RIPE On the Road Pt. II
Boots in the Soil: Summer 2026
The summer is drawing to a close, but with harvest season around the corner in many communities across the country, the time for leisure is not yet upon us. As we prepare for a busy autumn season ahead, RIPE is reflecting on a summer behind us that was equal parts engaging and fulfilling.
NCGA CORN CONGRESS | WASHINGTON, DC
In July, RIPE Director of Industry Engagement Morgan Wrich traveled to our nation’s capitol to attend the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)’s Corn Congress, which she participated in as a delegate. While in Washington, Wrich participated in meetings for the National Corn Communications and Education Action Team. Topics of discussion included The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), National Farm Safety and Health Week, agriculture education, and AI use. Wrich, a Nebraska farmer, was able to make the most of her trip to America’s federal policy hub, having the opportunity to visit with Senate Ag Committee staff and discuss the Farm Bill alongside RIPE Government Affairs & Policy Advisor Reece Langley, and Economic & Environmental Research Intern Alayna Christopher.
AG MEDIA SUMMIT | ST. LOUIS, MO
Later that month, RIPE Director of Communications & Marketing Melissa Willhouse traveled to the “Show-Me State” to attend the Agricultural Media Summitin St. Louis, MO. The summit was ripe with conversations about the use of AI in ag marketing and communications, tricks of the trade, inclusivity and belonging in ag media, the power of storytelling and more. The trip ended with some exciting site visits, including tours of an ADM Grain Barge and the Anheuser-Busch flagship brewery, as well as a trip to Eckert Family Farm to round out the week.
NEBRASKA GRASSLAND ALLIANCE GATHERING | KEARNEY, NE
At the start of August, Morgan attended the Nebraska Grazing Conference in Kearney, NE, an especially exciting endeavor as Wrich is herself a farmer, along with her husband and family. While attending the gathering, Wrich met with the Executive Director of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and participated in the Nebraska Grassland Alliance meeting. Some noteworthy highlights include:
A producer panel working with organizations like Pheasants Forever on conservation and habitat restoration while also grazing the land
Commentary from Winnett Aces, whose mission is to strengthen their community by enhancing the health of their land, economy, and traditions for future generations. They are a testament to full ecosystem services and the interconnectivity of farming and natural resource conservation
FUTURE HARVEST PASTURE WALK | POOLESVILLE, MD
Melissa attended a Pasture Walk hosted by Future Harvest at Plow & Stars Farm. A thunderstorm threatened the night’s activities, but as we know, agriculture is an all-weather industry, so event attendees braved the threat of inclement weather to congregate, conversate and educate. Some highlights of the event were seeing virtual cattle fencing in action and visiting with the herd of sheep, all the while getting to see prime examples of adaptive livestock management practices.
ALLIANCE TO ADVANCE CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE SUMMIT | FARGO, ND
We closed out a summer of meetings and events by going back to where it all started, attending the yearly summit for the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture. RIPE was involved in writing the $80M grant from the USDA that established the Alliance a few years ago, and we stay involved with the organization by sharing resources and research. This trip was especially exciting as a number of RIPE Steering Committee members were in attendance, including Minnesota Farmers Union, Arkansas Rice, National Black Growers Council, and North Dakota Farmers Union.
Some key takeaways from the Alliance summit include:
Communication is key in any program
Conservation has to be voluntary
Keeping early adopters involved is a necessity
We must be able to incentivize the producer
Coalition-building and outreach are integral components of the RIPE Approach. We advocate for all producers - across all geographies, commodities, and scales. By being on the ground, attending gatherings like farm field days and soil health events, we are staying on the pulse of the challenges and opportunities facing agricultural producers across the country. Continuously learning from and with farmers and ranchers ensures our work is as impactful and relevant as possible.
ICYMI: Check out our July blog to learn more about events we attended in the first half of the summer. For more information about the meetings and events we are attending this fall and winter, check out our Events page.
Thank you to event organizers and fellow event attendees for helping to make our summer as engaging, enjoyable and educational as possible. We look forward to continuing to put our Boots in the Soil across the country in the months to come. To stay up-to-date on RIPE’s mission and outreach success, subscribe to our newsletter or check us out on social media (we are on Facebook, LinkedIn & Instagram). Explore ways to get involved with RIPE, and contact us to learn more.
