Keeney Impressions and Imprints:

At the end of December, Dennis Keeney will officially step down as the Leopold Center's first and only director. What will be remembered from his 11 years of leadership? The story is best told by those who have watched the Center grow, and by those who have worked most closely on projects and programs.

Dennis is one of those people you feel like you've always known. I started working with him almost as soon as he was hired by the Center and I was with the Story County Conservation Board. Dennis was a wonderful resource when I was in the Iowa Legislature, always providing us with the information we needed to make important decisions. His work has been key in helping the Center develop from humble beginnings into one of national regard and prominence.--Cele Burnett, a three-term Iowa representative and Story County Conservation Board environmental educator, who is now with the Vermont Governor's Commission on Women

Just over a decade ago we had a statutory center on paper and, to its everlasting credit, the Iowa General Assembly gave at a good name, too: The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. But it took Dennis Keeney to breathe a spirit into the Center and to give it the life and character envisioned for it.

The Iowa Legislature Class of '87 was blessed with a cadre of environmental activists who created the Leopold Center, which in turn was blessed with Dennis Keeney as its director. Keeney kept the center on the cutting edge of progressive agriculture, championing the concepts of low-impact farming and survival of the small farm. Aldo would have been proud of one of his most devoted pupils. --Bill Leonard,editorial writer and editor, The Des Moines Register

Dennis made certain that the Leopold Center belonged to the state of Iowa and was a center for all interests. He brought all interests and groups into the fold, which was especially important at early stages to make certain the Center not be labeled as biased or "bought out." This kept farmers, managers, industry, extension, non-profits, and scientists all working together. Plus, he insisted on quality science and does not fall prey to "feel good" approaches to assessment of sustainability of agroecosystems. -- Tom DeLuca, 1990-1993 Center research associate and graduate student, now associate professor of soil science for the University of Montana School of Forestry

From his very arrival at the Center in 1988, Dennis reached out not only within the agricultural community, but also far beyond to policy makers, the media and most importantly, the public. His leadership in honing the research agenda of the Center and communicating its implications is inestimable. Iowa's landscape and water are more sustainably productive, cleaner and better protected because of Dennis. --Linda Appelgate, executive director, Iowa Environmental Council

I appreciate that through the Issue Teams the Leopold Center was willing to take a chance to fund some projects where there was no guarantee of results. Dennis also was one to start from what farmers were already doing and work from there. He realized that for many farmers, sustainable agriculture might seem like some far-out thing but to others not a far reach.--John Miller,partner in a Black Hawk County livestock/grain operation near Cedar Falls, and one of two farmers on the original 13-member Leopold Center Advisory Board

Dennis will leave a truly remarkable legacy. Together with his staff and his board, Dennis has built the Leopold Center into a global center of excellence in sustainable agriculture, while remaining firmly responsible to the state that the Center was established to serve. The Center's operations have had a major influence on public research through the competitive grant and Issue Team funding, and on the quantity and quality of information available to farmers. The Center has ensured a flow of important research funds to high-caliber public scientists and community groups around the state. --Bill Vorley, 1994-1997, visiting scientist at the Leopold Center, now with the International Institute for Envirionment and Development, London

Dennis Keeney brought to the Leopold Center and Iowa State University a solid background in soil and crop science. Dennis Keeney's tenure has established a strong awareness of sustainability and stewardship of our land and a new vision for a sustainable community. I think he delivered a bold approach to the land ethic of today as was so strongly voiced by Aldo Leopold. The vision Dennis Keeney had for the Leopold Center was to "help maintain the connection of science with the community and the land," which is parallel to the legacy of Aldo Leopold. --David Williams, Villisca farmer and member of the Leopold Center Advisory Board

Prior to development of the Leopold Center, there were few grazing research and education efforts in Iowa. Dr. Keeney recognized the key role that forages can play in minimizing soil erosion, enhancing nutrient cycling and optimizing profitability of agricultural systems, and the need for a team approach that included farmers. Some of the most novel research included development of year-round grazing systems, the evaluation of cover crops and strip crops as nutritional supplements for grazed corn stalks, and the effects of grazing corn crop residues on soil properties and subsequent crop yields. Thanks to Dr. Keeney's vision, there has been a resurgence of interest in grazing-based livestock production systems, which will be part of his legacy well beyond his retirement. --Jim Russell, professor of animal science, Iowa State University, and member of the Center's Animal Management Issue Team

When the Leopold Center was established by the Iowa Legislature, I was probably one of the more skeptical, albeit silent, individuals about what success may be attained by yet another tax on Iowa farmers. At the first annual meeting of the Center it was obvious that Dennis was going to be a quiet but forceful leader in the quest for keeping soil in place and for cleaner water, not only for Iowa but for the nation that would soon be noting and following the direction Iowa was taking in sustainable agriculture. Dennis' visionary legacy has been a tremendous gift to Iowa. --Ralph Neill,Corning cattle producer and original member of the Center's Animal Management Issue Team

I've gotten to know Dennis through the Leopold Center's partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa. Usually professionals only talk to other professionals, but this has been a good opportunity for scientists and farmers to be on the same program together, with the same goals in mind. --Dick Thompson, Boone farmer and one of the state's leading conservationists

When I first met Dennis in his official capacity, I must admit to thinking, 'Why this guy?' In retrospect, the simple response would have been, 'Because he's the perfect choice to negotiate a sea change in agriculture's paradigm both in the field and, for the most part, on campus.' -- Sue Mullins, former Republican legislator and northwest Iowa farmer who helped write the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act

Since Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac was published in 1949, his words have guided and inspired millions of readers. But a critical piece of his legacy is that Leopold's technical and philosophical approaches to conservation are still being implemented on the landscape and in the minds of men and women. No one has been more responsible for this current implementation than Dennis Keeney. We thank him for his contributions to improve Mr. Leopold's definition of conservation: "harmony between men and land." -- Buddy Huffaker, director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Dennis Keeney broadened the vision of sustainable agriculture to include livestock management, farm families and rural communities. Through his leadership, he simultaneously required solid science and interaction with farmers. He crafted a sustainable agriculture commitment to sound academics, responsiveness to farmers and the public, and vision to the future. He 'operationalized' the 'long view' in agricultural research and demonstration. --Mark Honeyman, director, Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms and member of the Leopold Center's swine systems options (hooped buildings) initiative

In addition to research and demonstration projects, Dennis Keeney's tenure has resulted in several benefits to Iowa and U.S. agriculture. Sensitivity to sustainability issues has been elevated for all Iowans, as well as for faculty across the ISU campus and other Iowa campuses. More judgments by more state and federal agencies have been more broadly based, and probably more accepted by those affected. Dennis should feel good about a job well done, and continued satisfaction from the work and impact of the Center in the years ahead. --Duane Acker, Atlantic farmer and ag policy leader who headed numerous food and agriculture programs during the Reagan and Bush administrations, and past president of Kansas State University