Russell is a first-generation farmer in the foothills of Hickory, North Carolina, where he farms JRH Grain Farms, LLC. Russell is known as one of the most progressive young farmers in the country. Russell has been a featured producer in Top Producer Magazine, Furrow Magazine, and on RFD TV, Ag PhD, and National No-till Farmer for profitably farming by reducing fertilizer inputs and using soil health practices on cash crops. In 2017 he won the North Carolina Corn Yield contest, the first person to win in the state using regenerative practices.  Russell's operation focuses on maximizing profits and direct consumer marketing for all their products. He is the co-owner of Soil Regen, LLC, and has partnered with Foothills Distillery producing the first bourbon in North Carolina since prohibition. Russell is also the founder of Farmers Reserve Distillery and Revolution Drones.

Hugh Aljoe serves as the director of ranches, outreach and partnerships at Noble Research Institute, where he focuses on regenerative management of range and pasture, high stock density grazing and holistic ranch management. He has been associated with Noble since 1995 and, before joining, managed a 3,000-acre, 1,500-head cattle operation in Texas. Hugh received his master’s degree in range science from Texas A&M University with an emphasis on grazing management.

Tom Cotter is a fourth-generation farmer from Austin, Minnesota, where his 850-acre Cotter Farms has become a model for regenerative and organic agriculture. Over the past 25 years, he has transformed his family’s operation from conventional full-tillage to a comprehensive system built on no-till practices, diverse cover crop rotations, and livestock integration on every acre. Tom’s leadership extends beyond his farm through his service with the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, the Soil Climate Initiative, and his extensive outreach as a mentor, educator, and speaker at state and national conferences. Recognized for his innovative soil health practices, water quality improvements, and commitment to community education, Tom Cotter is a 2025 finalist for the prestigious Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award.

Tom Wood, Western Territory Manager for Organisan Corp., combines his background as a fifth-generation Idaho farmer with expertise in regenerative systems. Tom has extensive experience in soil biology and alternative inputs, particularly chitosan-based products. He is a trusted voice in the regenerative space, known for his ability to provide practical solutions that enhance soil health and profitability. His dedication to innovation and education makes him a go-to expert for growers seeking to adopt regenerative practices.

Lance Gunderson is a founding member and the President of Regen Ag Lab. As a well-known promoter of soil health testing, Lance carries his passion for soil health testing into Regen Ag Lab. Lance continues to establish and promote newly developed agronomic tests designed to aid producers managing their operations under the regenerative ag model.

Lance started the first ever Soil Health Testing Department that focused on offering testing in biological measurements found in soil at Ward Labs. For the next eight years, Lance served as the Director of Soil Health and New Test Development at Ward Laboratories where he and his team implemented and performed the Haney, phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), soil enzymes, aggregate stability and water holding capacity tests. During this time, Lance has reviewed over 75,000 samples analyzed for Haney and PLFA. Because of his continued interest in soil health, Lance earned his Doctoral degree in Agronomy with an emphasis in Soil Microbial Ecology and Soil Health from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Dr. Rick Haney is the Chief Scientific Officer at Regen Ag Lab. Rick’s dedication to helping producers and experience, as both a leading research scientist and on-farm manager, helps Regen Ag Lab bridge the gap between data founded in sound science and practical knowledge needed to help their clients on their personal soil health journey.

Dr. Haney is a former Soil Chemist/Microbiologist and Research Farmer at the USDA-ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple, TX, and is the creator of the Haney Soil Health Test. Rick grew up farming in Custer County, OK, before he earned his PhD in soil microbial ecology and chemistry from Texas A&M University. Rick has researched soil ecology and soil testing for more than 30 years. In 2017, he was awarded the USDA’s Plains Area and National Technology Transfer Awards. Rick was also awarded the 2018 USDA REE Under Secretary’s award for the Haney Test and the 2018 Secretary of Agriculture Honor Award for the USDA’s strategic goal of strengthening the stewardship of private lands through technology and research. 

John Strohfus is the Founder and CEO of Minnesota Hemp Farms, Inc. (dba Field Theory Foods) based in Hastings, MN.  He is a farmer and marketer of specialty food ingredient products in bulk wholesale channels as well as the retail brand Field Theory™ which is in stores nationwide.

