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The
Leopold Center staff and advisory board members have
reviewed 60 pre-proposals submitted in August as part of
the annual selection process for 2008 research projects.
Pre-proposals include 24 in Ecology, 28 in Marketing and
Food Systems, and four each in Policy and the Special
Call for a new grass-based livestock systems team.
Competitive grants for new projects will be announced in
early 2008.
Some of the meat served in the Memorial Union and at
various campus dining centers is coming from Iowa family
farms, thanks to a new Iowa State University project.
ISU Dining is working to bring more local, sustainable
and organic foods to the campus community. The
Farm to ISU program used a special Leopold
Center grant to hire ISU graduate student Sue DeBlieck
to set up the program in April 2007.
Associate Director Rich Pirog is participating in a
three-day international symposium at the University of
California-Davis October 8-10 to develop a research
program investigating energy use and greenhouse gas
emissions in the U.S. food system using Life Cycle
Assessment methodology. The Agricultural Sustainable
Institute and Institute for Transportation Studies at UC-Davis
and a major collaborator, the Bon Appetit Management
Company, have selected researchers, government
officials, farmers and food industry representatives to
help outline the program. The group will produce a white
paper, action plan and web site for resources. Science magazine looks at policy options
Members of the
Green Lands, Blue Waters regional consortium of
which the Leopold Center is a part, have written an
article that appeared in the June 15 issue of Science
magazine. The article, "Sustainable Development of the
Agricultural Bioeconomy," spells out the need for
multi-functional agriculture, that is, an agriculture
valued for its commodity production as well as its
environmental services (e.g., clean water, carbon
sequestration). Among the authors are Jeri Neal, Leopold
Center Ecology Initiative leader, and former Leopold
Center director Dennis Keeney.
Leopold Center director Jerry DeWitt has been appointed
to a 17-member Task Force on Genetics for the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The group
has been assigned to develop a social statement that
addresses significant theological, ethical, public and
pastoral challenges arising from developments in
genetics. The statement will be presented at the 2011
Churchwide Assembly, which meets every two years. The
ECLA represents 4.8 million members in more than 10,500
congregations nationwide. Iowa State University Agronomy professor Matt Liebman assumed the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU on July 1. The Leopold Center has funded a number of Liebman's research projects, including his current work on rotations and cropping systems for the emerging biofuel industry. Under a special arrangement, the Center also provides $20,000 annually to the Wallace Chair for programs and research. The endowed chair was established in 1997 to promote the philosophical and practical ideas of Iowa native Henry A. Wallace, a former U.S. secretary of agriculture and U.S. vice president. Northeast Iowa group gets grant The news was good for the
Northeast Iowa Farm and Food Coalition (featured in the
Winter 2006-07 newsletter, see "Northeast Iowa group
hopes to build stronger food economy"). They are one of
nine community groups nationwide selected by the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation to receive a two-year, $500,000
planning grant as part of a new food and fitness
program. The Iowa group works in Winneshiek, Allamakee,
Clayton and Fayette counties. Coalition members have
been participating in the Leopold Center's Regional Food
Systems Working Group. Their new web site is at:
http://www.iowafoodandfitness.org/. It was mistakenly reported in the Spring 2007 issue of the Leopold Letter that Leopold Center advisory board member Maynard Hogberg was a native of Red Oak. He was born in Red Oak but grew up and attended school in Stanton. |
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Back to Fall 2007 Leopold Letter
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