2021 Keynote Speakers
James F. White
James F. White is Professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University in New Jersey where he and students conduct research on ecology of microbes that inhabit plants (endophytes). He obtained the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Botany and Plant Pathology from Auburn University in Alabama, and the Ph.D. in Botany/Mycology from the University of Texas at Austin. James is the author of more than 240 articles and book chapters, and author and editor of seven books on the biology of
plant microbes and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS), the Associate Editor for journals Symbiosis, Fungal Ecology, MycoScience,
and Scientific Reports, and Chief Editor for the Plant-Microbe Interactions Section of the MDPI
journal Microorganisms. He also received the Alexopoulos Research Prize in 1996 (Mycological
Society of America), the Distinguished Research Award in 1994 (Auburn University
Montgomery), and the Research Excellence Award in 1998 (Rutgers University). James has
presented extensively at international industry and academic conferences focused on regenerative
agriculture, plant biostimulants and crop microbiomes; He has also done numerous webinars and
podcasts on the same topics.
Alejandro Carrillo
Alejandro Carrillo's spent most of his summers since he was a kid in cattle ranches in the
Chihuahuan desert, in northern Mexico. Tired of experiencing an on-going drought every
year a this family ranch, he searched for other alternatives to manage his property. He
attended his first Holistic Planned Grazing Management class back in 2006. From then on, he and his colleagues traveled around the world to improve his knowledge and learnt apply
it to brittle environments. Alejandros has been able to increase his carrying capacity by 3
times while reducing his inputs in half, making his operation profitable and robust even in
challenging times. Before joining his family's ranch, Alejandro worked as an IT consultant
in several countries. Alejandro holds a BS in Computer Science from the Monterrey Tech
and a MS in Technical Management from the Johns Hopkins University.
Loran Steinlage
Loran Steinlage, Owner/Operator of FLOLOfarms, and his wife Brenda specialize in
adapting practices and equipment to their unique location on the edge of the
Driftless area. The Steinlages are evolving to a companion and relay no-till cropping
system that is focused on cycling plants to keep a living plant in the soil at all times and
aid in moisture management and weed suppression. Currently producing corn,
soybeans, cereal rye, winter wheat, malt barley and buckwheat, Loran also recently took
on a role with DAWN Equipment/Underground Ag as an Infield Practical Field Engineer.
A Quarter Century of Education
CCTA’s goal it so disseminate both local and national information on variables affecting optimum production such as: conservation tillage, water conservation, energy conservation, residue management, fertility, erosion control and maximum economic yield. As such, CCTA has spent a quarter of a century providing education to its members in all these areas.
You are invited to join us February 2-3, 2021 for the next CCTA Conference and help us us continue our education goal.