A N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E L E O P O L D C E N T E R F O R S U S T A I N A B L E A G R I C U LT U R E VO L. 18 NO. 1 SPRING 200 6

Leopold Center funds 30 new projects for 2006

INSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUEINSIDE THIS ISSUE

Exploring new partnershipsfor the Center 3

Lessons from Leopoldfor today’s agriculture 5

New Extension leadervalues Leopold Center work 6

Burlington forum looks atLeopold’s Iowa roots 8

Workshops help producersunderstand larger markets 9

ISU researchers advise onChinese hoop project 10

What’s your ecologicalfootprint? 11

GRANTSGRANTSGRANTSGRANTSGRANTS (continued on page 4)

Farmers who want to maintain soilquality may want to get back to plantingextended rotations of grain and foragecrops.

Data collected nearly a decade ago aspart of a project funded by the LeopoldCenter show that crop rotations coveringat least five years and which include atleast three years of forage cropsinterspaced with corn and soybean, re-sulted in higher soil quality ratings thaneither continuous corn or a two-yearcorn-soybean sequence.

The longer-term rotations had an addi-tional benefit: they were more profitablethan continuous corn production.

Results of the Agricultural Research

Center-funded research confirms link betweenextended crop rotations, soil quality

Service (ARS) study are published in theMay/June 2006 issue of Agronomy Jour-nal. The study team was headed by soilscientist Douglas Karlen of the ARS’ Na-tional Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames.

The study confirms what many in thesustainable agriculture community havebelieved but have been unable to document:diversity is needed in crop production.

“Extended crop rotations have valuefor maintaining our soil resources,”Karlen said. “We still are in the earlyphases of measuring soil quality, but weknow that physical, chemical and biologi-cal characteristics must be considered.”

SOILSOILSOILSOILSOIL (continued on page 4)

Work has begun on 30 new projectsfunded by competitive grants offered by theLeopold Center’s three research initiatives.

The new projects range from listeningsessions to gather farmer input for thenext Farm Bill to analysis of risks associ-ated with various niche markets, to im-proved breeding for forage and biomasscrops. First-year cost of the projects, someof which are multi-year efforts, is morethan $555,000.

The projects were selected in a com-petitive process that began in July 2005,conducted by the Leopold Center’s initia-tives in Marketing and Food Systems,Policy and Ecology. Proposals receivedrigorous peer reviews and scrutiny by theCenter’s 17-member advisory board aswell as Center staff.

The Marketing and Food Systems Ini-tiative will fund 13 new projects, with

several designed to help farmers acquirethe skills and information needed to startnew enterprises. Initiative leader RichPirog said: “These projects will givefarmers solid information about the costsand risks associated with various nichemarkets, as well as tools to assess anddevelop these enterprises.”

One project will focus on transactioncosts – the costs in a business that areassociated with transportation, ware-housing, processing orders and customerservice. According to some national esti-mates, transaction costs can range from 4to 30 percent of sales. The new projectwill include case studies to illustratetransaction costs associated with nichedairy, meat and produce businesses.

Other grants will be used for a feasibility

8

10

2006 Leopold Center Competitive Grant Projects The following grants are the result of a Summer 2005 Request for Preproposals, which resulted in 62 project submissions. These projects were selected following a competitive review process. More details about each project are available on the Leopold Center web site, www.leopold.iastate.edu.

Marketing and Food Systems Initiative • Analysis of transaction costs for small and midsize Iowa farAnalysis of transaction costs for small and midsize Iowa farAnalysis of transaction costs for small and midsize Iowa farAnalysis of transaction costs for small and midsize Iowa farAnalysis of transaction costs for small and midsize Iowa farmersmersmersmersmers, $32,967, 1 year,

Clyde Walter, ISU Logistics Operations; Randy Boeckenstedt, Center for Transportation Re­search and Education, ISU; and Craig Chase, ISU Extension, Tripoli [M2006-02]

• Assessing needs and fostering agricultural entrAssessing needs and fostering agricultural entrAssessing needs and fostering agricultural entrAssessing needs and fostering agricultural entrAssessing needs and fostering agricultural entrepreprepreprepreneurship among immigrantseneurship among immigrantseneurship among immigrantseneurship among immigrantseneurship among immigrantsin several Iowa communities,in several Iowa communities,in several Iowa communities,in several Iowa communities,in several Iowa communities, $15,000, 1 year, Lyle Fleshner, M&M Divide RC&D, Carroll [M2006-07]

• Bridging the Gap: What does it take to bring small and medium-sized prBridging the Gap: What does it take to bring small and medium-sized prBridging the Gap: What does it take to bring small and medium-sized prBridging the Gap: What does it take to bring small and medium-sized prBridging the Gap: What does it take to bring small and medium-sized produc­oduc-oduc-oduc-oduc-ers and rers and rers and rers and rers and retail and food seretail and food seretail and food seretail and food seretail and food service distributors together?vice distributors together?vice distributors together?vice distributors together?vice distributors together? $49,500 over 2 years, Mary Holz-Clause, Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, ISU [M2006-05]

• Determining the methods for measuring and the extent of economic and fiscalDetermining the methods for measuring and the extent of economic and fiscalDetermining the methods for measuring and the extent of economic and fiscalDetermining the methods for measuring and the extent of economic and fiscalDetermining the methods for measuring and the extent of economic and fiscalimpacts associated with orimpacts associated with orimpacts associated with orimpacts associated with orimpacts associated with organic crganic crganic crganic crganic crop conversion in Iowa,op conversion in Iowa,op conversion in Iowa,op conversion in Iowa,op conversion in Iowa, $15,000, 1 year, David Swenson and Liesl Eathington, ISU Economics, and Craig Chase, ISU Extension, Tripoli [M2006-12]

• Functional quality management systems for livestock prFunctional quality management systems for livestock prFunctional quality management systems for livestock prFunctional quality management systems for livestock prFunctional quality management systems for livestock producers,oducers,oducers,oducers,oducers, $60,000 over 2 years, John Lawrence, Iowa Beef Center; John Mabry, Iowa Pork Industry Center; and Mary Holz-Clause, ISU Value Added Agriculture Extension [M2006-03]

• Investigation of economic feasibility of pasturInvestigation of economic feasibility of pasturInvestigation of economic feasibility of pasturInvestigation of economic feasibility of pasturInvestigation of economic feasibility of pasture-based daire-based daire-based daire-based daire-based dairy operations iny operations iny operations iny operations iny operations inNorNorNorNorNorthwest Iowa,thwest Iowa,thwest Iowa,thwest Iowa,thwest Iowa, $7,500, 1 year, Chris Mondak, ISU Extension, Orange City, and Tom Olsen, Storm Lake [M2006-09]

• Iowa taste of place prIowa taste of place prIowa taste of place prIowa taste of place prIowa taste of place project Phase II: Outroject Phase II: Outroject Phase II: Outroject Phase II: Outroject Phase II: Outreacheacheacheacheach, $10,000, 1 year, Rachelle Saltzman, Iowa Arts Council, Des Moines [M2006-13]

• New food entrNew food entrNew food entrNew food entrNew food entrepreprepreprepreneurs - Veneurs - Veneurs - Veneurs - Veneurs - Value added enterprises for faralue added enterprises for faralue added enterprises for faralue added enterprises for faralue added enterprises for farm prm prm prm prm profitabilityofitabilityofitabilityofitabilityofitability,,,,,$21,188, 1 year, Rich Graves, Wallace House Foundation, and Christine Pardee, Des Moines [M2006-23]

