speaker bio

Matt Powers (M.Ed.) is a best-selling author, educator, citizen scientist, and family guy who teaches people all over the world how to live more regeneratively. 

Personally driven by a deep desire to have the best food possible for his wife and cancer-survivor, Adriana, and their two boys, Matt, a former public high school teacher with a masters degree in education, is a creator of over a dozen online courses and author of over 20 publications on permaculture and regenerative soil science and microscopy. Through his books, research, podcast, YouTube, online conferences, public speaking, and online courses, Matt helps everyone from gardeners to small and large scale farmers and ranchers work with soil, plants, microbes, and microscopy in new and regenerative ways that can be tracked and proven. 

Our understanding of how diet impacts our health has focused mainly on what appears on Nutrition Facts panels, such as calories, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Although this knowledge has been critical for our understanding of how the foods that we eat impact human health and metabolism, these represent only a small amount of the >20,000 bioactive compounds in foods. This talk will discuss the use of metabolomics to study the “dark matter” of nutrition and will focus on linkages between soil health, the nutrient density of foods, and potential relationships with human health.

Speaker bio

Dr. Stephan van Vliet is the Director of the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between sustainable agriculture, the nutrient density of food, and human health. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientific Reports, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology. Dr. van Vliet can be reached by email at stephan.vanvliet@usu.edu. 

Understanding how our managment practices impact the principles of soil health is the the key to helping row crop and livestock producers around the country understand soil health and regenerative agriculture. Those principles impact virtually all natural resource processes. Our management has the ability to regenerate our soil health, function and productivity much quicker than we have ever been lead to believe. It is the key to allowing Regenerative Agriculture to improve our environment as well as the health of our people. 

Speaker bio

Doug Peterson was a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employee for over 32 years. He started his career as a Soil Scientist before moving to other positions including State Grassland Specialist, State Soil Health Specialist and Regional Soil Health Specialist. After retiring from NRCS, Doug spent 4 years as the Science Officer for Regenified, a regenerative verification and certification company. There he developed a practice and outcome-based land verification and product certification program driving the growth of regenerative agriculture. He has also operated his own 250 head grazing operation for the last 35 years and believes that has been the ultimate learning experience.

This presentation will introduce the concept of electrical conductivity in the soil as mediated by soil chemistry and the presence of microbes. A description will ensue of what is high and what constitutes low conductivity as well as that middle region where all plants prefer to be. 

Speaker bio

Dr. Thomas Dykstra is the Laboratory Director of his own lab, Dykstra Laboratories in Gainesville, Florida. For 29 years, he has studied bioelectromagnetics (how electromagnetic fields affect life), especially as it relates to insects. He holds entomology degrees from Cornell University as well as the University of Florida and has been awarded eight patents. Dr. Dykstra consults for farmers, agricultural companies, tech firms, attorneys, international governments, and insurance agencies. He has visited three continents and presents lectures on diverse topics covering entomology, olfactory physiology, biophysics, paramagnetism, neurobiology, and biological antennae. In terms of active research, Dr. Dykstra deciphered the insect olfactory code back in 2016 and characterizes chemoreceptors for various medical and agricultural insect pests. He teaches both farmers and agricultural consultants how to raise healthy crops for their families and for profit.

Luke Peterson of Buffalo Trail Ranch, will share how their use of ultra-high-stock-density grazing, commonly known as mob grazing, and virtual fence have improved their land, with a focus on adapting management to local climate conditions. 

Speaker bio

Luke is a full-time rancher in Molt, Montana, alongside his dad, Chad Peterson. He's been full time for 4 years now, but has been "full time" since he could hold onto handle bars. He has grown up alongside mob grazing and has helped refine it over time at his family's ranch.

Erin Martin, founder of FreshRx Oklahoma, will explore connections between soil health, nutrient-dense food, and human health. Drawing on her work with Food is Medicine programs, she’ll discuss opportunities to connect farmers with healthcare systems, build markets for regeneratively grown food, and support healthier rural communities. 

