Mike Beare is principal scientist and former Soil, Water & Environment Group leader at the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research. Dr Beare received BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD from the University of Georgia. He is an internationally recognized expert on the composition and function of soil organic matter and management to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture. Mike has led several major research programs, many involving international collaborations, and served on the editorial board of two international journals. He is Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy and the NZ Society of Soil Science. He is a long-standing member of these societies as well as the British Society of Soil Science and International Union of Soil Scientists. Dr Beare has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters. He has had numerous invitations to present at national and international conferences. He is also an adjunct Professor at Lincoln University, NZ.