• Niche-markets in the agricultural enterprise mix: FarNiche-markets in the agricultural enterprise mix: FarNiche-markets in the agricultural enterprise mix: FarNiche-markets in the agricultural enterprise mix: FarNiche-markets in the agricultural enterprise mix: Farm prm prm prm prm profit optimization andofit optimization andofit optimization andofit optimization andofit optimization andrisk analysis,risk analysis,risk analysis,risk analysis,risk analysis, $16,370, 1 year, Shane Ellis, Iowa Beef Center [M2006-16]

• Plan demonstration farm to include farm business incubator and educationalPlan demonstration farm to include farm business incubator and educationalPlan demonstration farm to include farm business incubator and educationalPlan demonstration farm to include farm business incubator and educationalPlan demonstration farm to include farm business incubator and educationaluse,use,use,use,use, $17,850, 1 year, Linda Barnes, Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown [M2006-24]

• Planning a facility for value-added farm business incubation and educationalPlanning a facility for value-added farm business incubation and educationalPlanning a facility for value-added farm business incubation and educationalPlanning a facility for value-added farm business incubation and educationalPlanning a facility for value-added farm business incubation and educationaluse,use,use,use,use, $7,089, 1 year, Linda Barnes and Tom Deimerly, Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown [M2006-25]

• Strategies to stabilize locally grStrategies to stabilize locally grStrategies to stabilize locally grStrategies to stabilize locally grStrategies to stabilize locally grown prown prown prown prown produce for year roduce for year roduce for year roduce for year roduce for year round sales: A feasibilityound sales: A feasibilityound sales: A feasibilityound sales: A feasibilityound sales: A feasibilitystudystudystudystudystudy,,,,, $53,410 over 2 years, Sam Beattie, Lester Wilson and Aubrey Mendonca, ISU Food Science and Human Nutrition [M2006-21]

• A surA surA surA surA survey of curvey of curvey of curvey of curvey of currrrrrently available commerently available commerently available commerently available commerently available commercial brcial brcial brcial brcial broilers originating froilers originating froilers originating froilers originating froilers originating from orom orom orom orom organic,ganic,ganic,ganic,ganic,natural and conventional prnatural and conventional prnatural and conventional prnatural and conventional prnatural and conventional production systems for cooked meat yields, meatoduction systems for cooked meat yields, meatoduction systems for cooked meat yields, meatoduction systems for cooked meat yields, meatoduction systems for cooked meat yields, meatcomposition and rcomposition and rcomposition and rcomposition and rcomposition and relative value,elative value,elative value,elative value,elative value, $32,793, 1 year, Joseph Sebranek and Dong Ahn, ISU Animal Science, and Sam Beattie, ISU Food Science and Human Nutrition, [M2006-01]

For questions, contact initiative leader Rich Pirog, (515) 294-1854,rspirog@iastate.edu.

Policy Initiative • Beginning and midsize farm billBeginning and midsize farm billBeginning and midsize farm billBeginning and midsize farm billBeginning and midsize farm bill

analysis and education initiative,analysis and education initiative,analysis and education initiative,analysis and education initiative,analysis and education initiative,$25,000 each of 2 years, Mike Duffy, Beginning Farmer Center, ISU; and Traci Bruckner, Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Nebraska [P2006-09]

• Evaluating the ConserEvaluating the ConserEvaluating the ConserEvaluating the ConserEvaluating the Conservation Securityvation Securityvation Securityvation Securityvation SecurityPrPrPrPrProgram utilizing the perogram utilizing the perogram utilizing the perogram utilizing the perogram utilizing the perceptionsceptionsceptionsceptionsceptionsand economics of prand economics of prand economics of prand economics of prand economics of producer paroducer paroducer paroducer paroducer partici­tici-tici-tici-tici-pation: Implications for land stew­pation: Implications for land stew-pation: Implications for land stew-pation: Implications for land stew-pation: Implications for land stew-ararararardship in Iowa agriculturdship in Iowa agriculturdship in Iowa agriculturdship in Iowa agriculturdship in Iowa agriculture,e,e,e,e, $38,337, 1 year, James Kliebenstein and Denis Reich, ISU Economics [P2006-06]

• Farm Bill listening sessions,Farm Bill listening sessions,Farm Bill listening sessions,Farm Bill listening sessions,Farm Bill listening sessions, $5,440, 1 year, Leigh Adcock, Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation, Ames; Kathie Starkweather, Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Nebraska; and Niel Ritchie, League of Rural Voters, Minneapolis, Min­nesota [P2006-01]

• WWWWWomen, land and legacy: Agricul­omen, land and legacy: Agricul-omen, land and legacy: Agricul-omen, land and legacy: Agricul-omen, land and legacy: Agricul-tural policy for changing land own­tural policy for changing land own-tural policy for changing land own-tural policy for changing land own-tural policy for changing land own-ership,ership,ership,ership,ership, $12,686, 1 year, Cassi Johnson, Iowa City, and Denise O’Brien, Atlantic, Women, Food and Agriculture Network [P2006-10]

For questions, contact interim initiative leader Jerry DeWitt, (515) 294-7836, jdewitt@iastate.edu.

Ecology Initiative grants are listed on next page.

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 200 6 SPECIAL GRANT INSERT

2006 Leopold Center Competitive Grant Projects (continued)

Ecology Initiative • Grazing compatibility in and for futurGrazing compatibility in and for futurGrazing compatibility in and for futurGrazing compatibility in and for futurGrazing compatibility in and for future years,e years,e years,e years,e years, $53,095 over 5 years, Ed Johnston,

Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee and John Klein, Natural Resources Conservation Service [E2006-01]

• Integrated soil and weed management prIntegrated soil and weed management prIntegrated soil and weed management prIntegrated soil and weed management prIntegrated soil and weed management production systems for peroduction systems for peroduction systems for peroduction systems for peroduction systems for perennial foodennial foodennial foodennial foodennial foodcrcrcrcrcrops,ops,ops,ops,ops, $39,310 over 2 years, Gail Nonnecke and Craig Dilley, ISU Horticulture, and Tom Loynachan, ISU Agronomy [E2006-02]

• The rThe rThe rThe rThe role of herbaceous woodland perole of herbaceous woodland perole of herbaceous woodland perole of herbaceous woodland perole of herbaceous woodland perennial diversity for imprennial diversity for imprennial diversity for imprennial diversity for imprennial diversity for improving nutrient up­oving nutrient up-oving nutrient up-oving nutrient up-oving nutrient up-take capacity of riparian artake capacity of riparian artake capacity of riparian artake capacity of riparian artake capacity of riparian areas – phase II,eas – phase II,eas – phase II,eas – phase II,eas – phase II, $33,820 over 2 years, Jan Thompson and Cathy Mabry-McMullen, ISU Natural Resource Ecology & Management [E2006-03]

• New strategies to enhance sustainability of Iowa apple orNew strategies to enhance sustainability of Iowa apple orNew strategies to enhance sustainability of Iowa apple orNew strategies to enhance sustainability of Iowa apple orNew strategies to enhance sustainability of Iowa apple orcharcharcharcharchards,ds,ds,ds,ds, $115,798 over 3 years, Mark Gleason, ISU Plant Pathology and Matt Liebman, ISU Agronomy [E2006-04]

• BirBirBirBirBird nesting on rd nesting on rd nesting on rd nesting on rd nesting on rotationally grazed warotationally grazed warotationally grazed warotationally grazed warotationally grazed warm- and cool-season grass paddocks inm- and cool-season grass paddocks inm- and cool-season grass paddocks inm- and cool-season grass paddocks inm- and cool-season grass paddocks insouthersouthersouthersouthersouthern Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa, $31,093 for one year, James Pease and Ryan Marquardt, ISU Natural Resource Ecology & Management [E2006-05]

