Project Coordinators
David W. Wolfe
Professor, Co-PI New York Soil Health
Phone: (607) 255-7888
Email: dww5@cornell.edu
David Wolfe is Professor of Plant and Soil Ecology in the School of Integrative Plant Science (Horticulture Section) at Cornell University. Primary research interests and expertise include: soil and water conservation and management; plant stress physiology; and new tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation for managed and natural ecosystems.
Matt Ryan
Asst. Professor, Co-PI New York Soil Health
Phone: 607-255-4964
Email: mrr232@cornell.edu
Website
Matthew Ryan is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Cropping Systems in the Section of Soil and Crop Sciences at Cornell University. He works with farmers, students, and other scientists to evaluate cropping system performance in terms of crop yield, profitability, environmental impact, and resilience.
Harold van Es
Professor, Co-PI New York Soil Health
Phone: 607-255-5629
Email: hmv1@cornell.edu
Harold van Es is a Professor of Soil and Water Management with extension, research and teaching duties. He works on approaches to precision soil management, with a current emphasis on a holistic soil health management framework. Harold leads research in several long-term (20+ years) tillage experiments to evaluate the long-term impact of tillage practices and cover crops on soil health and water quality (among other research projects).
Joseph Amsili
Extension Associate
Phone: 607-269-5046
Email: jpa28@cornell.edu
Joseph Amsili is a soil health program coordinator with the Cornell Soil Health Team and New York Soil Health Initiative. He works to coordinate and support soil health extension activities across New York State, including the Soil Health Center at Empire Farm Days and the NY Soil Health Specialist Training in collaboration with American Farmland Trust. Joseph is currently working on a report to characterize New York soil health by soil texture and commodity.
Bob Schindelbeck
Director of the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory
Phone: 607-227-6055
Email: rrs3@cornell.edu
Bob Schindelbeck oversees the operations and the development of new analytic offerings at the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory. He has been part of the Cornell Soil Health Team’s development of soil management strategies to address laboratory-measured soil constraints since 2003. Bob delivers extension presentations across the state on comprehensive soil health testing and on soil health management planning. He also conducts research on changes in soil physical and biological properties in long-term tillage experiments.
Haley Rylander
Extension Support Specialist
Email: hrr53@cornell.edu
Haley Rylander works to promote the adoption of soil health management practices through extension and outreach. She attends grower meetings and events, gives presentations, and prepares extension media materials to reach farmers in a variety of ways. She has done research on reducing tillage on organic vegetable farms and specializes in soil health management for smaller scale farms and specialty crops.
Kitty Gifford
Communications Specialist
Phone: 607-592-3062
Email: kmg277@cornell.edu
Kitty Gifford is providing communications support for the New York Soil Health Project. She strategizes and executes a wide range of creative work to advance the initiative’s mission to facilitate farmer adoption of soil health practices.
New York Soil Health Collaborators
- Cornell Soil Health Assessment Lab
- Cornell Cooperative Extension
Government Agencies
- NYS Ag&Mkts
- USDA – NCRS
- NYS Soil and Water Conservation Districts
- NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation
Growers
- New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI)
- American Farmland Trust
- NE Organic Farmers Association — New York (NOFA-NY)
- The Nature Conservancy
- New York Farm Bureau
Ag & Supply Chain Businesses
- Ag Consulting Services (ACS)
- Dairy One
- WNY Crop Consultants
- AgriSeeds
- Kreher’s Poultry Fertilizer and Compost