Leopold Center - Center Events

Leopold Center events

This calendar lists events that the Center is sponsoring, co-sponsoring or has helped plan, or events where Center staff are making presentations. Events sponsored by other groups are listed on the Other sustainable ag events page.

Are you looking for something that's already happened? Check our Reports from Past Leopold Center Events page.

What's coming up?

Wisdom of the Last Farmer Author and farmer David Mas Masumoto will be in Iowa February 28. He is best known for his book, Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm. Details below.

Marketing: What we've learned This year's Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative workshop will be April 1 at the Gateway Center in Ames. It will feature results of projects and research supported by the Leopold Center and the Regional Food Systems Working Group. Watch this page for details and registration!

Culture of Conservation If you missed this recent event hosted by the Iowa Learning Farm, Leopold Center and Iowa Water Center, please check out the forum web site. You'll find tips on how to tell the "story of conservation" including how to do the "apple Earth" soil demonstration and the "sediment jar" erosion demonstration.

February 28	"Wisdom of the Last Farmer" lecture, 7 p.m., Memorial Union Sun Room, Iowa State University campus, Ames. The author of eight books, David Mas Masumoto grows organic peaches, nectarines, and grapes on his 80-acre farm in Del Rey, California. He is author of Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm and Wisdom of the Last Farmer: Harvesting Legacies From the Land. Masumoto is a self-described "artist farmer," capturing the stories of family and the land through literature. The 2010 Shivvers Memorial Lecture. coordinated by the Leopold Center. Contact: ISU Lectures Program, (515) 294-9934, lectures@iastate.edu. View the event web site.
March 3–4	5th Annual Midwest Cover Crops Council Workshop, Iowa State University, Ames. This will feature presentations and posters from across the Midwest and Great Lakes basin with information for growers, educators, researchers and agribusiness. The second day of the meeting is devoted to furthering collaborations within the region and planning for the future. Local hosts and contacts: Tom Kaspar, USDA-ARS Laboratory for Food and the Environment, tom.kaspar@ars.usda.gov; Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, sarah@practicalfarmers.org; and Jeri Neal, Leopold Center, wink@iastate.edu. View the web site or the flyer for more information.
March 4–5	The Drake Forum on America's New Farmers: Policy Innovations and Opportunities, Washington, D.C. This meeting is planned by the Drake University's Agricultural Law Center and will bring together policy advocates, government officials and beginning farmers from across the country to consider how best to support policies for the next generation of America's farmers. The event is supported in part by the Leopold Center in collaboration with the law center's Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure project. Contact: Neil Hamilton, Drake University, neil.hamilton@drake.edu. View the Drake Agricultural Law Center web site.
March 6	Horticulture Crop Production in High Tunnels, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown. This in-depth workshop will teach how to add a high tunnel to expand farming operation to include fruit and vegetable production. Topics include high tunnel selection and construction, irrigation and climate control, bed design and crop scheduling, pest management, soil management, and business plans. Pre-registration is required. Sponsors of the workshops are the ISU Extension Value-Added Agriculture Program and the Leopold Center. Contact: Linda Naeve, (515) 294-8946, lnaeve@iastate.edu. View the event web site or the flyer.
March 6	Ames Reads Leopold, 1 p.m., Ames Public Library, Ames. Enjoy an afternoon listening to readings from Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. Part of a nationwide "Leopold Weekend" coordinated by the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Local contact: Erv Klaus, eklaas@iastate.edu.
March 9–10	Iowa Water Conference, Scheman Building, Iowa State campus, Ames. “Pulling It All Together: Policy, Programs and Practices” is the theme for the 2010 Iowa Water Conference, which will feature the Iowa Stormwater Conference and the Iowa Agriculture and Environment Conference. For more information, visit the event website.
April 1	Marketing & Food Systems Initiative and Value Chain Partnerships Workshop, Gateway Conference Center, Ames. View the flyer. Contact: Beth Larabee, (515) 294-8530, blarabee@iastate.edu.