• Optimizing legume establishment in winter small grains,Optimizing legume establishment in winter small grains,Optimizing legume establishment in winter small grains,Optimizing legume establishment in winter small grains,Optimizing legume establishment in winter small grains, $54,770 over 3 years, Lance Gibson and Jean-Luc Jannink, ISU Agronomy, and Jeremy Singer, USDA-ARS Na­tional Soil Tilth Laboratory [E2006-10]

• Use of native cover crUse of native cover crUse of native cover crUse of native cover crUse of native cover crops to rops to rops to rops to rops to reconstreconstreconstreconstreconstruct native grasslands,uct native grasslands,uct native grasslands,uct native grasslands,uct native grasslands, $8,380 for 1 year, Brian Wilsey and Andrea Blong, ISU Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology [E2006-11]

• Development and implementation of low input deliverDevelopment and implementation of low input deliverDevelopment and implementation of low input deliverDevelopment and implementation of low input deliverDevelopment and implementation of low input delivery systems for ethanol co­y systems for ethanol co-y systems for ethanol co-y systems for ethanol co-y systems for ethanol co-prprprprproducts in forage based beef systems,oducts in forage based beef systems,oducts in forage based beef systems,oducts in forage based beef systems,oducts in forage based beef systems, $51,862 over 3 years, Dan Loy, ISU Animal Science and Joe Sellers, ISU Extension [E2006-12]

• The impact of biodiversity serThe impact of biodiversity serThe impact of biodiversity serThe impact of biodiversity serThe impact of biodiversity services in rvices in rvices in rvices in rvices in rowcrowcrowcrowcrowcrop prop prop prop prop production in annual versus pe­oduction in annual versus pe-oduction in annual versus pe-oduction in annual versus pe-oduction in annual versus pe-rrrrrennial landscapes,ennial landscapes,ennial landscapes,ennial landscapes,ennial landscapes, $71,979 over 2 years, Matt O’Neal, ISU Entomology and Lisa A. Schulte, ISU Natural Resource Ecology & Management [E2006-13]

• Brrrrreeding forage and biomass creeding forage and biomass creeding forage and biomass creeding forage and biomass creeding forage and biomass crops to strops to strops to strops to strops to strengthen perengthen perengthen perengthen perengthen perennial agricultural systems,ennial agricultural systems,ennial agricultural systems,ennial agricultural systems,ennial agricultural systems,$53,902 over 3 years, E. Charles Brummer, ISU Agronomy [E2006-15]

• Assessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marAssessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marAssessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marAssessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marAssessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marginal crginal crginal crginal crginal cropland to propland to propland to propland to propland to produc­oduc-oduc-oduc-oduc-tive consertive consertive consertive consertive conservation,vation,vation,vation,vation, $7,292 over 2 years, Tom Sauer, Cindy Camberdella and David E. James, USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory, and Heidi Asbjornsen, ISU Natural Re­source Ecology & Management [E2006-17]

• Devising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing and firDevising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing and firDevising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing and firDevising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing and firDevising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing and fire as managemente as managemente as managemente as managemente as managementtools on grassland rtools on grassland rtools on grassland rtools on grassland rtools on grassland reseresereseresereserves in southerves in southerves in southerves in southerves in southern Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa,n Iowa, $22,147 for one year, James R. Miller, ISU Landscape Architecture and Natural Resource Ecology & Management, and David Engle, ISU Natural Resource Ecology & Management [E2006-18]

• ParParParParParticipatorticipatorticipatorticipatorticipatory ecology for ‘Agricultury ecology for ‘Agricultury ecology for ‘Agricultury ecology for ‘Agricultury ecology for ‘Agriculture of the Middle’: Developing tools and pare of the Middle’: Developing tools and pare of the Middle’: Developing tools and pare of the Middle’: Developing tools and pare of the Middle’: Developing tools and part ­t-t-t-t-nerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change,nerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change,nerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change,nerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change,nerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change,$54,575 over 3 years, Lisa Schulte and Ryan Atwell, ISU Natural Resource Ecology & Management, and Lynne M. Westphal, USDA Forest Service North Central Research Station [E2006-20]

For questions, contact initiative leader Jeri Neal, (515) 294-5610,wink@iastate.edu.

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2 0 0 6 SPECIAL GRANT INSERT

2 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

LEOPOLD LETTER MISSIONThe mission of the Leopold Letter is to inform diverseaudiences about Leopold Center programs andactivities; to encourage increased interest in and use ofsustainable farming practices and market opportunitiesfor sustainable products; and to stimulate publicdiscussion about sustainable agriculture in Iowa andthe nation.

Leopold Letter ISSN 1065-2116

LEOPOLD CENTER STAFFInterim DirectorJerry DeWitt

Distinguished FellowFred Kirschenmann

Marketing and FoodSystems ResearchProgram LeaderRichard Pirog

Ecological SystemsResearch ProgramLeaderJeri L.Neal

SecretarySherry Johnson

LEOPOLD CENTER ADVISORY BOARD

Tom Fogarty, chair, University of Northern Iowa,Cedar Falls

Neil Hamilton, vice-chair, Drake University, DesMoines

Paul Mugge, member-at-large, Practical Farmersof Iowa, Sutherland

Lyle Asell, Iowa Department of Natural Resources,Des Moines

Doug Beckman, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation,Glenwood

Russell Brandes, Soil Conservation Committee,Hancock

Kelley Donham, University of Iowa, Iowa City

Stephen Howell, Iowa State University, Ames

Jennifer Steffen, Soil Conservation Committee,Birmingham

Erin Irish, University of Iowa, Iowa City

Laura Jackson, University of Northern Iowa,Cedar Falls

Mary Jane Olney, Iowa Department of Agricultureand Land Stewardship, Des Moines

Jim Penney, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Ames

Marvin Shirley, Iowa Farmers Union, Minburn

Allen Trenkle, Iowa State University, Ames

Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University, Ames

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture seeks toidentify and reduce adverse socioeconomic andenvironmental impacts of farming practices, developprofitable farming systems that conserve naturalresources, and create educational programs with the ISUExtension Service. It was founded by the 1987 IowaGroundwater Protection Act. The Leopold Letter isavailable free from the Leopold Center at 209 CurtissHall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-1050;(515) 294-3711.

Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age,religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex,marital status, disability, or status as a U.S.veteran. Inquiries can bedirected to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

The Leopold Letter is alsoavailable on the web at:

www.leopold.iastate.edu

CommunicationsSpecialistLaura Miller

EditorMary Adams

Program AssistantAndrew Hug

AdministrativeSpecialistKaren Jacobson

Program SpecialistMalcolm Robertson

Leopold Center research on how farfood travels from where it is grown towhere it is purchased has been referred toas the most widely-cited study on foodmiles in North America. The assessment isfrom the authors of a Canadian publichealth department study that looked at thedistance traveled by 58 common foodsbefore they reach supermarkets in south-western Ontario.

A web search on Google for “food miles”turns up more than 99 million entries,with the Leopold Center study fifth on thelist. In recent months, the paper has beenfeatured in a Columbia, Missouri newspa-per article about nutrition, Audubon maga-zine, and the largest religious weeklynewspaper in Canada. Rich Pirog, whodirected the Leopold Center research,regularly fields inquiries from reportersand researchers on the project. He saidhe’s had more calls than usual, possiblydue to the increase in fuel prices. Twofood miles papers are on the Leopold Cen-ter web site at: www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ppp/index.htm andat: www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/files/food_travel072103.pdf.

