Join the Illinois Soybean Association on December 11 in Baylis for The Residue Breakdown, a free workshop focused on the science of residue decomposition, the value stored in crop residue, and practical strategies for managing it.
This event will also be held in Bloomington, Illinois, on December 10. Lunch will be provided at each event.
Meet the Speakers:
Barry Fisher
Fisher Soil Health LLC, USDA-NRCS Soil Health Team Leader/Specialist, Retired Farmer/Consultant
Barry Fisher retired after 39 years with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Most recently, he was with the Soil Health Division, where he served as Central Region Leader, providing training, leadership, and technical exchange on Soil Health Management Systems for NRCS, farmers, crop specialists and partners throughout the Corn Belt, Western and Northern Plains.
He was awarded the 2026 Honorary Master Farmer Award for service to farmers, and the 2022 Certified Crop Advisor Conservationist of the Year by the American Society of Agronomy. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Midwest Cover Crops Council and is a 40-year member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Since retirement, Barry has launched Fisher Soil Health LLC- Consulting, where he remains active with national training and initiatives that advance technologies and adoption of regenerative farming and improve soil health.
Barry and his wife, Michael, practice soil health on their cash grain and livestock farm in West- Central Indiana. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from Western Kentucky University and is a native of French Lick, Indiana.
Dr. Connor Sible
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign
Connor Sible is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, where he also earned his MS and PhD degrees. His research program focuses on corn and soybean production systems and optimizing the interactions between products and practices to improve grain yields. His graduate work categorized biological/bio stimulant products and identified where, how, and why they work to improve fertilizer use efficiency and yields. He also uses agronomic inputs and various methods of crop residue management to enhance nutrient release and improve soil nutrient supply. He has regularly presented his research findings at local and regional field days, as an invited speaker at university extension conferences, national trade-show events, and international conferences. He is originally from Byron, Illinois, which is in the north-central region of the state. When not in the field, you can find Connor walking his dogs, or in reality, you can find them walking him!
Lance Tarochione
Technical Agronomist, Bayer Crop Sciences & At-Large Director, Illinois Soybean Association
After completing his MS in Agronomy & Crop Science at the University of Illinois, Lance began his career with Monsanto in 1993. Over the past 33 years, he has held numerous positions in research, product development and agronomy with Monsanto (now Bayer). Lance’s dad was an early adopter of no-till, and he has fields that have not been tilled in over 40 years. He enjoys being a technical resource for the sales team he supports, as well as the dealers who represent Bayer’s products and the farmers who plant them. With help from family and others, he farms 1200 acres of corn, soybeans and hay in western Illinois.
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