81st SWCS International Annual Conference
July 26-29, 2026
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
St. Louis, Missouri
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) invites you to join us for the 81st SWCS International Annual Conference, taking place on July 26-29, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri.
This year’s theme, Gateway to Conservation, embraces St. Louis’s historic and geographic significance. Located just south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, the two largest moving bodies of water in North America, St. Louis has long been a meeting place for people, ideas, and opportunity. For thousands of years, vibrant Native American communities thrived across the Upper Mississippi River Valley, where tens of thousands of people called the region home. Later, the city became a hub for westward expansion, symbolized by the iconic Gateway Arch, which today provides an entryway to 128 miles (and counting!) of interconnected greenways.
As we gather at this gateway from East to West, we’re invited to think about expansion in a new way: the expansion of conservation itself. How do we widen our reach, deepen our connections, and strengthen our collective impact around the world? How do we show reverence for the past? while forging a future? Just as the Mississippi and Missouri rivers converge here to flow forward together, so too can our efforts unite, an inspiring symbol for the future of conservation.
Join SWCS in St. Louis as we bring together our conservation community of researchers, practitioners, industry leaders, farmers, and students from around the world to share inspiration, connections, and wisdom for success.
The conference will feature the latest ideas, technologies, and practices and foster dialogue around their adoption. Through workshops, sessions, symposia, tours, exhibits, and demonstrations, cutting-edge research and practice developments in soil health, water quality, and resource management will be shared. Scientists, practitioners, and farmers will present their work at the field, farm, and watershed scale that span the private and public sectors. Applications of social theories and examples of successful outreach and education will enable attendees to identify ways to scale up localized successes. Participants will also hear about policy and economic developments that build a framework to increase conservation adoption and support future generations.
And when you’re done with a day of inspiration, connection, and learning, soak up the beauty of the rivers, cheer on the Cardinals or Cubs, explore historic neighborhoods or the Gateway Arch, and enjoy some iconic St. Louis bites—like toasted ravioli, St. Louis–style pizza, and gooey butter cake!