Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Spencer Award goes to small-market farmer

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2007

Laura Krouse, a farmer and biology instructor from Linn County, will be honored as the recipient of the 2007 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture.

Krouse owns and operates a 72-acre farm near Mount Vernon, where she teaches full-time at Cornell College. She also is the proprietor of a 104-year-old open-pollinated seed corn business and Abbe Hills Garden, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprise.

Krouse is the first small-market farmer to receive the award, established in 2002 to honor farmers, educators or researchers who have made a significant contribution toward the stability of mainstream family farms in Iowa.

“This small farm offers enormous diversity, including a restored wetland and constructed pond used for crop irrigation,” said Leopold Center Director Jerry DeWitt, who administers the Spencer Award.

“Although CSAs do not represent a large part of agriculture at this time, they offer a viable alternative and help build awareness for local foods, which Laura has done through education in the classroom and among her neighbors both on and off the farm.”

DeWitt said the selection committee was impressed with her participation in research. In 2002, she partnered with ISU horticulture and agronomy professor Kathleen Delate on pest management trials for squash and heirloom vegetables destined for the organic baby food market. Krouse also is a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa and hosts field days.

Active in the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District, Krouse often speaks to groups and has appeared on Iowa Public Television and the “Now with Bill Moyers” program to promote sustainable agriculture.

Krouse will receive the award January 11 during the annual PFI conference.

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2007