Advisory Panel

Greg LaPlante

Crop consultant, Wahpeton, ND- Chair

Greg LaPlange has been a private agronomist for more than 30 years for farmers in Southeastern North Dakota. The focus of his services is in corn, sugarbeet, soybean, and wheat production. 

Kurt Thelen

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Kurt D. Thelen is a  Professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, and Great Lakes BioEnergy Research Center, Michigan State University. His area of expertise is in crop systems that increase food, feed and energy security while safeguarding soil, air, water and biodiversity.

Sarah Carlson

Practical Farmers of Iowa

Sarah Carlson is the Strategic Initiatives Director of the Practical Farmers of Iowa https://practicalfarmers.org/. She helps transfer agronomic research about cover crops and small grains through supply chain projects, articles, blogs and presentation materials while working to improve the support for cover crop and small grains research. 

Joe Breker

ND farmer and cover crops seed producer Rutland, ND. Attended NDSU for 2 years before returning home to help father farm. Has been no-till for 37 years and ran a cow/calf herd for 35 years, but has recently sold his herd. For the last 27 years his brother Eugene and him own and operate Breker Drill Rental. Has served on Wild Rice Soil COnservation District board for 30 years. Founding board member and first US Chairman of the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Till Farmers Association. In addition to no-till, Joe has been practicing striptill (27 years), cover crops (17 years), tiling (12 years), and rotational grazing including cover crops. 

Dan Miller

MN farmer near Spring Valley, MN and chair of Midwest Forage Assoc.University of Minnesota graduate with a Master Degree in Agricultural Education. Manages a purebred Angus beef herd of 202 cows, grow dairy steers and heifers and finish 450 beef cattle. Farm business management instructor at Riverland Community College at the Spring Valley campus.