Press Release

Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) Hires its First Director, Science & Regenerative Agriculture

August 17, 2021

POINT REYES STATION, Calif. — The Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), a pioneering farmland trust in California’s Marin County, has hired Ladi Asgill, an agronomist and environmental scientist as well as a lifelong farmer, to the newly created position of director, science and regenerative agriculture.

In his new role, Asgill will work with MALT farmers and ranchers to help improve the health and productivity of their land in a sustainable way, paying particular attention to issues connected to climate change, including water resilience in times of drought, soil health, carbon farming and reduction of methane emissions.

“As MALT progresses along our path of becoming a model for economically sustainable, regenerative and net carbon-negative food systems, it’s important to have the right person leading our science and regenerative agriculture efforts,” said Thane Kreiner, Ph.D., CEO of MALT. “Ladi brings to this position an ideal combination of scientific rigor, extensive in-the-soil farming business experience and a naturally collaborative approach that will engender trust and credibility from all the various players who need to come together to achieve our common goals.”

A certified professional agronomist and environmental scientist, Ladi Asgill has over 20 years of experience finding solutions to regenerative agriculture and environmental challenges in California. During his career Asgill has pioneered innovative solutions to address California’s air, water quality and water supply issues, with a focus on dairy forage and high-value specialty crops.

“MALT occupies an important position in that it serves the needs of both environmentalists and agriculturists, in equal measure,” said Asgill. “There’s an urgent awareness today that agriculture needs to change with our changing climate. I believe that MALT can become a leader in making these changes a reality.”

Ladi Asgill Melds Science and Conservation Experience

Asgill joins MALT from Sustainable Conservation, an environmental organization based in San Francisco and Modesto, Calif., where he served as senior agronomist. In this role, he formed strategic partnerships with farmers, government agencies, regulators and private industry, facilitating initiatives to apply flood release water for recharge on permanent crop fields; introduce an innovative drip irrigation system using liquid manure as fertilizer; and adapt a conservation tillage farming system to forage production on California dairies.

Previous positions included business manager for Convanta Energy, a waste-to-energy company with facilities across North America; agribusiness and information technology consultant for Ecologic Consulting Inc. in his native country of Sierra Leone; product and marketing operations manager for Harris Moran Seed Company, commercializing and producing seed products for North American and international markets; and marketing services manager for Sun Garden Packing Company, a tomato, vegetable and fruit canner in San Jose, Calif.

Asgill received his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Sierra Leone, a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University and an MBA in agribusiness from Santa Clara University. He grew up on a farm in Sierra Leone and attended horticultural society meetings with his father before pursuing his education in the business and science of farming.

About MALT

Marin Agricultural Land Trust is a nonprofit organization created in 1980 to permanently preserve Marin County farmland and establish Marin County as a thriving agricultural community in a healthy and diverse natural environment. Some of the Bay Area’s most highly acclaimed dairy and meat products and organic crops are produced on farmland protected by MALT, which totals more than 54,000 acres. To learn more about MALT, visit malt.org.

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For Further Information Contact:

Jennifer Carlin, Director of Advancement, MALT, (415) 572-9101, jcarlin@malt.org

Colleen Martell, Martell Communications for MALT, (408) 832-0147, cmartell@martellpr.com