Allen Williams is a 6 th generation family farmer and founding partner of Grass Fed Insights, LLC, Understanding Ag, LLC and the Soil Health Academy. He is also a partner in Joyce Farms, Inc. He has
consulted with more than 4000 farmers and ranchers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and other countries, on operations ranging from a few acres to over 1 million acres. Allen pioneered many of the early regenerative grazing protocols and forage finishing techniques and now teaches those practices and principles to farmers globally. He is a “recovering academic”, having served 15 years on the faculty at Louisiana Tech University and Mississippi State University. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Livestock Genetics from LSU. He has authored more than 400 scientific and popular press articles, and is an invited speaker at regional, national, and international
conferences and symposia. Major areas of research and business focus include soil health, cover crop/livestock integration, adaptive forage & grazing management, high attribute pasture-based meat production, and alternative marketing systems.
Allen and his colleagues specialize in whole farm & ranch planning based on the concept of regenerative agriculture. Their approach creates significant “value add” and prepares the landowner for multiple enterprise/revenue stream opportunities that stack enterprises and acres. This approach allows for enhanced profitability and/or investment value. They routinely conduct workshops and seminars across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
He has been featured in several of the Carbon Nation film series, “Soil Carbon Cowboys” (www.soilcarboncowboys.com), on the Dr. Oz show, ABC Food Forecast News, and in Kiss The Ground, A Regenerative Secret, The Farmer’s Footprint film series and the Sacred Cow film series. He co-authored a book with Teddy Gentry, “Before You Have A Cow”. Allen is a regular contributor to “GRAZE” and “Stockman GrassFarmer” and has written articles for the “Organic Broadcaster” and many other publications. Several of his presentations and webinars can be found on the Pasture Project website at www.pastureproject.org. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Grass Fed Exchange and the Mississippi Sustainable Agriculture Network, is a Core Team Member of the Pasture Project, and Co-Investigator for Team SoilCarbon. He also serves as an officer in the Starkville Civitan Club, the Central Oktibbeha Fire Department BOD, and is active in his local church.

Shane New is a stockman and entrepreneur from Holton, Kansas. He is a graduate of Kansas State University. Shane was a civil contractor and sod producer for 20 years prior to completely focusing on regenerative agriculture. Despite doing various things, he has been doing soil health practices for many years. Some of these practices include no-tilling, cover crops, rotational grazing, and adaptive grazing. Shane and his wife Kelli have three children. They own and operate New Family Farms located in Holton, Kansas. The farm consists of cover crops, cattle, and free range chickens. They currently market their meat and eggs. Shane and New Family Farms received the Soil Health Award in 2017 by the Jackson County Conservation District. This was awarded for outstanding accomplishments in the management of soil health and related sources. Shane also completed Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Life in the Soils courses. His passion is production agriculture and believes that the future for agriculture and human health has to come from regenerative agricultural practices.