News Release Archive
December 14, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- If you think local foods are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, think again. Research conducted last summer by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture shows few differences in price for Iowa-grown vegetables, eggs and meat when compared to similar non-local...
December 2, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Imagine one place where you can get tips on buying meat directly from a farmer, connect to local food groups in Iowa, explore post-harvest handling techniques, discover ways to manage niche pork feed costs, and learn how to use goats to control weeds.
November 20, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Wouldn't it be great to produce energy, food and feed in Iowa with cropping systems that are profitable for farmers, protect our soil and water and help rural communities?
November 20, 2009
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Workshops on writing grants for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) will be offered in several Iowa locations in early 2010 for farmers with small to mid-sized operations and owners of rural “main street” businesses.
The workshops are co-sponsored by the...
November 18, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The keynote presentation at the ninth annual Iowa Organic Conference has special significance for Iowa State University’s Organic Program. The featured speaker will be Jerry DeWitt, whose work at ISU helped establish the nation’s first organic research program at a land grant...
November 9, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The Grass-Based Livestock Working Group (GBLWG) is seeking ideas for research and demonstration projects that will boost the viability of the grass-based livestock industry in Iowa. The group hopes to award three to five grants totaling $21,000 with funds from the Leopold Center for...
November 2, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Iowa Farm Energy Working Group has awarded $5,000 grants to three farmers with small to mid-sized operations to demonstrate how they can meet their energy needs through energy efficiency or the use of renewable sources on their farms.The University of Northern Iowa Center...
October 30, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University seeks ideas and proposals for a unique program pairing farmers with Iowa State University researchers to work on topics related to conservation and sustainability. Proposals are due on December 16, 2009 for the 2010 ISU On-Farm Research and Demonstration Grant...
October 28, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- One of the scientists who has measured the size and researched the science of the oxygen-deprived “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico every year since 1985 will share his findings at Iowa State University on November 12.
October 27, 2009
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presented awards on Oct. 16 at the annual Iowa State University Alumni Association Honors and Awards ceremony.
Dwight Hughes Jr., received the Floyd Andre Award, which recognizes alums who have made outstanding...
October 26, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Francis and Susan Thicke, whose Radiance Farm organic dairy products are marketed in the Fairfield area, have earned this year’s Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. The couple’s commitment to resource conservation, successful grazing management, and economically...
October 23, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The garden on the White House lawn is producing more than vegetables, says President Obama’s deputy secretary of agriculture Kathleen Merrigan. It’s a sign of high-level support for the many changes in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build stronger connections with...
October 12, 2009
AMES, Iowa - The ninth John Pesek Colloquium on Sustainable Agriculture, which honors a retired Iowa State University agronomy professor, will be Oct. 27-28.
Shahid Naeem, professor of ecology and chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University, will...
October 8, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- One of the top players in the U.S. Department of Agriculture will visit Iowa State University October 20 to talk about her vision for the nation's farming and food sectors.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan will speak on "The Future of American...
September 29, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Small changes can bring modest improvements in a regional economy, at least when it comes to local foods. That’s what the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture found in a new economic analysis conducted for six counties in southeast Iowa.
September 15, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- When research plots at Iowa State University’s Neely-Kinyon Farm in Adair County were established more than a decade ago, one of the first concerns was whether organic production could match yields from conventional methods. In fact, a variety of organic crops from the side-by-...
September 10, 2009
PRAIRIE CITY, Iowa -- The old cliché ‘Can we have our cake and eat it too?’ was the focus of a field day at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City on September 2. Cindy Cambardella, USDA-ARS National Laboratory for...
September 9, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Richard Heinberg, a leading author on oil depletion and a post carbon world, will keynote Iowa State University's Live Green! Sustainability Series. Heinberg's lecture, "Toward a Post Carbon Food System," will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 in the Memorial Union Sun...
September 9, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Four finalists have been named in the search for a new director to lead the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
September 3, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The farm of the future needs to protect soil and water resources while producing enough food for people, feed for livestock and income for farm operators. Creating a farming system that meets all those requirements is the goal of a long-term project initiated by the Ecology Initiative...
August 20, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The popularity of farmers markets in Iowa also means more questions from people who want to sell their products via an expanding array of direct markets. Do I need a license to sell sweet corn or my home-made jam? Do I have to package my products? Do I need to worry about sales tax?
A...
August 20, 2009
PRAIRIE CITY, IOWA -- Small prairie strips growing at key points in corn and soybean fields at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge are yielding more than good crops; they’re improving soil and water quality as well as creating beneficial habitat for insects and birds. Research exploring...
August 19, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- A growing number of organizations are supporting local food efforts in Iowa, and a new publication from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture can help you contact them.
August 5, 2009
If you are a current commercial fruit or vegetable grower, a gardener with an interest in expanding into commercial production, or a traditional farmer interested in diversifying, you may want to learn more about high tunnel production in a workshop sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and...
August 5, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Not only do Iowa vineyards produce great wine, but in the future, Iowa-grown grapes may be among the most sustainably grown in the country. The question is: how can Iowa grape growers reduce their chemical use and control weeds while still producing high yields and high-quality fruit...
