2025 Session Hosts
Treffler Man @ Machine
Treffler-Man@Machine is official importer for Treffler Organic Machinery in North America. We partner with the team at Clearwater farms that are our ears and eyes close to your farms in Michigan and Ohio.
When it comes to mechanical weed control, the Treffler harrow is a different category of machine: superb in its simplicity, perfect flexibility, light-weight for little compaction, an environmental people friendly ag machine.The Treffler TS Precision harrows for in Row Harrowing is designed to manage early emerging weeds in your vegetable, herb, nursery, plugs and field crops. Treffler offers the widest adjustable tension range on the market and our tines always follow the contour of your field, ridge, hill, or raised bed with the same downward pressure. Therefore always guaranteeing that your field will be worked evenly. Treffler helps you beat the weeds. Our Treffler cultivators are designed for an 1inch 100% cut of cover crops, for minimal soil disturbance. The art of harrowing and shallow cultivation supports better soils and crops, people friendly agriculture for healthy people. Equipped with seeders, that can easily be removed when not in use, with our machines you make the most of every pass.
Léa Vereecke
Léa grew up on a grain farm and holds a MSc. in Agronomy and Agroecology. She is a passionate agronomist with a holistic approach and 9 years of experience working on the research and development of organic and sustainable farming practices. Since 2022, she has been overseeing Rodale Institute Organic Consulting’s operations in the Midwest.
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Cover crops play a pivotal role in enhancing soil fertility, preventing erosion, and promoting overall soil health. This presentation will equip farmers with actionable insights for choosing and managing cover crops to improve nutrient cycling and resilience against climatic variability, enhancing both yield and soil health outcomes in organic farming systems.
Scott Bales
Scott is the Michigan State University dry bean specialist located at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center in Frankenmuth, MI. Scott began his professional career at Michigan State University in 2016 and transitioned into this specialist role in 2019. This position is funded by a partnership between the Michigan Bean Commission, MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension. In his role, he conducts applied dry bean research around the state of Michigan focusing on all aspects of dry bean production including variety development on commercial farms with grower cooperators. Along with involvement with the Michigan Bean Commission Scott is also a member of the Bean Improvement Cooperative and the National Sclerotinia Initiative.