Mitchell Hora, an Iowa farmer and the founder of the ag startup Continuum Ag, spoke about sustainable agriculture to a large group gathered in the Simmons Bank Ag Center at Discovery Park on Friday. It was not his first appearance in the exhibit on innovation in agriculture located in the center; Hora’s photo can be found on the wall behind him among the other photos of hundreds of people working in agriculture today. A video about his work is also included in the section of the exhibit on AgLaunch. The event, which covered many areas of sustainable agriculture, was held by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Corn Growers Association, Quail Forever and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

“The Nature Conservancy is tackling the dual threats of accelerated climate change and unprecedented biodiversity loss,” said Zach Luttrell, director of agriculture for Tennessee and Kentucky at The Nature Conservancy. “Science determines where we focus and equity guides how we achieve lasting results. With decades of local on-the-ground experience, we maximize our ability to affect change by bringing together real-world solutions, policy expertise, sustainable financing and collaborative partnerships like this one that took place at Discovery Park.”

Since 1978, The Nature Conservancy has helped to create or expand 31 state parks and natural areas, 20 state Wildlife Management Areas, and 9 national parks, forests and wildlife refuges in Tennessee, in addition to establishing their own system of nature preserves.