Speaker bio

coming soon

Lance Gunderson of Regen Ag Lab will explain how the Haney test works and how its results can inform nutrient management and identify opportunities to reduce input costs. He’ll also discuss advances in soil health testing, including tools for tracking changes over time and understanding soil microbial communities. The session will connect test results with practical decisions to support soil health and farm profitability.

Speaker bio

Lance Gunderson founded Regen Ag Lab in 2019 after spending 17 years leading the soil health testing division as the Director of Soil Health and New Test Development at another lab. Regen Ag Lab offers Haney and PLFA tests, as well as soil enzymes, water stable aggregates, water holding capacity, TOC, along with more conventional soil, plant tissue and water analyses. Lance is a renowned expert on the Haney test and PLFA test (fungal and bacterial test). His experience at reviewing over 500,000 soil health samples gives him unique insight into how soil health results relate to management in regenerative agriculture systems. Lance earned his MS in biology in 2012 and his PhD in Soil Microbial Ecology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 2023.  

With high fertilizer and diesel prices, does this feel like a crisis moment that is calling us to farm (and consult) differently? To consider carbon and soil health as real solutions to quell the bleeding of farms in the red? If you are not currently using the Haney test and carbon additives, you're missing a tool in the toolbox. Learn some methods for how humic acid and fulvic acid could help in these challenging times.

Speaker bio

Danielle “Dani” Kusner teaches about the soil and human microbiomes at Deep Soil LLC, empowering farmers and consumers to make choices that heal the soil and their bodies. Dani is a Certified Crop Advisor and she expanded her expertise into human health as a Certified Terrain Advocate through The Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health. Born and residing in the Midwest, she has experience working with urban agriculture, Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), certified organic production and regenerative agriculture systems. Dani earned a degree in Sustainability Studies from The University of Dayton in 2008 and since then, has been on a journey of healing food production.

Jim Spinner, ranch manager at Veebaray Ranch near Lambert, Montana, will share practical lessons from managing high-stock-density, short-duration grazing in rough terrain. He’ll discuss how water systems and infrastructure improvements support grazing management, along with the adjustments needed to work with the landscape. Jim will also share his experience mentoring interns and apprentices, connecting hands-on learning with the daily work of running a ranch. 

Speaker bio

Jim's managed grazing learning curve began in 1998.  The journey has included high rainfall environments, western rangeland and grazing under pivot irrigation.  Currently managing a rough, scenic ranch in eastern Montana, his focus is on high stock density and soil health in challenging terrain.  A 1st generation rancher, Jim also mentors young people interested in agriculture through the Quivira Coalition New Agrarian Program.

Kendall Morgan, Winnett ACES’ Land Health Specialist, will share the rangeland soil health monitoring protocol used in ACES’ Land Health Program and how it helps landowners better understand conditions on their ranches. Drawing on work with central Montana producers, Kendall will discuss findings from monitoring, lessons learned, and how those findings have informed management decisions and changes. The session will connect the monitoring process with practical ways to track soil health and guide adaptive management. 

Speaker bio

Kendall is dedicated to advancing on-ranch innovation and experimentation by providing education on regenerative practices and soil health principles. Holding a Master's degree in Environmental Science, Kendall has honed her soil health expertise through Nicole Masters' CREATE Program she completed in 2022. Currently in her fifth year with Winnett ACES, Kendall spearheads the ACES Soil Health Program, collaborating closely with ranchers in central Montana. Her role involves guidance in integrating soil health practices through comprehensive soil mineral and biological testing and strategic frameworks.

Stoltz Ranch currently runs nine different enterprises, and Holly Stoltz will be the first to tell you not every idea worked on the first try. She’ll talk about running cattle with Vence and Halter virtual fencing, the changes happening around the 20+ beaver dam analogs on Fly Creek, and how the ranch ended up as a wild horse adoption center through the BLM and Forever Branded. She’ll also share the story behind Sego Lily Skincare, her certified organic grass-finished tallow skincare line, and the work underway with granting agencies to take it national and international. Stick around to the end for a sneak peek at enterprise number ten, which should be up and running within the year!