August 3, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Down to the rubber gloves they wore and the carrots they doused with water, Iowa produce farmers and others who attended recent workshops in Decorah and Ames got a first-hand look at postharvest handling practices that help ensure the safety and freshness of locally-grown fruit and...
July 24, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The key findings and lessons learned from 20 recent Iowa-based research projects funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture are now available on the Web under "Completed Grants." New one-page project synopses of the research results are posted at that site,...
July 16, 2009
AMES, Iowa – Iowa farmers could have another practice in their nitrogen management toolbox if research sponsored by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture produces positive results.
The Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative is supporting a new study to test how well bioreactors...
July 2, 2009
NEVADA, Iowa -- Join Practical Farmers of Iowa at the Biomass Energy Conversion (BECON) Facility on Tuesday, July 14 at 2:00 p.m. to learn more about biomass energy as an alternative energy option. The Leopold Center’s new Farm Energy Working Group also will hold a meeting at the BECON...
June 25, 2009
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Sustainable agriculture and land tenure are the focus of a new research and outreach collaboration between Drake University and Iowa State University.
June 22, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture is seeking ideas for new projects that will contribute to the development of profitable farming systems and conserve natural resources.
June 17, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- With corn ethanol production increasing the demand for corn and competing for acres available for grazing, a project of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture looks at how cattle producers can reap the benefits of both systems.
The Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative is...
June 8, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Three new members have been appointed to the advisory board for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in 2009. The advisory board is comprised of members who represent various institutions and agricultural interest groups. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Practical...
June 3, 2009
AMES, Iowa—Just as the science of climate change evolves, so does the way we describe it. A new glossary from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture defines terms like milankovitch cycles and eutrophication, which could become just as common in climate change discussions in the near...
May 22, 2009
When you turn on the faucet, you expect to get clean, safe, drinkable water. Robb De Haan and Matt Schuiteman want that too.
That’s why they applied for and have been approved to receive a $50,000 grant from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. The grant funding will be used over a...
May 20, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Local government, school and community leaders are invited to a statewide workshop to explore their role in expanding local food commerce through planning. The workshop will be held Wednesday, June 10 from 8:30 a.m. unit noon at the Center for Energy and Environmental Education...
May 13, 2009
MADISON, Wisconsin -- Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture was written to increase our awareness of the vital role grass and grassland plants have in ensuring a sustainable future for American agriculture.
Published by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science...
May 12, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University is now accepting applications for a new Visiting Faculty program. The 2010 faculty member will work with the Center’s Ecology Initiative and with ISU faculty and staff to examine systems-based approaches to...
May 6, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa farmers transitioning to organic production and those who want to increase conservation practices on certified organic acres are eligible for more than $1.4 million in federal funds and technical assistance. The USDA announced May 5 that $50 million from the 2008 farm bill would...
May 5, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Locker owner and operator Clint Smith keeps a customer “running wish list” at the Stanhope Locker. When they come to shop, he asks customers about their meat preferences and their interests in purchasing portions of beef and pork. Then he knows who is interested in a...
April 27, 2009
AMES, Iowa – The 2009 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture will be presented later this year to an Iowan who has helped family farms prosper and contributed to energizing Iowa’s rural communities and economy.Nominations for the honor are due June 1, 2009, for the prestigious award...
April 23, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Can targeting your investments work for conservation as well as economics? Such an approach not only is possible, but also may be more effective when it comes to conservation practices on Iowa's landscape.
April 19, 2009
NORTHEAST IOWA – It was announced today that the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative received a grant of $500,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to help communities embrace active living and healthy eating. Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek County are...
April 7, 2009
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University researchers showed high tunnels can be used to extend the growing season by cultivating tulips over the winter at the Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm in southwest Iowa.
High tunnels are similar to greenhouses, but less costly to construct and...
April 1, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- If you think the flagging economy has dampened public interest in local foods and sustainable agriculture, think again.
March 11, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- Iowans were deeply concerned with water in 2008, and the new annual report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University reflects the Center’s work on a variety of Iowa waterfronts.
March 9, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- The latest research on financing and managing niche enterprises, local food distribution networks and other emerging business opportunities for farmers will be presented Monday, March 30 at a no-cost workshop hosted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
February 20, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- “The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.” These words, written by Iowa native Aldo Leopold nearly 60 years ago, lay the groundwork for today's land stewardship and...
February 9, 2009
Ames, Iowa – Livestock graziers are invited to attend an Iowa State Extension meeting Wednesday, March 4, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pin Oak Lodge near Chariton for a presentation and discussion with Greg Judy, grazing consultant.
February 4, 2009
NOTE: The deadline for applications has been extended to March 9, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- A new group that is working across the supply chain to make Iowa-grown fruit and vegetables more readily available is looking for innovative ideas for research and development projects in 2009.
January 30, 2009
AMES, Iowa -- As Americans debate the wisdom of nationalizing and/or propping up a variety of ailing industries, many of us wonder about the role of our current agricultural system. Do we view it as a public utility or a purely private enterprise? Can an unregulated market system lead us to a truly...
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture |
Ames, Iowa 50011 |
(515) 294-3711 |
leocenter@iastate.edu