U.S. agriculture needs a vision for the 21st century that is economically and politically powerful, emotionally compelling and easily understood in supermarkets as well as local elevators and coffee shops. And Iowa is the place to help create that vision.
That's just one of many messages heard during a one-day forum convened by the Leopold Center in July on the Iowa State University campus. More than three dozen researchers, educators, farmers, agribusiness people and leaders in sustainable agriculture participated. The forum marks the beginning of an extended discussion that director Fred Kirschenmann hopes will result in a ten-year plan for the Leopold Center.
"We want to honor the past work of the Center, but it's precisely because of this good work that we are in an excellent position to look forward," Kirschenmann told the group. "We need to ask the difficult questions, decide who we want to be, and how we can move agriculture toward sustainability."
Stauber offers overview
To launch the discussion, Kirschenmann asked visionary and Northwest Area Foundation president Karl Stauber to provide a "big picture look" at agriculture. Five other leaders in sustainable agriculture were asked to respond, each from a different perspective.
The afternoon session was an open discussion among invited guests, Leopold Center Advisory Board members and Center staff. At the end of the day, speakers identified key questions or initiatives to consider.
Stauber maintains that agriculture has been industrialized to the point that many citizens do not see farmers as producing an overall public good, only "cheap food and fiber" increasingly for a global market. Without a vision or commonly understood purpose, agriculture cannot move forward in the United States.
"Why should the consumer care about whether farmers make it or not?" Stauber asked. "We know the answer in this room, but we need to be able to sell it in a compelling way to a majority of the population."
An emotional connection
Jerry DeWitt, who coordinates Iowa State University Extension's sustainable agriculture program, said past agricultural programs have dealt with practices, produce and commodities. "We need to deal with problems that make grown men and women cry," he said. " We need to make connections and build relationships that keep men and women on the land."
Paul Johnson, former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, agreed that much of the work in sustainable agriculture falls to the private landowner. Current farm policies reward commodity production, not stewardship, he said. "The farmer is the caretaker of the land, not just another food factory. Conservation is not just about building another terrace, it's sharing the land with 100,000 other species. We hire park rangers to look after our land so maybe we need to hire farmers to look after creation."
Sense of urgency
Stauber said agriculture is ripe for change, which can begin in Iowa.
"It is important that Iowa do something, because Iowa is the center of the universe when it comes to agriculture-your history, productivity, even the political process put you at the center," he said. "Iowa has a critical place in the American psyche."
Kirschenmann said being a catalyst for change has always been a part of the Center's mission. "We need to be attentive to forces already at work and be a keen observer. We want to be there at the right time, bring people together and be part of the activities that provide momentum for change."