Commonsense Solutions at the Interface of Farming and the Environment
Dr. Winsten is an Agricultural and Environmental Economist with 30 years of experience working on sustainable livestock production systems, pioneering performance-based incentives for farmers, enhancing climate-smart agriculture and facilitating improved soil health.
Some of Dr. Winsten’s professional highlights include:
- Served as the Chief-of-Party for Winrock’s successful Sustainable Dairy Global Development Alliance project in Kazakhstan from 2006-2009 which introduced dairy grazing in Central Asia.
- Member of the technical team that authored the Grazing Land and Livestock Management carbon offset methodology for the American Carbon Registry.
- Co-authored a widely-used guidance document on pay-for-performance conservation.
- Winner of EPA’s Nutrient Challenge.
He worked on his family’s dairy farm and showed registered Holsteins through 4-H. In college, he studied animal science and agricultural economics and was on the dairy cattle judging team. After college, he learned about grazing by working on several dairy farms in New Zealand. In 2001, Dr. Winsten earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Penn State University and has been focused on finding win-win solutions for farming and the environment since then. He lives in northern Vermont with his wife and three children and is an avid skier and fisherman.