July 11 event honors Leopold Center's 20 years of achievement

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AMES, Iowa – Conference goers at the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture on July 11 in Ames will have a smorgasbord of activities, happenings, presentations, displays and demonstrations to enjoy. In addition to marking the Center’s two decades of accomplishments, the conference offers a look at the provocative present and the diverse futures of Iowa agriculture as seen by Iowa farmers, ISU researchers, and gifted citizens concerned about sustaining the land and water for the next generation.

Gathering at ISU’s Scheman Building, the audience first will hear keynote speaker Mark Ritchie, newly elected Minnesota Secretary of State and founder of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, speak on ''Sustaining Agriculture, Sustaining Democracy.'' A 1972 ISU graduate, Ritchie grew up in Nevada, Iowa, and is an active proponent of long-term sustainability for agriculture and rural communities.

Conference attendees then choose from the day’s spirited selection of more than 20 breakout sessions on four “hot topic” issue tracks:

• Natural Resources, (soil and water, raising healthy animals, living landscape)
• Food and Health, (local foods, food networks, healthier eating)
• People on the Land, (beginning farmers, ag diversification, no child left inside)
• Bioeconomy. (wind energy, cropping systems, biofuel and biomass production)

Joan Dye Gussow, former faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University,New York, New York, and author of This Organic Life, will share her thoughts on “Healthy People and Landscapes: Iowa’s Future Food System.”

Other highlights include a film on Iowa prairies and the “new media” showing its version of the sustainable agriculture story, updates on the progress of Iowa’s thriving organic crop industry, and an opportunity to commemorate the legacy of Iowa-born ecologist, Aldo Leopold. Several “fish bowl” sessions will allow participants to hear (and chime in on) lively conversations about on-farm energy conservation or take a walk across the food system.

At noon, the conference spills outside on the Scheman Building lawn for a picnic meal of delicious local food, and a dazzling array of interactive displays, inventions and demonstrations, as well as networking opportunities with Leopold Center partners and professionals from across the country.

The cost for the day-long event is $50, which includes a locally sourced luncheon, refreshment breaks, conference materials, and admittance to exhibits and all conference sessions. For more information about the exciting plans for the Center’s July 11 birthday, and to register for the event, visit the conference web site.

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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/07-27-2010/july-11-event-honors-leopold-centers-20-years-achievement on 01/21/2013