Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Center bids farewell to loyal counselor, member of first board

Back to Leopold Letter Fall 2008

More than two decades ago when Neil Hamilton followed legislation creating a new sustainable agriculture center in Iowa, little did he know that he would become one of the new center's longest-serving counselors.

Hamilton, a long-time supporter and advocate of sustainable agriculture, left the Leopold Center Advisory Board in September 2008. He had served in that position since 1987, one of 13 original members of the advisory board.

Hamilton said he had been following the legislation that created the new center and noticed two positions on the advisory board set aside for representatives of Iowa's private universities. "It was a great fit for me, with a background in natural resources management and my work at the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University," he said in a recent interview. “I knew that the Center was a significant development in moving toward a more sustainable agriculture. I also could see that interesting legal and policy issues would come out of it.”

Hamilton chaired the advisory board when they hired the first director, Dennis Keeney. In the early years, the board had the task of establishing the Center’s credibility. It had some critics then, as it still does today.

“We were dealing with the unknown – the term sustainability was new, and uncertainty can give rise to suspicion and fear," Hamilton said. "We were very aware that we needed to allocate our resources in ways that benefited the public. We had to decide how and what to spend the resources on. Agricultural research at that time was focused almost exclusively on production. Our job was to balance that at least a little with funds for research on sustainable practices.”

The term “sustainable” was not in common use as it is today. However, the Leopold Center’s grant program and innovative issue team approach provided a means to discover who was willing to focus research in this new arena. Hamilton said the Leopold Center was able to provide support for research not funded by conventional sources.

Grant applicants were, and still are, required to articulate how the research will further the goals of sustainable agriculture. Research by the late Alfred Blackmer at Iowa State University on the late-spring nitrogen soil-testing protocol is a great example of Leopold Center-funded research that took sustainable agriculture a step forward, Hamilton added.

Hamilton led the effort to broaden the Center’s vision to include the community and social aspects of sustainable agriculture. The Center quickly became a leader in looking at issues of food production, transportation and marketing as an effective way to involve consumers in sustainable agriculture. Today, Rich Pirog’s work in food miles is widely acclaimed. It was at the Leopold Center's 10th anniversary conference in 1997 that Scheman Center was first asked to locally source ingredients for a "local meal," an effort that has blossomed in Iowa and across the country.

The Center’s history with farmer-led organizations such as Practical Farmers of Iowa kept them grounded in real-life problem-solving. Hamilton pointed to the large number of agricultural and environmental organizations that the Center has partnered with as a key to their success. “In supporting organizations that were working toward the same goals as we were, we multiplied all of our efforts,” he said.

Hamilton’s path to leadership in sustainable agriculture began on a diversified 200-acre farm in Adams County. Southwest Iowa was the center of agricultural activism when he was growing up, so those conversations shaped his world view.

He was a 4-H member and a Cub Scout, graduating from high school in Lenox. He attended Iowa State University, graduating with honors and a B.S. in Forestry and Economics in 1976. Hamilton continued at the University of Iowa, earning a law degree in 1979. After teaching for two years at the University of Arkansas, he came back to Iowa to serve as the Assistant Attorney General in the Farm Division.

In 1983, he joined Drake University to set up the Agricultural Law Center. He currently holds the Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law and is the director of the Agricultural Law Center. Hamilton was instrumental in the formation of the Iowa Food Policy Council, chairing it from April 2000 to December 2006. He also serves on the Seed Savers Exchange board, chairs the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation board and is the founder and chair of the Slow Food Des Moines Convivium.

Hamilton has authored a number of books, including the award-winning What Farmers Need to Know About Environmental Law (1990). His latest book, written with Doug O'Brien and Robert Luedeman, is The Farmer's Legal Guide to Producer Marketing Associations (2005).

He lives with his wife Khanh on a 10-acre farm, Sunstead, near Waukee, where they raise fresh vegetables for several local restaurants. In 2004, he donated 12 acres of his family’s original farmstead in Adams County to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. This gift of land along with his gifts of leadership and passion for sustainable agriculture are in keeping with his core philosophy.

He likes to paraphrase Aldo Leopold, saying “We can't expect the public to do conservation for us, it is a responsibility we share.”

Certainly, Hamilton has done his share – and more. Thank you!

Back to Leopold Letter Fall 2008