AMES, Iowa - The 2025 annual report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, was released this week. The four-page report begins with a short update of current activities and sneak preview of future plans by Leopold Center Director Stephen Dinsmore.
Associate Director Adam Janke discusses opportunities he has had to learn more about the Center’s history, including from personal conversations and a dive into the archives to help inform a website relaunch in 2025. He encourages readers to take a look at a timeline of significant events since the Center’s founding in 1987 -- and he invites help to identify the story behind an intriguing image featuring the Center’s name in bold letters on the Hilton Coliseum scoreboard.
News summaries in the report highlight:
- An updated website that streamlines the Center's online communications.
- The 2025 Shivvers Lecture by agroecologist, researcher and farmer Jonathan Lundgren, director of the Ecdysis Foundation.
- A report on how the LCSA’s Spencer Award has helped power pollinator advocacy over the last year.
- Research assessing the forage quality of native perennials.
- Sponsorship of conservation education and outreach to multiple audiences.
- Leadership of the Wallace Chairs for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State, including agrivoltaics and bee research and demonstration, and a three-year process engaging stakeholders in visioning for a more resilient Corn Belt.
- Continuing support for Iowa State’s Graduate Program for Sustainable Agriculture.
The annual summary financial report shows the Leopold Center is in good standing and acknowledges those who are helping sustain its work now and into the future.
“We appreciate everyone who has contributed to this report, and especially donors who supported the Leopold Center in 2025,” Dinsmore says.
“Our Center’s namesake famously said conservation is finding a state of harmony between man and land. I think he knew of the importance of staying in ‘and land,’“ Janke says in his message on page 1, which discusses the relevance of this idea to Iowa agriculture. “I know the partners we’re working with through the Center’s portfolio do. That’s what we hope you’ll see in this year’s report and for many more to come.”
Find the 2025 Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture Annual Report at www.leopold.iastate.edu under About/History/Annual Reports.
Contact:
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, leocenter@iastate.edu
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