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MPF Webinar: Horizon II: One Part Wildlife, One Part Ecosystem Services, and One Part Renewable Energy

February 26 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Purple prairie plants by Frank Oberle

In this interactive webinar, learn about the USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Grant project Horizon II, a program provided by a partnership of 13 organizations led by Roeslein Alternative Energy. Speakers include Steve Mowry, Director of Prairie Establishment at Roeslein Alternative Energy, and Ben Kruger, Senior Vice President of the Renewables Division at Roeslein & Associates. The Horizon II project, which started in 2023 and spans five years, aims to combine ecosystem services, renewable energy, and enhanced grassland wildlife habitat in a financially viable manner. Its mission is to verify on a large scale that prairie grasses and cover crops are economically feasible, low-CO2e commodities that provide a stable income stream to farmers. They will highlight project successes and challenges with landowner enrollment to the program and the enduring ecological benefits of establishing up to 40,000 acres of new prairie plantings across northern Missouri and southern Iowa.

This free webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. The webinar will be recorded, with a link to the recording sent to all registrants and posted to the MPF YouTube channel.

Cost: Free

Register Here

Ben Kruger is Senior Vice President of Renewables for Roeslein. In his role, Ben is leading the development and operations of larger scale renewable natural gas production assets. Ben is also very involved in Roeslein’s work with prairie reconstruction and renewable biomass feedstocks. Prior to joining Roeslein, Ben spent 25 years with Cargill Corporation in a variety of commodity trading and business leadership roles. Several of Ben’s roles involved leading renewable energy and sustainability businesses – including Cargill’s North American biodiesel business, renewable natural gas business, and the launch and scaling of their regenerative agriculture platform – RegenConnect. 

On a personal note, Ben grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and was inspired to pursue a career in agriculture via his family’s centuries long connection to the industry.  Ben studied agricultural business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his family currently resides in Victoria, Minnesota and are avid skiing enthusiasts as well as deeply involved with several non-profits serving the special needs community.

Steve Mowry is a past president of the Missouri Prairie Foundation and a two-time Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation president. He owns a farm in Adair County, Missouri and a native remnant prairie nearby. Steve has been a lawyer for 42 years in the Kansas City area and lives on a farm in Clinton County. Steve currently serves as the Director of Prairie Establishment for Roeslein Alternative Energy.

Photo by Frank Oberle

Details

Date:
February 26
Time:
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Online Zoom Webinar
View Venue Website
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