News & Notes | Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

News & Notes

New conservation videos

Prairie conservation strips help keep soil in crop fields and provide vital habitat for grassland birds. Watch the Leopold Center’s newest On the Ground video that explains the importance of mixed prairie and cropping systems for birds As part of another research project, ISU horticulture professor Ajay Nair shows how he used row covers and calcium spray to grow lettuce outdoors last October. Watch his video here.

Results from Iowa poll

A new report from the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll explores farmers’ attitudes about the benefits of and barriers to using cover crops. The 2010 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll found that Iowa’s climate and lack of necessary equipment and knowledge were significant barriers to cover crop use, especially among larger-scale farmers. Read the report, and check out other resources, on the Leopold Center website page for the Iowa Cover Crops Working Group.

USDA online tool

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set up a new tool with information about projects and resources for local and regional food systems. The tool is called the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF) Compass at: www.usda.gov/kyfcompass The website highlights USDA support for various projects, including the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, an interactive U.S. map showing case studies, food hubs, local meat and poultry processors and research, among other aspects.

Minor in sustainability

Iowa State University is offering a new undergraduate minor in sustainability, sponsored by four colleges at the university: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Design, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students are required to enroll in 15 credits – six from two core courses and nine elective credits selected from a list of 50-plus courses. ISU also offers master’s and doctorate degrees in the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture, established in 2002.

Kirschenmann talks about soil

eopold Center Distinguished Fellow Fred Kirschenmann was among the presenters for the Second Annual TEDxManhattan workshop on January 21, “Changing the Way We Eat,” organized by the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming based in New York. Kirschenmann’s 15-minute presentation, “Soil: From Dirt to Lifeline,” was viewed more than 4,300 times the first month after it was posted on YouTube. Fifty-nine viewing parties with nearly 9,000 computers tuned into the event, which was broadcast live online. The largest viewing party was in Louisville with 450 people. Get a link to watch Kirschenmann’s presentation here.

Achievement Award

Practical Farmers of Iowa presented its annual Achievement Award to Leopold Center Distinguished Fellow Fred Kirschenmann during their annual conference in January. The award recognizes those who have excelled in demonstrating sustainable agriculture and have been generous in sharing what they have learned with others. Kirschenmann, whose connections with PFI goes back more than 20 years, accepts a basket of local food from Francis Thicke (left) and PFI executive director Teresa Opheim. Photo by PFI.