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12-12-07
LEOPOLD CENTER OFFERS 10 FREE TRIPS FOR FARMERS TO ATTEND NATIONAL CONFERENCE AMES, Iowa -- Thanks to a gift from Chipotle Mexican Grill, the Leopold Center
for Sustainable Agriculture will offer 10 Iowa farmers an opportunity to
participate in a national sustainable agriculture conference March 25-27 in
Kansas City.
The farmers who are selected will receive a free trip to the 20th anniversary
National Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) conference,
"Advancing the Frontier of Sustainable Agriculture." The Leopold Center will pay
registration, lodging, and travel expenses (up to $750) for each farmer.
Farmers who would like to attend the SARE conference can download the
application form on the Leopold Center's web site at:
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/sare.htm,
or call the Center at (515) 294-3711 to request a copy. Applications are due to
the Center by January 21, and winners will be selected by January 30.
Farmers who attend will learn about how sustainable farming is rapidly changing
the face of American agriculture. The New American Farm conference will be a
gathering place for farmers, ranchers, educators, researchers, students,
advocates and the curious consumers who share a passion for quality agriculture.
More information is available at the conference web site,
http://www.sare.org/2008Conference/index.htm.
These farmer trips to the national SARE meeting are the Leopold Center’s way of
“paying it forward.” Last December, the fast-growing, Denver-based restaurant
chain chose the Leopold Center as one of two recipients for the funds earned
from selling a unique burrito-themed calendar in their restaurants.
Here’s how Chipotle described the Leopold Center on the calendar: “They look for
ways to reward farmers for protecting water resources and land while helping
them become profitable by producing high-quality food. With their help, we’ll
have an even nicer place to live and better ways to grow our food.”
Chipotle takes great pride in serving "Food With Integrity." Their menu promotes
food that is “unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious,
naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal.” Thanks to their
gift to the Center, 10 Iowa farmers will have a chance to tap into 20 years of
groundbreaking SARE-funded research, experience and innovations.
Through its research and education programs in the areas of policy, marketing
and ecology, the Leopold Center supports development of profitable farming
systems that conserve natural resources. The Center was established by the 1987
Iowa Groundwater Protection Act.
For more information,
contact:
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