FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ray Gaesser on his farm in Iowa (photo credits Ray Gaesser)
Corning, Iowa (September 6, 2026) – Solutions from the Land (SfL) mourns the passing of longtime board member Ray Gaesser, who passed away yesterday following an accident on his farm in Corning, Iowa. Ray helped co-found SfL in 2010 and for over two decades, he provided invaluable leadership in improving the sustainability of Iowa, the U.S., and global agriculture. A lifelong conservationist, Ray was a pioneer and advocate for no-till and cover crop practices that he used on the land he farmed. Ray was an active member of SfL’s clean energy and climate change teams where he was a tireless champion for scaling all forms of renewable energy- bio, wind, solar, and hydro energy delivered by well managed agricultural farms, ranches, and forests. He also was an advocate for scaling on-farm circular bioeconomy systems and practices to improve food and nutrition security and concurrently deliver ecosystem services such as filtering and storing water, sequestering carbon and improving the environment and biodiversity. Never one to shy away from difficult subjects like climate change and water quality, Ray urged stakeholders to come together and co-create solutions to challenges of the day. One of Ray’s best-known statements was “When we work together, we all benefit,” which he so effectively communicated in his last podcast Adapting to climate change and caring for the land podcast. Like always, he spoke from his heart and eloquently communicated his personal vision for agriculture and the need for farmers to take responsibility to care for the land. We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of our beloved board member Ray and extend our condolences to his wife Elaine and their family on his passing.
Gov. Reynolds issues statement on death of Ray Gaesser | Governor Kim Reynolds
About Solutions from the Land
Solutions from the Land (SfL) is a not-for-profit led by farmers and scientists that builds and facilitates state, national, and global initiatives and alliances through which farmers, ranchers, foresters and collaborating partners showcase examples of innovation and proactively advocate for policies, partnerships, investments, and research that will enable agricultural landscapes to deliver near-term, cost-effective, integrated solutions to global mega-challenges: food and energy security, sustainable economic development, and environmental improvement.
Learn more about SfL at www.solutionsfromtheland.org
For more information, please contact:
Ernie Shea, President, Solutions from the Land, eshea@solutionsfromtheland.org, 410-252-7079 (office); 410-952-0123 (cell)
