2024 Annual Conference
CONFERENCE DATES
Day 1: August 19th, 2024
Day 2: August 20th, 2024
LOCATION
The Gateway Hotel and Conference Center
2100 Green Hills Drive Ames, IA 50014
RESERVE HOTEL OPTIONS
Reminder IDALS will cover the cost of hotel accommodation and scheduled lunches for commissioners and assistant commissioners. Rooms can be reserved after completing online registration (above), or by clicking here:
2024 Annual Conference Agenda
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Noon Registration Table Opens
3:00 pm CDI Board Meeting
Monday, August 19, 2024
7:00 am Registration and Credentials Tables Open
Exhibits Open – Silent Auction Items Accepted
8:45 am Registration Closes
9:00 am
Welcome
- Jeri Thornsberry, President, Conservation Districts of Iowa
- Steve Hofmann, Chair, State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee and retired Army Member
Pledge of Allegiance
- Dennis Carlson, Member, State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee
Welcome
- Mike Naig, Iowa State Secretary of Agriculture
- Jon Hubbert, IA State Conservationist-NRCS
9:20 am Commissioners’ Annual Business Meeting
12:30 pm Lunch and Awards Presentation
1:30 pm Afternoon session – Presentation by Justin Glisan, State of Iowa Climatologist: “Resiliency: Intersection of Water Quality, Soil Health & Changing Weather”
2:00 pm Ice Cream Social served by CDI Board – Break and Exhibits
Visit: Iowa Learning Farm’s new trailer in the parking lot with Conservation Station on the Edge, showcasing edge-of-field practices
3:00 pm Conservation Potpourri Moderated by Joe Hayes, CDI Communications Coordinator
- “Leveraging Partnerships to Drive Conservation Adoption—Iowa Soybean Association’s RCPPs” presented by Ben Porepp, ISA Agronomist
- “Cattle and Working Lands RCPP in Northwest Iowa” presented by Colton Barnes, Project Coordinator and John Nitz, NW Iowa Farmer
- 5 Year Plans—Highlighting Four SWCDs: Cedar, East Pott, Sioux, Winneshiek
- What’s on Commissioners’ Minds? Questions from commissioners—Open Discussion
4:30 pm Social Hour, Exhibits
5: 30 pm Awards Banquet
Announcements
- 2023 State Poster Contest Winners
- Envirothon State Winner – Decorah Nerd Republic
Award Presentations
- Lillian Howe, CDI Scholarship Recipient
- Jamie Beyer, 2023 Spencer Award Recipient
- Leopold Conservation Award Finalists Announcement
Honoring Past Presidents
- Ramona Nitz, CDI Immediate Past President
Key Note Address
- Embracing Regenerative Agriculture: Proactive Strategies
- Mitchell Hora, Founder / CEO at Continuum Ag
Conservation and My World from a Gen Z Poet
- Robin Hubbert, University of Iowa Student
Note
- Silent Auction closes at the end of evening
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
7:00 am Breakfast Buffet
Each district will gather at tables assigned by regions for open discussion with fellow commissioners
7:45 am Visit Exhibits
8:00 am
Pledge of Allegiance
- Kami Willet, Chair East Pottawatomie SWCD and retired Air Force member
Announcements
8:30 am
Partner Updates and Presentations: What’s New Since Spring Regionals?
- Matt Russell, FSA
- Curt Goettsch, FSA
- Jerah Sheets, IDNR
- Jon Hubbert, NRCS
- Susan Kozak, IDALS
- Will Myers, IDALS
10:00 am
Enriching Commissioner’s Knowledge: Legal Primer – Understanding Commissioner Roles and Responsibilities: Open Meetings, Open Records, and Soil Loss Complaints
- Eric Dirth, Iowa Assistant Attorney General
11:00 am
Concurrent Workshop Sessions
(Choose Track #1 or Track #2)
Track #1 (11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.)
Watershed Structures (PL 566) Open Discussion
- Eric Dirth, Iowa Assistant Attorney General
- Christian Osborn, NRCS
- Mark McCurdy, NRCS
- Jonathan Garton, Iowa DNR
Track #2 Two 25-minute Breakout Sessions
Session A (11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.)
A Future Look at Ethanol Industry and What it Means to Iowa Farmers
- Nathan Hohnstein, Policy Director, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association
Session B (11:30 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.)
Understanding Needs of Urban Gardeners and Beginning Farmers
- Shaffer Ridgeway, District Commissioner
- Jenna Curran, Conservation Assistant
- Jeri Thornsberry, Chair, Black Hawk SWCD
12:00 pm Lunch and District Awards
1:15 pm Annual Conference Wrap-up