SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — From ethanol to cover crops to equipment innovations, the changing, dynamic world of conservation agriculture was on full display as the Conservation Action Tour that trekked across South Dakota.

Hosted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), the tour started with a visit to POET’s’ headquarters in Sioux Falls and processing plant in Chancellor, which highlighted ethanol’s growth and market potential in the U.S.

The following day, buses carried attendees to the farms of growers Ryan Lawson and Kurt Stiefvater and to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center to learn about satellite data for landscape-level planning. The tour stops concluded at Falls Park in Sioux Falls to learn about the intersection of urban areas and agriculture.

Below are some highlights for the CIA Tour.

Brandt, Beck Inducted into CTIC Hall of Fame

Two giants in the world of conservation agriculture were honored with their induction into the CTIC Hall of Fame — the late Carroll, Ohio no-tiller, soil health and cover crop legend David Brandt, and Dwayne Beck, longtime manager of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in Pierre, S.D. 

“Dr. Beck embodies one of the CTIC fundamental beliefs that to achieve change at scale, movements must be farmer led, and farmers must be empowered to try new things and be supported in their trials,” said Ryan Heiniger, CTIC’s executive director. “The continuity that his farm brings provides 35 years of applied research that benefits us all.

HONORING A LEGEND. Jay…