John was a graduate of St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and minor in Information Technology.  Prior to founding Minnesota Hemp Farms and Field Theory™ he spent 19 years in business working for the world leading technology consulting company Accenture.

 John has been involved in Agriculture his entire life and comes from a small farm operation raising American Quarter Horses, Beef Cattle, Alfalfa, Corn, Soybeans, Sunflowers plus other specialty crops.  Since 2016 he has also raised Hemp.

 Starting in 2016 John has helped build out the Supply Chain logistics for non intoxicating Hemp in the United States Food markets.   Since then he has expanded his work to the emerging Regenerative Agriculture Ingredient Markets.  He enjoys working with farmers of all crops to create unique value-add direct markets for their production and connect it with Brands seeking this differentiation.

 Field Theory™ is a foods company grounded with personal roots in Regenerative Agriculture.  They are focused on providing innovative quality products using plant-based proteins such as hempseed along with Upcycled ingredients like Spent Brewers Grains to reduce food waste whenever possible.  Field Theory is successful by using a mature supply chain built from the ground up that shares our values.  Starting with our direct grower networks who focus on regenerative agriculture and organic practices.  

Johnny Klemme is a recognized leader in farmland real estate, auctions, and generational farm transitions. As co-owner of Geswein Farm & Land, he helps families, investors, and advisors maximize land value while navigating one of life’s most important assets.

With 20+ years of business experience and hundreds of millions in land transactions, Johnny combines market expertise with personal understanding of the emotional weight tied to family farmland. He partners with CPAs, wealth managers, attorneys, and financial planners to deliver strategies that build wealth, reduce conflict, and create win-win outcomes.

Author of American Family Farmland and producer of the Land Values documentary, Johnny is a trusted voice on farmland values, stewardship, and legacy planning. His leadership has earned national recognition.

Johnny’s mission: deliver more land value—financial, emotional, and environmental—while building trusted partnerships that help landowners, investors, and communities thrive.

Seth Watkins, the 2022 Iowa Leopold Conservation Award winner, is a fourth-generation farmer whose deep care for animals and the land began at age ten, when he nursed a cold, muddy calf named Scotch back to health with a shot of bourbon. That early act of compassion grew into a lifelong mission to heal the landscape through thoughtful stewardship. On Pinhook Farm near Clarinda, Iowa—land his family has tended since 1848—Seth and his wife Christy, along with their children Spencer and Tatum, have transformed eroded cropland into a thriving mosaic of pastures, prairies, ponds, and forests. By using cover crops, rotational grazing, no-till systems, and geospatial technology, Seth has restored biodiversity, improved soil health, and reduced erosion across thousands of acres under his management.

Driven by both profitability and sustainability, Seth manages over 3,000 acres of owned and rented land across Page, Taylor, and Adams counties, raising 600 beef cow-calf pairs while protecting water quality and wildlife habitat. He has built or restored more than 50 ponds, established wetlands and pollinator habitats, and planted nut and fruit trees to further diversify his ecosystem. Known for his curiosity and generosity in sharing knowledge, Seth participates in on-farm research and advocates for enrolling marginal farmland in conservation programs like the CRP. He and his family have placed Pinhook Farm under a permanent conservation easement to ensure its protection for generations to come. Seth often says he once thought cattle were his passion—but he’s learned it’s really the land he loves most.

Taylor started her work in the healthy soil movement at Chico State, where she earned a B.S. in Agriculture and M.S. in Regenerative Agricultural Systems. Post degree she was integral in establishing what is now the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the university and building a regional grower network focused on building soil health in the north state. Currently, she is the Farm Program Specialist for the Soil Carbon Initiative, a farmer focused commitment and verification program that works in close collaboration with Soil Regen to scale the number of acres under regenerative management. In addition to this, Taylor help manage a farm in Cotton Plant, AR, where her and Adam Chappell grow rice, beans, corn and have a laying and meat bird chicken operation. 

Dr. Liz Haney is a soil health expert and co-founder of Soil Regen. With a Ph.D. in Soil Science, she has dedicated her career to developing innovative soil testing methods and promoting regenerative agriculture practices. Dr. Haney is widely recognized for her work on the Haney Soil Health Test, which provides a more comprehensive analysis of soil health than traditional testing methods.