Email: jpa28@cornell.edu

Joseph Amsili is a Senior Extension Associate and Program Director for New York Soil Health at Cornell University. He leads statewide efforts to advance soil health through applied research, outreach, and farmer engagement. Joseph oversees key initiatives, including the Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Field Day series and the NY Soil Health Specialist Training Series. He played a central role in producing the Characterization of Soil Health in New York State reports in 2020 and continues to guide regional analyses to inform practice and policy. His current research focuses on soil organic carbon sequestration rates at four long-term tillage and cropping systems sites across the state.

Focus areas: field crops, dairy, pasture, vegetables, cover crops

Phone: 607-255-4964
Email: mrr232@cornell.edu
Website

Matthew Ryan is an Associate 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.

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).

Email: kal52@cornell.edu

Kristen Loria is an extension support specialist in the Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab at Cornell University. She helps lead extension efforts for the lab, which include coordinating farmer advisory groups, on-farm and farmer-led research, as well as outreach events such as workshops and field days. She also helps manage and execute field experiments related to the lab’s work on regional dry bean production and organic no-till systems.

Focus areas: pulse crops, agronomics of diversified field cropping systems, open-source farm technologies and participatory research methodologies

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.

Phone: 607-592-3062
Email: kmg277@cornell.edu

Kitty Gifford is a communications specialist with New York Soil Health. She has supported the New York Soil Health project since 2017. Kitty specializes in digital storytelling, farmer-centered outreach, and developing communication strategies that help connect diverse audiences to soil health research and practices. With over a decade of experience, she collaborates with scientists, educators, and partners across the state to share practical, evidence-based messages that support soil stewardship on New York farms.