News & Notes

One of the Center advisory board's newest members, Connie Greig, and associate director Mike Duffy are part of the search committee for the ISU College of Agriculture dean. The 19-member group began work in May to identify a successor for Dean David Topel, who has served since 1988.

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Aldo Leopold and the Leopold Center were featured in the May 1999 issue of Agri Marketing. The magazine, written for agribusiness professionals who are members of the National Agri-Marketing Association, focused on sustainable agriculture as a business strategy by large corporations as well as small companies. The article quoted one Monsanto representative as saying that "what's good for the environment is generally also good for business." The problem, Center director Dennis Keeney related in the story, is that not everyone agrees on what policies and practices contribute to sustainability.

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Renewed interest in better monitoring Iowa's water quality is the topic for a new statewide task force for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Center director Dennis Keeney chairs the Water Monitoring Advisory Task Force with L.D. McMullen, general manager of Des Moines Water Works. Former Leopold Center Advisory Board member Cheryl Contant (now at Georgia Tech University) will facilitate the group's activities.

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Conference goers at Iowa State University's Scheman Continuing Education Building now have a locally-grown food option. The Iowa's Choice Menu features seasonal fruits and vegetables available locally, and Iowa meat entrees available year-round. The menu was developed by the Practical Farmers of Iowa Field to Family Project with support from the Vision 2020 project at ISU. At Scheman and elsewhere, Center education coordinator Rich Pirog has encouraged groups to consider local foods for their menus.

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An environmental science film series, Journey to Planet Earth, continues to receive praise and rave reviews. Center director Dennis Keeney was an advisor for the agricultural portion of the program. Narrated by Kelly McGillis, the three-part series focuses on Farming: Land of Plenty, Land of Want, the Urban Explosion, and Rivers of Destiny, including the Mississippi. It won top prize at one major film festival and will be reviewed in the August edition of the School Library Journal. Funding came from the Kellogg Foundation, World Bank and Rockefeller Foundation, among others.


Return to Fall 1999 Leopold Letter index