•••

The Flax Working Group of the ValueChain Partnerships project coordinated bythe Leopold Center has launched a newweb site. The site, www.valuechains.org/flax, has links to research on production,marketing, health and flax use in livestockrations. Established in November 2005,the group is a forum for flax producers,buyers, processors, agencies and consult-ants to exchange information and to worktogether to promote flax production inIowa. Its goal is to help facilitate thegrowth and development of supply chainsfor organic and conventional flax that ben-efit Iowa farmers and rural communitiesand that are based on loyal, transparentand cooperative relationships between allparties. The group is guided by a manage-ment team with members from Iowa StateUniversity Extension, Practical Farmers ofIowa and the Leopold Center, along withfarmer liaisons.

•••

The web site for the Iowa Produce Mar-ket Potential Calculator received an awardof merit recently from the Society forTechnical Communication. The site wasselected from more than 100 entries in thecategory of user support tools. It was de-veloped by Michele Regenold and RandyBoeckenstedt, from the ISU Center forTransportation Research; with supportfrom Rich Pirog, Laura Miller, AndrewHug and Mary Adams of the Leopold Cen-ter. The site, which calculates the supplyand demand of fresh produce that can begrown in Iowa, is at: www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/calculator/home.htm.

•••

Thanks to the Leopold Center, studentsof all ages will become more familiar withthe writings of Aldo Leopold. Each yearthe Leopold Center provides copies of ASand County Almanac to participants in theIowa Master Conservationist program,which Iowa State University Extension willoffer in 10 counties in 2006. ISU studentswho are part of the Biology EducationTeaching and Learning (BETAL) commu-nity also receive a copy of the book.BETAL offers students an opportunity tobecome involved in service learningprojects, social activities and conferences.

•••

Leopold Center Distinguished FellowFred Kirschenmann is one of 18 membersserving on the Pew Commission on Indus-trial Animal Production. This is a two-yearcollaborative effort between the PewCharitable Trusts and the Johns HopkinsUniversity Bloomberg School of PublicHealth to study U.S. production of live-stock. The commission will host a series ofhearings throughout the United States andprepare a report of its findings. Othermembers include Kansas Governor JohnCarlin, Bill Nieman who founded NimanRanch meats, and actress Daryl Hannah.

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 2006 3

A conversation with interim director Jerry DeWittQ. What are your top priorities for the Leopold Center? What do you see happeningin the coming months?

I believe in tradition. Tradition canplay a comforting role and provide aplatform for recurring dialogue, ex-

ploration and progress. One tradition thatI think should be considered is reinstitut-ing the Leopold Center’s annual conference.

Early in its history, the Center broughttogether a diverse group of individualseach year who were filled with both hopeand energy. This gathering provided anopportunity for challenges to be aired,problems to be addressed and strong net-works of like-minded interest groups to beestablished.

The Leopold Center has occupied aunique place in Iowa since 1988. As weapproach our 20th year of service, leader-ship and hope, perhaps we should set oursights on renewing this annual gatheringto help set a bold course for the Center’sthird decade. This could be a tremendoushomecoming for people and ideas. Let meknow your thoughts on reviving this event.

Q. Are there other traditions youwant to rejuvenate?

The Center also has a long tradition ofactive listening, which has helped us bet-ter address the needs and ambitions ofIowans in agriculture. Part of our missionis to offer alternatives for a new future inagriculture.

Although we receive regular input onour programs through informal networks,I want to develop a more formalized pro-cess through which to gather people’sideas and thoughts. This process wouldhelp staff and advisory board membersanticipate problems and stay ahead of thecurve on issues, trends and emergingneeds on the rural landscape.

How could we best do this? I’m open toideas and want to hear from you. Maybewe could schedule town forums or com-munity visits, or some other type ofplanned event. This constant stream ofinputs and challenges is the lifeblood ofthe Center.

Q. In addition to an annualconference and listening events,what else might be on the horizon?

During the past several months, staffmembers have been reviewing the Center’scommunications efforts. I quickly discov-ered that the Leopold Center has a varietyof research findings and good, practicalinformation that needs to have greater vis-ibility with the people who can best use it.We will try to make this information morereadily available on regular radio reports,and work more closely with familiar Iowafarm publications to get this informationto you.

Q. What other partnerships are keyto meeting your top priorities?

Effective partnerships that are synergis-tic and on-the-ground make a differencein any organization. No one in Iowa hasadequate resources or talents to go it aloneon any issue, so we at the Leopold Centerare actively pursuing new avenues forpartnership with ISU Extension in deliveringour messages and good, solid information.

Iowa State University Extension ranksamong the very best, if not the best in thenation, in education and outreach andstands ready to work closely with the Cen-ter. In the future, we hope to provide ISUExtension staff in 100 county offices withtimely and practical information to betterserve local farmers, communities and en-trepreneurs. My goal is that this partner-ship will help the Leopold Center fulfillthe third part of its mission: to more fullyinform Iowans about emerging alternativepractices that will build and sustain Iowaagriculture into the 21st century.

As always, I’d like to hear from you.Send me your ideas and comments byemail, jdewitt@iastate.edu, or call me atthe Center, (515) 294-3711.

Two grants from the Leopold Center’sMarketing and Food Systems Initiativehave been used to obtain funds for anew Southwest Iowa EntrepreneurialCenter. The new center will serve 22counties in southwest Iowa. TheSouthwest Iowa Coalition recently re-ceived a $300,000 Rural CommunityDevelopment Initiative grant from the

U.S. Department of Agriculture to openthe center. The group also has receivedfunds from the Iowa Department of Eco-nomic Development. Leopold Center activities that are partof this regional effort include twoprojects to explore niche markets forproducers. ISU extension specialistLynn Adams used a $21,000 grant to

conduct the “Kitchen Project,” a seriesof meetings that involved 54 producersand processors. ISU extension special-ist Steve Adams is receiving $18,000over two years to survey 1,711 foodvendors in southwest Iowa to deter-mine their interest in purchasing natu-ral, organic, locally grown items fortheir businesses. A producer networkwill be developed during the secondyear of the project.

Leveraging Leopold

4 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

study for a mobile, on-farm processingunit for freezing produce, a two-yearproject to connect midsize producers withretail and foodservice distributors, andsupport for food and farm incubators atMarshalltown Community College.

The Ecology Initiative also will fund 13new projects, including projects that em-phasize grasslands management for foragequality for grazing as well as bird wildlifemanagement.

“We want to identify and demonstrateopportunities to create viable farm enter-prises that mix perennial and annual agri-cultural systems,” said Ecology Initiativeleader Jeri Neal. “These kinds of systemscan benefit both the farmer and the envi-ronment, but they require a different mixof management skills and resources.”

Neal says that there are numerous op-portunities in the state to support transi-

ECOLOGY GRANTS LOOK AT SYSTEMS THAT MIX PERENNIALS, ANNUALSGRANTSGRANTSGRANTSGRANTSGRANTS (continued from page 1)

tions to these kinds of systems, for ex-ample, one new project will look at a moreeconomical way for small and midsizecattle feeders to use co-products fromethanol production plants. The researchersare investigating several methods to makepellets from distillers grains. Pellets aremore easily transported and stored thanwet distillers grains. The project includesfeeding trials and farmer cooperators.

Other projects look more closely at thescience behind practice, and includebreeding for improved forage and biomasscrops, tailoring a soil quality index for hor-ticulture food crops, and learning moreabout the N-uptake abilities of nativegrasses.

Four grants in the Policy Initiative focuson federal farm programs. The Iowa Farm-ers Union and Women, Food and Agricul-ture Network used grants to conduct lis-

tening sessions around Iowa in Februaryand March 2006. Reports from the meet-ings will be shared with policy makers andvarious government agency personnel asthe 2007 Farm Bill is developed.

