Jodi DeJong-Hughes is a regional educator with the University of Minnesota Extension. Her specialization includes tillage systems, soil compaction and improving soil health. DeJong-Hughes’ work focuses on reducing soil erosion and building soil health to improve the grower’s bottom line and reduce the movement of soil and nutrients to our natural waterways. She enjoys working alongside growers, ag industry and government agencies to bring high-quality educational programs and research to the people of Minnesota and beyond. She will discuss what compaction is and why farmers are concerned about it.

Francisco Arriaga is a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor and soil extension specialist. Arriaga directs the Sustainable Soil Management Laboratory and provides extension outreach. He does research in applied soil physics and water management and supports the development of management systems that promote crop productivity and soil and water conservation. He will be presenting on compaction sources – tillage, equipment and his current research.

Jake Kraayenbrink is the president and owner of Agribrink. He has worked with farmers to understand the effects compaction has on soil health since the mid-1980s. His passion for soil health and investigation of tire inflation/deflation technology led to the start of AgriBrink. With encouragement from an engineer friend, he built the AgriBrink CTIS (central inflation/deflation system). The company has locations in Ontario, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and Ames, Iowa.

AgriBrink CTIS allows farmers to widen their application window, reduce compaction, protect soil structure, lower fuel consumption, extend tire life and reduce yield loss. Kraayenbrink will share how tire pressure and other strategies can reduce equipment compaction.

Brian Luck is an associate professor and extension specialist for UW-Madison. Luck directs the Wisconsin Machinery Extension Lab, which provides unbiased information about machinery and precision agriculture technologies. His research focuses on machine automation, data acquisition and image processing. He will perform a field demonstration with pressure mats and various compaction tools.