Speaker bio

Holly Stoltz is a fourth-generation Montana rancher whose greatest passion has always been helping people in the agricultural community. She was raised on a dairy in Paradise Valley, married into a ranching family, and now ranches with her husband, Trent, and son, Austin, near Pompeys Pillar.

As Supply Chain Director at Western Sustainability Exchange, Holly works to advance regenerative ranching by finding or helping to create premium markets. She is also the founder of Sego Lily Skincare, a certified organic, grass-finished tallow skincare line that has it's sights set on national and international markets.

Holly holds a marketing degree from Montana State University and brings a background in writing and small business ownership. She has owned a small-town newspaper and a screen printing and embroidery business, mentored local start-ups and led 4-H. 

She is a vocal advocate for regenerative agriculture as the key to securing ranching's legacy for future generations.

This session will explore prescribed burning as a tool for managing accumulated plant material, rangeland production, and plant communities. Erik Peterson will share his experience using prescribed fire on a working ranch near Miles City, while USDA Agricultural Research Service rangeland ecologist Lance Vermeire will explain research on fire timing, vegetation response, and forage production. Together, they will connect producer experience with research from the northern mixed-grass prairie.

Speaker bios

Erik Peterson a resident of Miles City has been involved with cattle and fire his entire life. He owns a cow calf operation east of Miles City in an area known as the Pine Hills. In the early 2000's he began incorporating prescribed fire into the ranch with the goal of reducing conifer encroachment and increasing rangeland health. He is a member of the Montana Prescribed Fire Council and Yellowstone Country Prescribed Burn Association.

Lance Vermeire is a rangeland ecologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service and has been conducting research on rangeland response to fire, grazing and drought at Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory since 2002. He can be reached by email at lance.vermeire@usda.gov. 

This presentation explores how grazing and finishing practices impact beef’s nutrient profile, including fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and plant-derived bioactive compounds. Drawing on his group's research across U.S. and North American production systems, Stephan van Vliet will discuss how forage diversity and finishing methods contribute to these differences—and why nutrient profiles can vary across samples.

Speaker bio

Dr. Stephan van Vliet is the Director of the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University. Dr. van Vliet’s research is performed at the nexus of agricultural and human health. He routinely collaborates with farmers, ecologists, and agricultural scientists to study critical linkages between sustainable agriculture, the nutrient density of food, and human health. His work has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientific Reports, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Physiology. Dr. van Vliet can be reached by email at stephan.vanvliet@usu.edu. 

Could a sudden pest attack in your garden or greenhouse turn out to be the best thing for the nutrient density of your food? In this engaging, story-driven presentation, Montana Soil Health Champion Patti Armbrister challenges our perceptions of garden stress, aphids, and flea beetles. When pests strike, the common instinct is to reach for a quick-fix product, like Sevin, Neem oil, or organic powders. We will rethink the quick-fix approach and uncover the environmental triggers that invite pests in the first place. Join us to learn how growers play a crucial role in enhancing the nutrient density of the plants we grow. You will hear the inspiring real-world story of how a severe pest outbreak was transformed into a biological success, and walk away with practical strategies for regenerative pest management and rethinking pests. Transform your garden or greenhouse into a resilient, high-immunity ecosystem that maximizes genetic potential and nutrient density.

Speaker bio

Patti Moss Armbrister is a Montana Soil Health Champion and a lifelong agricultural educator with 60 years of experiential wisdom. As a biological soil coach and the founder of Agrarian Food Web LLC, she specializes in coaching gardeners, growers and ranchers to transition away from current practices and move toward thriving, biology-first ecosystems. Patti is a dedicated independent educator who focuses on stripping away academic clutter to empower audiences with the practical, regenerative tools needed for cultivating nutrient-dense food as true medicine.