COVER STORY | Funded by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff joyed the opportunities she had to work with farmers and joined NC State Extension in a Small Grains Agronomy lab with responsi- bilities in wheat, barley, malting barley, canola, oats, and indus- trial hemp. She designed and managed statewide small grains agronomy trials with NC Coop- erative Extension Field Crops Agents, lead experimental design and data analysis training for field crops agents, and performed data analysis for the NC State Official Variety Trial for a wide variety of row crops. Miller moved back to Illinois in 2018 to serve as the Ag Inno- vations Manager for the Illinois Soybean Association, working on the ILSoyAdvisor platform, ISA research projects, and an agtech initiative. In 2020, she took a role at Moore & Warner Ag Group as a Business Development Manager where she assisted the farm management team with conservation farming decisions and opportunities. She also developed an online platform and curriculum for educating mem- bers of the agtech and agfinance industries, and non-operating landowners about day-to-day farm operations which drive production agriculture in the Midwest. Miller joined the Illinois Soy- bean Association in 2022 as an Agronomy Manager. As such, she serves as the team lead for the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund and carbon market op- portunities, multi-state agro- nomic partnership initiatives, the North Central Soybean Research Program, and the Soy Envoy Program. “The experience and range of Megan’s work is one of the advantages ISA needs to de- velop new and innovative proj- ects within conservation,” says Peterson. “Working on projects relating to agriculture programs and partnerships that incorporate farm management, carbon mar- kets, cost share, and farm scale environmental modeling, Megan has the science knowledge and management history to keep Illinois farmers’ needs supported. She is an expert in being able to communicate the carbon market space and has worked on creat- ing a framework for comparing, contrasting, and evaluating car- bon market options.” Meet Jennifer Jennifer Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a minor in Crop and Soil Management, and a Master of Science degree in Agronomy from Purdue University. Her master’s research consisted of studying cover crops’ influence on soil nitrogen levels at vary- ing depths in the soil profile and their influence on the soil microbial community at multiple farm sites throughout Indiana. After completion of her master’s degree, she joined the University of Illinois Extension as a Water- shed Outreach Associate, where she focused her efforts in two phosphorus priority watersheds as listed in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. While there, Jones developed working relationships with local partners within the watershed, such as farmers, Soil and Water Conser- vation Districts (SWCDs), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Illinois Farm Bureau to motivate and educate farmers and landowners to voluntarily adopt conservation practices to improve water quality and soil health. Additionally, she co-led watershed planning efforts with stakeholders to address water quality concerns and develop solutions. Jones is a Certified Crop Adviser with the 4R Nutrient Management Specialty certifica- tion. She joined Illinois Soybean Association in January 2022 as an Agronomy Manager. As such, her areas of focus include managing ISA Endowments with univer- sities, she serves as lead for the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and as ISAP Advanced Soil Health Training coordinator A PUBLICATION OF THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION June 2022 7 (training that will start in August 2022), and she coordinates the CarbonSense Podcast. “I’ve been following Jennifer’s work in Extension since I moved back to Illinois in 2018,” says Miller. “I was always impressed by the work she was able to do and how effective she was given her re- source constraints. When Abigail told me we would be working together, I was beyond excited. Her strong research background and deep understanding of water quality and the practices that impact nutrient retention or runoff are a huge asset to the associ- ation, and I learn from her daily. Jennifer is well connected to the free technical support resources that exist for farmers in Illinois and having the opportunity to boost the work that is already happen- ing while continuing to expand those resources is essential to the future of ag in Illinois.” If you ask these agronomy all-stars what they’re most excited about looking ahead, you’ll get an array of animated answers. But a common denom- inator amongst them has to do with bringing fresh resources to Illinois farmers, the ethical stewardship of our land, and the cultivation of an educated agro- nomic community that supports one another. “I’m most excited to see how the conservation space in Illinois continues to evolve in the com- ing years,” says Jones. “We know farmers care about the land and water, but they need support in the form of research, education, cost-share, and more to help them voluntarily meet goals that are set in the state related to climate resiliency, water quality, and soil protection, while still producing the best bean crop possible. The Agronomy Team at ISA is prioritizing partnerships and collaborations with organiza- tions and people around the state and beyond to help provide the best resources to Illinois farmers. I’m eager to see how the Illinois agriculture community continues to partner and grow together to create climate resilient farm systems.”