The Beginning Farmer Center and Cen-ter for Rural Affairs received a two-yeargrant to analyze the impact of the farm billon beginning and midsize farms. Thefourth grant includes a survey of the top-tier Iowa farmers enrolled in the Conser-vation Security Program and the program’simpact on land stewardship practices.

Karlen also said the study points to aneed to create markets and uses for foragecrops so that producers will have financialincentives to diversify their crop rotations.

“Larger farm size, specialization andseparation of agricultural crop and animalenterprises – along with pressure to maxi-mize short-term profit throughout thenation’s corn and soybean belt – havedecreased implementation of long-term croprotations over the past 50 years,” Karlensaid. “The result has been crop rotations thatleave land bare for nearly six months eachyear, spurring organic-matter decomposi-tion and erosion if the soils are tilled.”

The researchers collected soil samplesfrom three long-term crop rotation studiesand one long-term organic study in Iowaand Wisconsin. They analyzed the samplesfor several physical, chemical and biologi-cal soil quality indicators, which werethen used to develop an overall soilquality index (SQI).

Soil samples from extended rotationsthat included at least three years of foragecrops such as alfalfa and oats scored thehighest SQI values. The lowest SQI valueswere associated with continuous corn.

Soil samples from continuous corn hadlow scores for compaction, percent waterstable aggregates (an indicator of potentialcrusting, runoff or slow infiltration), acid-ity, soil organic matter and biological activ-ity (measured by microbial biomass carbon).

Total organic matter was the most sensitiveindicator, showing significant differencesat all locations.

Profit was calculated by subtractingcosts of production from potential incomebased on actual crop yields and the 20-year average non-government supportedcommodity prices from the National Agri-cultural Statistics Service (NASS) database.

Karlen said researchers are using similarprocesses to study crop rotations in otherparts of the country. The ARS study inIowa and Wisconsin was significant be-cause it confirms that extended rotationsare important in the northern corn belt.

ARS is the U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s (USDA’s) chief scientific re-

See special insert for grant list.Click on the Marketing, Policy

and Ecology icons for moredetails of 2006 grant projects:

www.leopold.iastate.edu

ROTATIONS WITH THREE YEARS OF FORAGE MAINTAINED SOIL QUALITY, PROFITSOILSOILSOILSOILSOIL (continued from page 1)

The study, Crop Rotation Effectson Soil Quality at Three Northern

Corn/Soybean Belt Locations,is available on the web site of

the Agronomy Journal at:http://agron.scijournals.org

About the Leopold Center connection

Karlen was principal investigator for a two-year, $40,000 grant from the LeopoldCenter in 1997. The grant funded collection and analysis of 925 soil samples fromfour long-term crop rotation research plots. The plots comparing different croprotations were located at the ISU Northern Research Farm near Kanawha, the ISUNortheast Research Farm near Nashua (including crop rotation plots and organicresearch plots), and a USDA-ARS research station in southwest Wisconsin.

Karlen said that when the information was first analyzed, only some of the soilquality indicators showed significant differences between the rotations. Karlencontinued this work after the Leopold Center grant ended, further refining theframework to measure soil quality. “The investment the Leopold Center made almosta decade ago is beginning to pay off,” he said. “It was a real jumpstart in our workon trying to figure out how to measure soil quality because it gave us a database towork with. And like most scientific endeavors, sometimes it takes time to develop.”

search agency. Collaborators in the studyincluded colleagues Cynthia Cambardellaand David Meek from the National SoilTilth Laboratory; scientists with the SoilQuality Team of USDA’s Natural ResourcesConservation Service; and Iowa State Uni-versity faculty Michael Duffy (economics)and Antonio Mallarino (agronomy).

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 2006 5

W e might assume that Leopold’s wonderful essays,written in the 1930s and 1940s, would not havemuch relevance for 21st century agriculture, but we

would be wrong. In fact, Leopold’s visionary ideas about agricul-ture may be more relevant today than they were when he firstproposed them. Here are several insights from Leopold that offerpragmatic solutions to some of today’s farming dilemmas.

All wilderness areas, no matter how small or imperfect,have a large value to land-science. The important thing isto realize that recreation is not their only or even their prin-cipal utility. In fact, the boundary between recreation andscience, like the boundaries between park and forest, ani-mal and plant, tame and wild, exists only in the imperfec-tions of the human mind.

Leopold recognized that we cannot isolate wilderness from therest of the world. In nature, everything is interconnected and in-terdependent. Consequently, we need wildness on our farms inorder for farming to be efficient and productive. One examplewould be pollination by native bees, responsible for one of everythree mouthfuls of the food we eat. We also know that we cannotmaintain wilderness in secluded patches. Important as wilderness“preserves” are, we still lose species at an unsustainable rate.Leopold acknowledged the need for farms that are natural habi-tats in order to maintain vibrant wilderness areas.

The trend in animal ecology shows, with increasing claritythat all animal behavior-patterns, as well as most environ-mental and social relationships, are conditioned and con-trolled by density. I have studied animal populations fortwenty years, and I have yet to find a species devoid ofmaximum density controls … in all species one is im-pressed by one common character: If one means of reduc-tion fails, another takes over.

Leopold observed that highly specialized systems were not viablewithout massive energy inputs to hold back nature’s natural ten-dency to reduce dense populations of plants and animals. Hedocumented how dense populations of species inevitably becomevectors for pests and diseases. Given this ecological principle, it isevident that nature has given permission for our highly special-ized mono-culture farming systems to thrive only by virtue of thehuge infusion of technologies made affordable by the availabilityof cheap fossil energy. As we all know, that cheap resource willnot be available much longer.

Conservation introduced the idea that the more useful wildspecies could be managed as crops, but the less usefulones were ignored and the predaceous ones fought, just asin the pioneering days … agencies were set up to tell us

Aldo Leopold and 21st Century agricultureGovernor Vilsack proclaimed April 2006 as Aldo Leopold Month to honor the Iowa native forhis contributions to natural resource and wildlife management. While Leopold's work in theseareas has been widely recognized, his contributions to agriculture are less acclaimed.

whether the red-tailed hawk, the gray gopher, the ladybeetle, and the meadowlark are useful, harmless orinjurious to man.”

Leopold was wary of the effort to judge the importance of anyspecies based on its utilitarian value. Contemporary ecologistsagree with Leopold. Kevin McCann warns that “if we wish to pre-serve an ecosystem and its component species then we are best toproceed as if each species is sacred” because we can never deter-mine all of the services provided by the complex inter-relation-ships and emergent properties of earth’s living system. As we rushahead to introduce novel species, to simplify farm managementwith our new technological capabilities, we may want to ponderthese ecological insights more carefully.

When the land does well for its owner, and the owner doeswell by his land; when both end up better by reason oftheir partnership, we have conservation. When one or theother grows poorer, we do not.

Leopold recognized that we will never have conservation unlesswe create an economy that encourages a mutually beneficial rela-tionship between the farmer and the land. This may be one ofLeopold’s most powerful insights for farmers and conservationiststoday. What must develop a culture of care that maintains resil-ience – the capacity of land for self-renewal – of the entire ecosys-tem, including farmland.

It was inevitable and no doubt desirable that the tremen-dous momentum of industrialization should have spread tofarm life. It is clear to me, however, that it has overshot themark … it is generating new insecurities, economic andecological, in place of those it was meant to abolish. In itsextreme form, it is humanly desolate and economically un-stable. These extremes will some day die of their own too-much, not because they are bad for wildlife, but becausethey are bad for the farmer.

