Attending the 79th Soil and Water Conservation Society International Annual Conference

Written by Ryan Carlow, Soil Health Specialist, The Greenbelt Foundation and Jenny Bower, Research Soil Scientist, Soil Health Institute. 

This past week, we had the opportunity to attend the SWCS annual conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The SWCS is the largest professional society for those working in the conservation field. This meeting was the 2nd largest in the last 20 years, with over 650 people in attendance arriving from all over the US and international locations! Attendees worked for many organizations including federal and state governments, universities, agricultural companies and nonprofit organizations. The theme of the conference was “Rising Together: Collaborative Conservation for All”, which we feel is thoroughly embodied by our soil health assessment project, as it succeeds by collaborating with Ontario agricultural organizations, academic institutions, and government.  

Soil health is crucial not only for agricultural productivity but also for maintaining the ecological balance and sustainability of natural landscapes. In the Ontario Greenbelt, healthy soils are essential for supporting biodiversity, regulating water quality, and providing resilience against climate change impacts. By ensuring the vitality of the soil, we can enhance the Greenbelt's ability to offer clean drinking water, control floods, and maintain air quality.  

Healthy soil underpins the long-term viability of farming and recreational activities in the region, making it a foundational element for the well-being of communities and ecosystems. Our soil health project aligns with these goals, aiming to protect and sustain the Greenbelt's diverse natural assets for future generations. 

Large group presentations included a keynote address from Farmer Cee, a Black farmer in North Carolina who advocates for more Black women to own land and farm. Day 2 had a keynote from Chief Terry Cosby from the NRCS talking about the hard work of conservation professionals across the United States.  

Ryan shared a presentation on the Greenbelt Soil Health Project, introducing conference participants to the work we are doing in the Golden Horseshoe region. He presented on what the Greenbelt is, how we designed our soil health program, and what we’ve done to date to recruit participants. Over 60 people attended this session and had many questions about the project including what kind of feedback we get from farmers, how we designed our results report and how an important protected area like the Greenbelt was established and remains in place.  

 Jenny presented results from the first year of our soil health project within a symposium showcasing soil health benchmarking across North America. The symposium provided a forum for reflecting on our approach and evaluating our results within a broader context. There was audience interest in the soil health indicators that we measured, what it was like presenting results to land managers, and how we chose sites with maximum soil health for comparing soil health on cropland. 

In total, we attended over 30 talks at the conference. Some sessions were abstract, such as a session where we imagined what agricultural diversification might look like in different rural contexts. Other sessions provided concrete tools and learnings that we will carry forward in our work, such as a detailed overview of the Midwest Cover Crops tool (available on our Resources page), and sessions on engaging agricultural retailers to accelerate conservation practice adoption. We also listened to many other projects happening across the USA using similar methods to evaluate soil health in states such as Kansas, Ohio and Texas. It was very fulfilling to hear about other projects and learn from their successes and challenges.  

Ryan was presented with a certificate for completing the “Emerging Leaders Program”. He participated in this year long program to gain leadership skills, meet other young leaders in similar fields, and plan a conservation event. He was the only Canadian to participate in the program this year!

Overall, it was an excellent conference that left us inspired to continue our work and provided us with some new ideas!

To learn more about the Greenbelt Foundation Soil Health Program Click Here. Image credit to Ryan Carlow and Jenny Bower.