Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Leopold Center celebrates neighbors in FY09 annual report

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March 10, 2010

AMES, Iowa – Iowans pride themselves on being good neighbors. The importance of personal connections in Iowa agriculture is highlighted in the 2008-09 annual report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. The focus on “Neighbors” reflects the Center’s commitment to serve Iowans engaged in agriculture at every level – researchers, farmers, community groups, government leaders, conservation workers – in every part of the state.

Readers of the new report will find detailed descriptions of the projects being done by the Center’s three research initiatives in ecology, policy and marketing and food systems. Iowans came together to work on fronts as varied as the Midwest Cover Crops Council and the Regional Food Systems Working Group, just two of the opportunities the Center provided for making a difference in the state’s agricultural sector.

The Iowa Learning Farm is an important partnership for the Leopold Center that empowers farmers to pursue a culture of conservation and offer examples of successes to their neighbors. Practical Farmers of Iowa received support for their expansive field days program to share information with surrounding farmers. Several graduate students in ISU’s sustainable agriculture program received funds from Leopold Center assistantships to complete their degrees. New work with Drake University’s Ag Law School has yielded practical information for farm owners and tenants on land tenure, leases and sustainability.

Director Jerry DeWitt recalls the highlights of his 38-year career with Iowa State, many of which centered on his rewarding interactions with his Iowa neighbors. Distinguished Fellow Fred Kirschenmann used his connections with Stone Barns Center in New York to promote “foodsheds,” an urban neighboring concept taking root in several large cities. The Spencer Award went to Steve Reinart, a Carroll County grazier who created Reinart’s Bend conservation area along the Raccoon River, saving the land for his neighbors.

Copies of the 40-page annual report are available by calling the Leopold Center at (515) 294-3711, or can be viewed on-line at the Leopold Center website.

For more info contact:

Jerry DeWitt, Director, (515) 294-3711, jdewitt@iastate.edu

Rich Pirog, Associate Director, (515) 294-1854, rspirog@iastate.edu

Laura Miller, Leopold Center Communications, (515) 294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu

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