Given his insights into both farming and conservation, Leopoldconcluded that agriculture would eventually be forced to abandon its“industrial” character, attractive as it may have been. His conclusionno longer seems as revolutionary as it did in 1945, now that we’veseen the economic ruin visited upon farmers, ecological destructioninflicted on the land, and the high cost of energy imposed on ourindustrial economies. Nor is it hard to believe that farming andconservation, environmental care and socio-economic well-being,must go hand in hand.

6 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

When Jack Payne became ViceProvost for Extension andOutreach at Iowa State

University on January 15, 2006, he didn’tknow that ISU was home to a centerhonoring one of the most admired figuresin his chosen academic field, AldoLeopold. Payne has spent much of hiscareer engaged in fisheries and wildlifemanagement, and Leopold was one of thegodfathers of modern U.S. conservationand resource management studies.

When asked about his longtime respectfor Leopold’s life and work, Payne re-sponds enthusiastically.

“My graduate degrees are in wildlifemanagement and Aldo Leopold has a spe-cial place in that discipline because hefounded the first wildlife department inthe country at the University of Wiscon-sin,” Payne explained. “Leopold was atrained forester and up until that time,wildlife science was not a separate disci-pline within universities.”

Payne has a copy of Leopold’s GameManagement, the first textbook on wildlifemanagement, published in 1933.

”Even today, with over 70 years of sci-entific wildlife management behind us, nowildlife professional has been quite as el-egant in their writings as was Leopold,” hesaid. “From his essays you will get a greatsense of who the man was.”

Payne describes himself as a secondgeneration Leopold student. “I was privi-leged to have some of Leopold’s formerstudents as professors during my graduateschool years. Among them were Allen

New ISU Extension leader values Leopold’s legacy, links with CenterBy Mary Adams Editor

Stokes, who was just finishing hisdoctorate under Leopold whenLeopold died fighting the grassfire at his famous shack, and Rob-ert McCabe, whose son shared agraduate student office with meand was the envy of all because hehad Leopold’s desk chair as his own.”

A guiding philosophyAs a result, Payne said many of

Leopold’s philosophies guide his ownworld views.

“Leopold believed as I do that the futureof American wildlife lay largely on privateland, in the attitudes and decisions ofAmerican farmers, not in the bureaucracyof government,” Payne said. “That is why Ifeel privileged to have the opportunity as aconservationist to work in agriculture, towork with the men and women who aremaking a living off of the land.”

After learning about the Leopold Center,Payne also was interested to note that hisnew domain, ISU Extension, plays a bigrole in helping fulfill the Center’s mission.The founding legislation for the LeopoldCenter, the 1987 Groundwater ProtectionAct, calls for the Center to “develop in as-sociation with the Iowa cooperative exten-sion service in agricultural and home eco-nomics an educational framework to in-form the agricultural community and thegeneral public of its findings.”

ISU Extension faculty and staff havetraditionally been key players in sharingCenter research findings, and also havebeen principal investigators on many

projects. Payne sees even more oppor-tunities for ISU Extension and the Centerto interact to the benefit of both organiza-tions.

“I am very pleased and excited that JerryDeWitt is now serving as the Leopold Cen-ter interim director,” Payne said. “Jerry is agreat communicator, scientist and most im-portantly, an Extension faculty member witha long successful history of bringing science-based information to the people of Iowa.

“There is so much outstanding discoveryongoing at the Center, it is especially im-portant today that those results be com-municated with Iowa’s producers andother affected clientele. With Jerry’s leader-ship I am sure that the outreach and exten-sion activities of the Center will increasegreatly.”

A conservation perspectivePayne came to ISU from Utah State Uni-

versity in Logan where he served as vicepresident for University Extension, direc-tor of the Utah Cooperative Extension Ser-vice, dean of continuing education, andwas a tenured professor in the College ofNatural Resources. He also served on thefaculties of Texas A&M University andPennsylvania State University, and spent10 years with Ducks Unlimited as theirnational director of conservation.

Much of Payne’s career experience hasbeen geared to the wildlife side of naturalresource management, but he also has hadan opportunity to observe how sustainableagriculture can play a role in wildlife pres-ervation and woodland restoration. Paynealready envisions ways in which Leopold’sland ethic can help ISU Extension and theCenter to better serve the people of Iowa.

“It is most fitting for Iowa as a leadingagricultural state to have a center for sus-tainable agriculture named after AldoLeopold, a wildlife professor,” he ex-plained. “Leopold wrote constantly aboutthe responsibilities that go along hand inhand with the rights of owning privateland, especially ag land.

“Leopold once said of agriculture that

Words from Leopold, the master conservationist

That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology,but that land is to be loved and respected is an extensionof ethics. That wildlife is merely something to shoot at or look atis the grossest of fallacies. It often represents thedifference between rich country and mere land.

In dire necessity somebody might write another Iliad, or paint an Angelus, butfashion a goose?... If, then, we can live without goose music, we may as well do awaywith stars, or sunsets, or Iliads. But the point is that we would be fools to do away withany of them.

A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turnreflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is thecapacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort tounderstand and preserve this capacity. PAYNEPAYNEPAYNEPAYNEPAYNE (continued on page 7)

There is so much outstandingdiscovery ongoing at the LeopoldCenter, it is important that thoseresults be communicated withIowa’s producers. – Jack Payne,Vice Provost for Extension

Photo courtesy Aldo LeopoldFoundation Archives

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 2006 7

Born in 1887, Aldo Leopold wasthe oldest son in a prominent fam-ily that owned the Leopold Desk

Company in Burlington. He spent much ofthe first 16 years of his life outdoors, ob-serving wildlife and exploring the woodedlimestone bluffs along the MississippiRiver. The Leopold home overlooked theriver, and hunting and fishing were popu-lar family activities.

Leopold left Iowa in 1903 to attend anEastern prep school, returning only forfamily visits. Although he lived most of hisadult life in the Southwest and in Wiscon-sin, the Iowa landscape that Leopold lovedas child no doubt influenced his laterwork as a forester and educator.

Leopold spent several years as a privateconsultant surveying game populations inthe Midwest. The information was in-cluded in his 1931 book, Game Survey ofIowa, and was used to develop a portion ofIowa’s game management policy.

To explore Leopold’s Iowa roots, morethan 50 people gathered in Burlington onMarch 25 to attend a half-day LeopoldLand Ethic Forum organized by theLeopold Heritage Group. One of the goalsof the event was to introduce landownersand stakeholders in conservation to orga-nizations that offer resources for wetlandpreservation, restoration and forest conser-vation. Featured speakers included repre-sentatives from several local organizations,the Leopold Center, the Iowa Departmentof Natural Resources and the Natural Re-sources Conservation Service.

Burlington forum explores Leopold’s Iowa roots

According to Ed Pembleton, who directsthe Leopold Education Project (LEP) forPheasants Forever, more than 8,000 edu-cators who influence at least 1.5 millionstudents nationwide have attended morethan 400 LEP workshops over the past 10years. The workshops use Leopold’s bookof essays, A Sand County Almanac, as a textfor lessons to reconnect people withnature.

Sally Collins, associate chief for the U.S.Forest Service, said she shared many ofthe philosophies espoused by Leopoldwhen he worked for the U.S. Forest Ser-vice during its early years. She also shareda personal connection: her husband’suncle, Carl Leopold, was Aldo’s youngerbrother.

“Leopold realized that it took humilityto manage land. When you cut trees, theydon’t always grow back,” Collins said. “Ihave great hope that if Aldo Leopold werehere today he would appreciate the U.S.Forest Service’s move toward a restorationphilosophy that uses nature as a guide andfire as a tool.”

