AFT Senior Research Fellow | Climate and Soil Health Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program & University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Laila joined AFT in October of 2022. As a member of the AFT Research Fellows Program and the AFT Climate Initiative team she contributes her expertise in agronomy, soil fertility, precision agriculture, digital technologies, and how data can effectively be translated back to growers for adoption of sustainable practices. Laila started a position at Syngenta Group in 2023. In her position as a Computational Agronomy Lead, she contributes to the development of digital agronomic solutions and precision agriculture initiatives, With a strong academic background, Laila held an assistant professor position at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she continues to serve as an adjunct professor, fostering the next generation of agricultural innovators. Her entrepreneurial spirit also led her to co-found a precision agriculture company in Argentina, further underscoring her commitment to advancing the field. Laila’s education includes a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in crop production and physiology from Iowa State University, where she focused on developing crop model-based methods to predict economically optimal nitrogen rates in corn-based systems, laying the foundation for her work in precision agriculture.

AFT Senior Research Fellow | Climate and Soil Health Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program, University of Minnesota

Mitch is co-director of the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. Mitch has had the privilege of working for American Farmland Trust twice in the past, first as federal policy manager and later, after completing his PhD, as research director. Mitch did his PhD in agronomy at Penn State where he studied cover crop mixtures, climate resilience, and sustainable intensification. His postdoctoral research at UMN focused on dual-use management of Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass for forage and grain production. His parents raise organic grass-fed beef in southeast Minnesota.

AFT Senior Research Fellow | Climate and Soil Health Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program, University of Nebraska

Guillermo joined AFT as an AFT Research Fellow in November of 2023 to lead the Nebraska component of AFT’s biochar soil health demonstration trial project, and contribute his expertise in cropping systems, nutrient management, digital agriculture, and crop modeling to develop innovative approaches for sustainable farming systems. Guillermo is a Research Assistant Professor in nutrient management and digital agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work centers on applying agronomic knowledge, soil science, and crop production principles to investigate innovations in farming systems that increase productivity, water, and nutrient use efficiency. His research integrates field experiments, modeling, and digital agriculture tools, and collaboration with other research groups, farmers, industries, and stakeholders to develop is essential to his approach. Guillermo earned his master’s degree in precision nutrient management at Rio Cuarto National University in Argentina and a Ph.D. in Agronomy at Kansas State University, where he focused on management practices to close yield gaps in corn-soybean rotations. He has held previous positions as an Assistant Professor at Rio Cuarto National University in Argentina and as a postdoctoral fellow in Farming Systems and Digital Ag at the Commonwealth Science Industries and Research Organization in Australia.

AFT Senior Research Fellow | Climate and Soil Health Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program, Cornell University

Debbie joined AFT in November of 2023 as a member of the AFT Research Fellows Program, but she has been collaborating with AFT on a variety of projects and programs since 2018. She contributes her expertise in soil health, biochar amendments, and agricultural extension to assist farmers in adopting more sustainable soil management practices and is collaborating on AFT’s biochar efforts across multiple projects. Debbie is a soil scientist, currently serving as an extension associate at Cornell University and program coordinator for the New York Soil Health Initiative. She conducts applied research and coordinates extension activities with farmers across New York State to increase awareness and adoption of soil health and climate resilient agricultural practices, including the use of biochar. Debbie serves on the board of directors for the United States Biochar Initiative and is the lead author of the agriculture chapter of the NYS Climate Impacts Assessment Report. She earned her M.Sc. in Environmental Science and International Development from the University of Edinburgh and Ph.D. in Soil Science from Iowa State University. Currently, Debbie is co-leading the on-farm biochar demonstration trials in New York as part of AFT’s USDA Conservation Innovation Grant titled ‘Breaking Down Barriers to Biochar Adoption On Farms from Coast to Coast’.

AFT Graduate Research Fellow | Water Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program, Kansas State University

Merri Beth is a third-year PhD candidate and graduate research assistant at Kansas State University, working with Dr. Ted Schroeder and Dr. Dustin Pendell. Her previous research investigates the economic and environmental impacts of grazing management practices in the Great Plains, and she is currently working with AFT to develop a Grazing tool to assist producers with management decisions affecting soil health. Her broad research interests include animal health economics and sustainable beef production systems. Merri Beth worked as a loan officer in Alabama before earning a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arkansas in 2021, where her research focused on factors influencing producers’ use of irrigation best management practices in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. She received a B.S. in Agricultural Business and Economics from Auburn University in 2018.

Assistant Professor and Research Fellow / Women for the Land Initiative, National Programs, AFT Fellows Program, University of North Carolina

Sophie joined AFT in December of 2023 as a member of the AFT Research Fellows Program. She contributes her expertise in sustainable economic development in the food system, and understanding social drivers of agricultural resilience, particularly with respect to land transition, climate adaptation, and conservation practices. Sophie earned her Master of Arts and PhD in city and regional planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she focused on understanding challenges to and from scaling up sustainable and equitable food systems in the United States. Currently, Sophie is an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Environmental Studies. She leads several projects looking at processes of innovation in sustainable food systems, and how they may pose new challenges and opportunities for creating equity and ecological resilience while bolstering rural economies.