Understanding the Soil Health down to the Microbial Level

Director of Agriculture Services, Lamb Weston-100 Circles Farm in Paterson, Washington. Troy has spent 30 years in agriculture business management, crop production management, agronomy management, supply chain, risk management, and food safety management systems. Current farm size is 20,000 irrigated acres. Crops grown include, potatoes, sweet corn, green pea, carrots, alfalfa, and grain corn, using conventional and organic cropping systems. The farm employees 120 potato experts, operating 365 days a year. Troy attended Columbia Basin College, majoring in Applied Management with an Agriculture Concentration.

Could you provide an overview of your role and responsibilities within the company?

I have been part of the Lamb Weston Ag team for 28 years and am responsible for leading the company-owned farming operations, 100 Circles Farm, where we farm 20,000 irrigated acres. Together with my team, we focus on driving strategic assured supply, costing advantages, and sustainability initiatives for potatoes, other vegetables, and forage commodities within Lamb Weston’s supply chain. We also test and try new technology, focused on understanding best practices we can share with our broader grower community.

What are some of the key challenges you face?

Regulation and compliance are constantly changing. Understanding the effects and influence of Ag industry consolidations specifically in Ag land, Ag Chem and the Fertilizer industry can be challenging.

Another challenge is achieving sustainability at scale. There are many incredible efforts, innovations, and advances taking place across the industry, yet many occur in siloes or pilots that never reach full deployment. At the same time, growers often struggle to find the practical support they need to implement these practices.

What would you say are some of the futuristic trends that will have an impact in the next 18-24 months?

There have been many promising advances in analytics, imagery, data collection, and forecasting. I’m interested in how we can leverage these tools to get more from the data we are already collecting.

Thanks to today’s advanced technologies and dedicated researchers, we’re beginning to understand soil health down to the microbial level.

Thanks to today’s advanced technologies and dedicated researchers, we’re beginning to understand soil health down to the microbial level. Tools like soil sensors and PCR machines allow us to make more informed decisions to prevent disease, support plant health, reduce inputs, and sequester carbon – all while improving yields.

We also partner on research to understand the soil of the Pacific Northwest. We work closely with universities, researchers, and government agencies like Washington State University and the Soil Health Institute. This enables us to make better recommendations to growers. We’re just at the beginning of what’s possible, as better soil sensors and more research drive further advances.