The Leopold Heritage Group alsoworked with Senator Tom Courtney (D-Burlington), who introduced state legisla-tion that would permanently designateApril as Aldo Leopold Month. As of presstime, the legislation was still in committee;however, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack ap-proved a one-year proclamation for the2006 celebration, which was in April.

Aldo Leopold’s brother, Frederick,propagated numerous wild flowers,shown above in full bloom, at theLeopold home on Clay Street.

we are too enamored of show pieces. Wehave not yet learned to think in small cogsand wheels that determine healthy land.He believed that only knowledge of itscogs and wheels can build a lasting affectionfor the land and affection underpins ethics.”

As a keen outdoorsman, interested in avariety of sports, Payne can see potentialfor more outdoor recreation in Iowa.

“I love all forms of recreational huntingand fishing,” Payne said. “As an Extensionwildlife specialist in Texas, I had the op-portunity first hand to see how huntingand fishing leases can provide valuableextra income for farmers and rancherswhile also providing an incentive for thelandowner to conserve and manage the

EXTENSION VICE PROVOST SEES IMPORTANT ROLE FOR LEOPOLD CENTER RESEARCHPAYNE PAYNE PAYNE PAYNE PAYNE (continued from page 6)

wildlife habitat existing on the property. Insome cases these leases helped to keepthese farms and ranches in productionagriculture.”

Even though he’d barely gotten theboxes unpacked in his new office inBeardshear Hall, Payne took time out ofhis busy schedule to do some advancereading about the Leopold Center andmeet with the Center’s review team duringtheir site visit in March.

“It was great to hear the high praisefrom the national team of scientists whoparticipated in the review of the LeopoldCenter. They were extremely complimen-tary of the Center’s successes to date andtheir plans for the future,” he said. “I

strongly believe that the Center with itsexceptional scientists and outreach facultywill continue to add to the quality of life ofIowa’s citizens and bring important sus-tainable practices to the many men andwomen of Iowa who continue to make aliving off the land.”

As Vice Provost for Extension and Out-reach at Iowa State, Payne will serve asdirector of cooperative extension, whichhas programs in agriculture and naturalresources, communities and economicdevelopment, families and 4-H youth de-velopment. The vice provost also adminis-ters University Extension, which includesbusiness and industry programs and con-tinuing education offerings.

The Leopold home overlooks theMississippi River.

8 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

Steve Williams is among a newbreed of Iowa farmers whose worktakes him well beyond organic

fields and pastures.In fact, this fifth-generation farmer from

southwest Iowa doesn’t own a dairy cow.Yet organic milk from the Naturally Iowaplant in Clarinda that Williams owns withBill Horner of Red Oak and Ed May ofOmaha will be sold to the Costco chain ofwarehouse club retail stores. Organic icecream, packaged with the Falk’s premiumlabel, is already available at Costco storesin five Midwestern states. And within thenext several months, Williams hopes theplant will start production of its new lineof drinkable organic yogurt.

Naturally Iowa buys organic milk fromthree Iowa dairy farmers, and will expandto eight farmers by summer 2006. Housedin a remodeled Pamida store in Clarinda,the plant has been in production sinceJune 2005 and now employs 10 people.

Emerging marketsConsidered small by most dairy indus-

try standards, Naturally Iowa is playing ahuge role in new niche market opportuni-ties for Iowa producers.

“Naturally Iowa is building the capacitythat Iowa needs to open doors for nichedairy farms in Iowa,” said Rich Pirog, whodirects the Leopold Center’s Marketing andFood Systems Initiative and the Value ChainPartnerships project. “Iowa needs thesesmall and midsize farmers as well as thelocally owned processing facilities that cansupply some of these emerging markets.”

Williams was one of seven farmers who

‘New generation’ producer finds new marketsBy LAURA MILLER Newsletter editor

shared their experiences at a series of“Bridging the Gap” workshops throughoutIowa in March. Each workshop was de-signed for farmers and processors whowant to increase their sales of locallygrown or “place-based” foods to new cus-tomers in educational institutions, healthcare facilities, restaurants and hotels, gro-cery and convenience stores.

“If you’re going to sell to food service orother companies, you need to understandthat it will require an entirely new level ofbusiness skills than selling directly,” Will-iams said. “There are so many other issuesto think about, from the insurance neededfor product liability, to having a deliverytruck that can unload at a dock. It’s a dif-ferent level of sophistication.”

Making connectionsWilliams has learned these and other

lessons since 2002, when Naturally Iowawas just an idea. Since then, Horner andWilliams have taken the company throughdevelopment of a farmer supply network,products, labels and packaging, and find-ing investors, to creation and implementa-

tion of marketing andbusiness plans.

The most valuableassistance, he said, camefrom members of theRegional Food SystemsWorking Group of theValue Chain Partner-ships project. The groupincludes farmers, pro-cessors, researchers andstaff from various agen-cies and nongovernmen-tal organizations.

“This group haspeople involved in otheraspects of the valuechain who were awareof what we might need

to do next,” Williams said. “They also werefamiliar with the institutions that wewanted to sell to, which was a great helpso we might know what to expect.”

The Value Chain Partnerships project,supported by a grant from the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, also has workedclosely with Naturally Iowa to documentthe process so that startup lessons can beshared with other entrepreneurs. Theproject has helped by tackling some of theobstacles that would have been difficult, ifnot impossible, for a single entrepreneurto manage.

Testing new conceptsFor instance, how to locate environmen-

tally friendly milk and yogurt bottles?Naturally Iowa wanted to use biode-

gradable packaging made from a renew-able resource. The material, made fromcorn and marketed by Cargill Dow underthe brand name NatureWorks, had neverbeen used for milk. The BioeconomyWorking Group (also part of the ValueChain Partnerships project) provided asmall grant to test the safety of the bottlesat ISU’s Department of Food Science andHuman Nutrition.

“Last September, we became the firstcompany in the world to put milk in thisbottle,” Williams said. “Because of ourbottle’s unique qualities, we got an audi-ence with Costco, which allowed us to geta contract.”

Williams said a number of other dairiesare interested in the bottles. NaturallyIowa has shipped samples to companiesthroughout the United States, Japan, Koreaand Australia.

Naturally Iowa also received a grantfrom the Regional Food Systems WorkingGroup to partner with Food Alliance Mid-west. The grant included funds for testingproducts for the Des Moines and Omahamarkets, as well as development of salesstrategies and marketing messages.

“We know there’s a demand for naturaland organic dairy products,” said JimEnnis, who directs Food Alliance Midwest

Regional Food SystemsWorking Group:

www.valuechains.org/rfswg.html

Naturally Iowa:www.naturallyiowa.com

DAIRYDAIRYDAIRYDAIRYDAIRY (continued on page 9)

Steve Williams is a ‘new generation’ farmer who bridgesthe gap between production, processing and marketing.

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 2006 9

in Minneapolis. “This sector has beengrowing 15 to 19 percent each year andwe’re expecting a double-digit growth ratethe next five years.”

It can be a challenge, however, makingthe switch from direct markets to workingwith food distributors.

“Some people think that they only needto get a product ready for market and that

Food distributors for institutional andretail markets in Iowa want to hearfrom farmers.

That’s the upshot from a survey of 21distributors who work with the institu-tional food service, retail grocery andconvenience store markets in Iowa.Connie Hardy, program specialist withthe Iowa State University ExtensionValue Added Agriculture program,interviewed the distributors as part ofa new two-year grant from theLeopold Center Marketing and FoodSystems Initiative and the Alces Foun-dation. The purpose of the grant is tohelp Iowa farmers and processorswho want to move from the localsales arena to larger institutional andretail markets.

