Left to right Bob Spencer, LaCrosse, Wisc., and Spencer Award donor; award recipients David and Amy Petersen, Blue Grass, Iowa; their children Dana and Nolan Petersen; Mike Duffy, associate director of the Leopold Center; and Jim Penney, member of the Leopold Center Advisory Board.
Iowa dairy farmer David Petersen accepts the $1,000 Spencer Award from Jim Penney, representing the Leopold Center Advisory Board.
Leopold Center associate director Mike Duffy (far left) shares the history of the Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. He is joined by Bob Spence (far right), whose family donated funds to set up the award, and the Petersen family (center).
"There are more and more people who are concerned about the road that production agriculture and our food delivery system seems to be on and it's easy to talk about sustainable agriculture. But I give credit to the Leopold Center and the Spencer family for stepping up to the plate and doing something about it." - David Petersen, recipient of the 2002 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. He is shown with his wife Amy, daughter Dana and son Nolan.
"Our family supports the mission of the Leopold Center. I congratulate the Petersen family for developing sustainable agriculture on their farms. We hope the award will encourage other farmers, researchers and educators to test and document their ideas for sustainable agriculture, too." - Bob Spencer, whose family donated funds to establish one of the largest sustainable ag awards in Iowa