Ag economist John Ikerd headlines February 24 Shivvers lecture

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AMES, Iowa -- The key to addressing worldwide tensions over economic issues, global warming and energy does not lie in the corporate or political worlds, rather in the hands of family farmers in Iowa and throughout the Midwest.

Well-known and respected agricultural economist John Ikerd will discuss his ideas about sustainability on February 24 when he presents the 2008 Shivvers Memorial Lecture at Iowa State University. Ikerd will present "Family Farms in an Era of Global Uncertainty" beginning at 7 p.m. in the Sun Room of the ISU Memorial Union in Ames.

Ikerd, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, disagrees with the notion that the production of biofuels are an answer to the problems of fossil energy depletion and global warming. "The greatest challenge for agriculture will be to feed more people better with less fossil energy," he said. "The future of humanity of in these uncertain times depends on the thoughtful, caring, and committed people who choose to live and work on family farms."

Ikerd was raised on a small dairy farm in southwest Missouri and received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri. He worked in private industry for a time and spent 30 years in various professorial positions at North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Georgia, and University of Missouri before retiring in early 2000.

Since retiring, he has spent most of his time writing and speaking on issues related to sustainability, with an emphasis on economics and agriculture. Ikerd is the author of Sustainable Capitalism, A Return to Common Sense, Small Farms are Real Farms, and Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture.

The lecture honors John Shivvers, who farmed near Knoxville, Iowa, for many years. It is coordinated by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and co-sponsored by the ISU Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta Honorary Society for Agriculture and the ISU Committee on Lectures (funded by GSB).  

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/02-04-2008/ag-economist-john-ikerd-headlines-february-24-shivvers-lecture on 01/21/2013