Leopold Letter: News & Notes, Winter 2008

Leopold Center Distinguished Fellow Fred Kirschenmann has received the first-ever Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture from the Glynwood Center of Cold Spring, New York. The center operates a 225-acre farm in New York’s Hudson Valley and works with communities to address change related to local culture and natural resources. Kirschenmann received the award in November as part of the Glynwood Center’s sixth annual Harvest Awards celebration.

World Book Publishing invited Leopold Center Associate Director Rich Pirog to write an article for its 2009 Science Yearbook. Pirog’s five-page report, “Local Foods: Farm fresh and environmentally friendly [PDF],” appears in the consumer science section of World Book’s annual information supplement. Pirog discusses the U.S. food marketing system and impetus for the local food movement in the article.

The Iowa Forage and Grassland Council recognized the Leopold Center for its work in forages and grassland agriculture in Iowa at its recent annual meeting. The Leopold Center provided initial funds for the Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee to set up the CRP Demonstration Farm in Adams County. The award notes that the Leopold Center “is a leader and has helped make a difference in the livestock and forage industry in Iowa.”

In the 10-year period from 1998 through 2007, the Local Food Project at the University of Northern Iowa raised $353,200 to do its local food work. In that same period, institutional buyers who worked with the project spent about $5,155,000 on local food. Every dollar invested in the project resulted in $14.60 in sales to local and regional food and farm businesses. The Leopold Center provided approximately 63 percent of the group’s funding, which was leveraged to attract additional investments in this work. The Local Food Project is now part of the Northern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership serving Black Hawk and surrounding counties.

The Iowa Learning Farm has produced five new videos available on DVD. The series, “A Culture of Conservation,” is intended to rekindle viewers’ respect, love and desire to conserve Iowa’s natural resources. Each video is approximately seven minutes in length and topics include soil, water, watersheds, the relationship of agriculture to society, and examples of stewardship. They were funded by a Soil and Water Conservation Districts Initiatives grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Each county SWCD office in Iowa and all ISU Extension county offices have a copy; other groups can request a copy by contacting the Iowa Learning Farm, e- mail ilf@iastate.edu. The videos also are on the ILF web site for viewing.