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6-28-07
JULY 11 EVENT HONORS LEOPOLD CENTER'S 20 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENT
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:
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Natural Resources, (soil and water, raising healthy animals,
living landscape)
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Food and Health, (local foods, food networks, healthier
eating)
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People on the Land, (beginning farmers, ag diversification,
no child left inside)
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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
https://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/leopold/home.html.
For more information,
contact:
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