Regenerative Farming & Carbon:

How consumers are shaping production systems and how agribusinesses are making markets to pay farmers, meet consumer demand, and drive sustainable production.

• Learn how carbon farming and credit markets work to generate ROI for farmers while offsetting emissions for purpose-driven companies
• How documentation and validation work through regenerative parameters. What are they and how does the documentation manifest in the downstream channel?
• Why public scrutiny on production systems is a good thing and how agriculture companies are responding to consumer demand and providing assurances.
• How eco-labels can be more collaborative and productive toward their end goals of articulating benefits to people, planet, and profit.
• How agriculture companies are preparing farmers with biological products and other tools they need, such as data management, to prepare them for rapid change in their production practices.

Panelists

Ben Fargher
Managing Director of Sustainability
Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America

Ben is responsible for a sustainability portfolio, including carbon and water projects, in this part of Cargill’s business. In November 2018, Ben moved to the U.S. from Australia, where he was the General Manager for customers, grain origination and storage and handling, in the Cargill Australia grain and oilseed business. Prior to Cargill, Ben worked as the General Manager of Operations for a publicly listed cotton and grain agribusiness. He was also previously the CEO of the National Farmers’ Federation, the national farm lobby group in Australia. Ben, who grew up on a farm in Australia, has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Adelaide and a master’s degree in economics from the University of New England.

Kari Hernandez
Vice President
Global Head of Carbon Operations & Offer Marketing
Indigo

Kari Hernandez is the VP of Carbon Operations & Offer Marketing at Indigo Ag, which partners with farmers to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to enrich agricultural soils. Climate positive farming can bring not only atmospheric greenhouse gas relief, but by improving soil health can significantly improve farmer profitability and increase the nutrient density of the foods we eat. Indigo Carbon is in its inaugural year and expects to issue its first cohort of verified, agriculture-based carbon credits in 2021. Kari oversees carbon operations strategy and operations management, offer marketing, and product launch operations. Prior to Indigo, Kari's experience spanned the operations function in both the public and private sector, with a focus on service operations, customer experience, and operations transformations. Kari holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BS from the University of Southern California.

Petra Laux
Acting Chief Sustainability Officer
Syngenta Group

Petra joined Syngenta in 2019 from Novartis where she led Global Public Affairs for over a decade and was responsible for government relations, public policy, and advocacy. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health, a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a trained Pharmacist and has more than 25 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Syngenta Group created the Business Sustainability group and the role of Chief Sustainability Officer in January 2018 to drive forward the company’s commitment to sustainability. Over the past three years the company successfully established an industry-leading sustainability agenda with a $2-billion commitment to breakthrough technologies that deliver a step change in agricultural sustainability and help farmers address climate change.

Rod Snyder
President
Field to Market

Rod has served as president of Field to Market since March 2014. Prior to this role, Rod held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America. He is particularly recognized for his work at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues. He has previously served on the board of directors of the Conservation Technology Information Center, on the steering committee of the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council, on the executive committee of Field to Market, and as chair of the Pesticide Policy Coalition. He resides on his family’s farm in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia.