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Workshop Speaker Bio ~ 2012
10th Annual Soil Quality Conference
"When asked by the Heart of Maine Board to organize this year's Soils Conference, my first thought was to ask for help from Arden Andersen. He knows my interest in putting farmers and consumers together to sort out the best direction for agriculture goes way back and making the connection between farming practices and human health is my passion. In the fastest e-mail turn around on record, Arden shot back with two names: Michael McNeill and Don Huber. Col. Andersen is currently deployed with the US Air Force and my thanks go out to him; Prof. Huber is dealing with serious family health issues and my best wishes go to him. And I want to personally thank Dr. Michael J. McNeill for giving his time, gratis, to come to Maine because, in his words, "the word needs to get out"."
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Paula Day, Chair, Heart of Maine RC&D Area, Inc.
Dr. Michael J. McNeill
Dr. Michael J. McNeill, President of Ag Advisory, Ltd., holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University in plant breeding and statistical genetics. His company is a consulting firm dealing with agronomic issues: development of individual farm plans involving variety and chemical selection, financial planning and preparation of nutrient management plans which comply with both federal and state environmental requirements. He provides expert legal testimony on livestock manure, plant disease and insect issues. A practicing farmer, Dr. McNeill raises corn and soybeans on a mixed organic/non-organic operation and provides contract research capability for agri-industry and government agencies in areas involving soil fertility, soil tillage, plant disease and insect control. He works directly with farmers to improve profitability by utilizing non-GMO and organic crops. He also conducts comparison studies on GMO versus non-GMO crops on his farm.
In 2011, Dr. McNeill accompanied Professor Don Huber to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of the USDA, to discuss their concerns with the pending certification of Round-Up Ready alfalfa for public sale. Specifically, McNeill and Huber presented findings indicating gm feed crops were directly related to reproduction failures in a broad range of livestock and to nutritional deficiencies in every mammal that consumes the gm products. In spite of the evidence they presented to support their concerns, the USDA approved the sale citing peer reviewed research to the contrary. Subsequent investigation indicates the USDA has no such supporting research.
Following Dr. McNeill's presentation in the morning portion of the Feb. 28 session, he will continue the discussion with a panel of Maine farmers, veterinarians, Cooperative Extension specialists, academic researchers from the University of Maine, Orono, and human health practitioners.
Dr. McNeill will also be a part of the Day Two session on "Feeding Maine With the Best of Maine Agriculture."