Congratulations to Master’s student Amber Gunter, who earned 2nd place in the Robert F. Barnes Poster Competition in the C-06 Forage and Grazing Lands Division for her poster titled “Soil Health Response to Grazing Strategies in Dewey Soils of Appalachian Tennessee: Insights from a Changing Agricultural Landscape.”

Amber presented this work at CANVAS25 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she engaged with researchers, producers, and colleagues across the country. She reflected on the importance of grazing systems to Appalachian communities and emphasized why soil health research is increasingly vital as farmland loss accelerates in the region.

We are proud of Amber’s accomplishments and her dedication to advancing soil health and supporting the farmers of Appalachia. We are also grateful to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for supporting this research.