AMES, Iowa — Jordan Macknick will present the 2026 Shivvers Memorial Lecture, “The State of Agrivoltaics Research: Global insights, trends and frontiers” on the Iowa State University campus, Tuesday, May 19, at noon, in the Great Hall of the
This project complements a USDA-FSA-funded study exploring the potential for cattle integration into Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) managed acres in Iowa, specifically evaluating forage nutritive value, species composition and biomass yields prior, within and following the primary nesting season.
Paul W. Johnson (1941-2021) was a state legislator, state and national agency leader and champion of private lands conservation. He is also remembered as a co-creator of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
The Leopold Center is sad to report the death of Frederick L. Kirschenmann, former director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, who passed away after a long illness, Sept. 13, 2025.
This month, Adam Janke adds a new line to his job titles as the associate director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture (LCSA) at Iowa State University, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources Ecology and Management and state wildlife specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
“I am very pleased to introduce Adam Janke in a new position with the Leopold Center,” said LCSA Interim Director Stephen Dinsmore. “I have developed great respect for Adam’s work at the intersection of water and wildlife conservation in agricultural landscapes. I look forward to working with him -- and having his support -- to keep the Leopold Center relevant and vital.”
The 2024 annual report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, released this week, reviews an active year of Leopold-supported activities and research. The four-page report begins with messages from Interim Director Stephen Dinsmore, and Adam Janke, who will serve the center in a new role as associate director. The relation of people to the land is highlighted in many ways in the report’s news briefs and research summaries.
Through in-person and virtual discussions with farmers, extension specialists and each other, the unique Land Stewardship Leadership Academy (LSLA) helps early-career natural resource professionals in Iowa gain knowledge to build relationships with farmers and increase confidence in their skills as conservation professionals. Inspiration for LSLA came from awareness, backed up by research, that many people working at the interface between agriculture and conservation lack an agricultural background. LSLA is funded with support from ISU Extension and Outreach, the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, registration fees and travel and staff time of the participating organizations.
Project Lead/Researchers: William “Billy” Beck, associate professor, Natural Resource Ecology and Management/forestry specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach forestry specialist
Project Lead/Researchers: Shawn Dorius, associate professor, Sociology & Demography Sydney Etten, graduate researcher, Graduate Program for Sustainable Agriculture
Award-winning scientist and pioneering farmer Jonathan Lundgren, will present the 2025 Shivvers Lecture on Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m., in the Sun Roon of Iowa State University’s Memorial Union. Lundgren, an agroecologist, farmer, rancher and beekeeper, is executive director of Ecdysis Foundation and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm, Estilline, South Dakota. His research and education programs aim to help applied science evolve in ways that foster the evolution of a regenerative food system. View a recording of this event.
The ISU Neely-Kinyon Farm Organic Field Day was held on a gorgeous summer evening (a rare occasion in the history of this field day--last year, there was a 105-degree heat index warning) with 40 participants, ranging from transitioning organic far
The 2023 annual report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, released this week, reviews an active year of Leopold-supported activities and research.
Jamie Beyer, an advocate for bees and conservation, has been selected as the 2024 winner of the Spencer Award, presented by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. This year's award presentation is planned for the annual meeting of the Conservation Districts of Iowa, Aug. 19, in Ames. Read Beyer's comments upon receiving the Spencer Award.