“Many of the distributors showed asincere interest in working with thesmall producer, and are willing to gothe extra mile to get local produce.I’m very encouraged by what Iheard,” Hardy said.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s a goodidea to show up at a warehouse or super-market with a truckload of watermelons.

“They really like producers who want tosell to them to come to them first, evenbefore they have products ready, to workout an arrangement,” she said. “They em-phasized that they want a product with astory, something they can tell the customerabout what makes this product special.”

Hardy said farmers should understandthat food service distributors have cus-tomers with differing needs. Some prima-rily serve restaurants and health care fa-cilities, while others might distribute tocollege dining services. She said nationaldistributors often demand more productconsistency and availability throughoutthe year, which can be a limiting factor forIowa producers.

The information was presented to about80 people who attended “Bridging theGap” workshops in Fairfield, Atlantic, Ser-geant Bluff and Waterloo during March.

Advice from distributors: Tell us your story Below, Jeff Jobe, from the USDA RuralDevelopment program presents at theFairfield workshop.

Also presenting were several farmersand representatives from Hy-Vee FoodStores and SYSCO Corporation.

Future grant activities include discus-sions with food service customers, pro-duction of web-based tools on formingproducer supply networks, and avail-ability for one-on-one consultationswith producers. To get a list of foodsales contacts or other information fromthe workshop, contact Hardy at (515)294-8519, chardy@iastate.edu.

Next to organic markets, the market forniche beef is the next big growth area, ac-cording to livestock consultant and mar-keter Allen Williams.

Williams spoke to a packed house at thePractical Farmers of Iowa annual confer-ence in January. His workshop, “Tune-upfor Grass-Based Production and Market-ing,” was sponsored by Leopold Center’sgrassland agriculture program.

Williams said “natural” beef sales were$250 million in 2003, and there’s plenty ofroom for more branded and non-brandedproducts. He said consumers are con-

cerned about the use of feed-grade antibi-otics and synthetic hormones in beef pro-duction. They’re also demanding betterflavor and guaranteed tenderness, whichWilliams says is driven more by animalgenetics than feedstock or finishing.

Williams serves as consultant to 10 dif-ferent branded beef programs and morethan 400 individual producers nationwide.He is founding partner and vice presidentof the Jacob Alliance LLC, which special-izes in the use of beef imaging analysis ofanimals to determine various qualities in-cluding meat tenderness. He also serves as

Presentation by Allen Williamson beef market trends:

www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/pastevents/beef/williams.htm

Workshop targets niche beef market opportunities

a member of the Leadership Team for theAssociation of Family Farms, an organiza-tion the Leopold Center helped found toassist midsize farmers to develop market-ing networks featuring their own brand.

SWITCHING FROM DIRECT TO RETAIL MARKETS CAN BE A CHALLENGEDAIRY DAIRY DAIRY DAIRY DAIRY (continued from page 8)

the distributors will pick it up and sell itfor you,” Ennis said. “You need to have apull-through strategy that guides yourproducts through the distribution system.You also need to have a promotion pro-gram that educates distributors and theircustomers about your new products.”

Ennis said processors can benefit frompackaging products under private labels,

rather than developing their own label.“Developing your own brand may be re-warding in the long term, but it’s an ex-tremely expensive endeavor and you needto include those costs in your marketingplan,” he explained.

Williams also worked with a team of ISUagriculture and business students who con-ducted a market survey as a class project.

10 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

Engaging Agriculture” is theLeopold Center’s newest annualreport featuring the many activi-

ties and research projects that were con-ducted or supported during fiscal year2005. In a 44-page publication with illus-trations, the Center shares the year’s striv-ing and accomplishments.

Sections outlining the work done by thethree research initiatives in policy, ecology,and marketing and food systems cover thecompetitive grants, research program ac-tivities and related special projects. All

Center tells of “Engaging Agriculture” at many levels in 2005three initiatives report on their educationand outreach efforts on campus andaround Iowa, ranging from seminars andworkshops to field days and computer-simulation demonstrations.

Readers will learn about the results ofwork funded through the Center’s long-term commitment to organic agricultureresearch conducted by Iowa State Univer-sity and the continuing support of innova-tive on-farm research and demonstrationscarried out with Practical Farmers of Iowa.The Leopold Center has sought to engage

agriculture at many levels and with indi-viduals and communities throughout thestate. The annual report reflects the impor-tant themes of value chains work, land-scape change and policy options for farm-ers who want to operate sustainably.

The annual report is written and editedby Mary Adams of the Center staff, withartwork and production provided by JulsDesign of Ankeny, Iowa. To get a free copy,contact the Center office at (515) 294-3711.

The Leopold Center staff spent the week of March 20 host-ing members of a review team that assessed the Center’swork since 1998. The review process for departments andcenters is mandated by Iowa State University, and theCenter’s evaluation had been in the works since June 2005.

The Center was fortunate to have an excellent review teamconsisting of three outside evaluators and three Iowa stake-holders. Team members were:• Jill S. Auburn, National Sustainable Agriculture Research

and Education (SARE) program director, USDA-CSREES,Washington, D.C. (review team chair)

• Jim Andrew, Greene County farmer, Jefferson, Iowa• Nancy G. Creamer, associate professor of Horticultural

Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NorthCarolina.

• Rich Degner, executive director, Iowa Pork Producers As-sociation, Clive, Iowa

China’s first hoop building used forhog production is near Beijing. Fabricused for the roof casts a blue glowinside the building.

An Iowa State University re-searcher who worked with the Leopold Center’s Hoop Group

has helped China design its first hoopbuilding for swine production.

Built near Beijing, the test buildinghouses 120 feeder pigs. Although Chinahas greenhouse hoops, the structures arenot suited for livestock, according to JayHarmon, professor in the Department ofAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

“The biggest challenge was finding ma-terials that would work,” he said. “Fabricused in U.S. hoops is actually sewn inChina but was not available for thisproject.” Due to cultural constraints (woodis seen as a temporary construction mate-rial), the frame is made of concrete withsliding glass doors on each end, he added.

Harmon and ISU colleague HongweiXin have a USDA Foreign Agricultural Ser-vice grant to help the Chinese Academy of

ISU researchers advise Chinese hoop projectAgricultural Sciences learn how to con-serve water and control pollution in live-stock production. Harmon said hoopstructures offer this advantage due to theuse of deep bedding.

Harmon and Xin visited China andhosted a Chinese group last summer. TheISU scientists are returning to Beijing inMay to help evaluate the hoops progress.The Leopold Center formed the HoopGroup in 1997 and funded several years ofresearch that led to their extensive use inIowa. The Center also received four yearsof federal funding to help leverage hoopsresearch in Iowa.

Team completes external review of Leopold Center programs• Larry Kallem, retired, former executive director, Iowa Insti-

tute of Cooperatives, Madrid, Iowa• Gary Nabhan, director, Center for Environmental Sciences

and Education, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff,Arizona

The team received a self-study document prepared by theCenter prior to the visit. During their time in Ames they metwith administrators from Iowa State University and the Col-lege of Agriculture; advisory board members; farmers; ISUfaculty, DEOs, and center directors; representatives fromfarm groups, NGOs, conservation and environmental groups;collaborators from other institutions; and Center staff.

The team has submitted a report of their findings and rec-ommendations for future actions to the ISU Provost’s Office.The Center, in consultation with the advisory board, will pro-vide a formal, written response to the team’s suggestions.

LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 18 NO.1 • SPRING 2006 11

Farmers express farm policy concernsBy LEIGH ADCOCK Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation

Do you know your ecological footprint?Is Humanity Sustainable?

and Agriculture’s Contribution toOur Ecological Footprint:www.leopold.iastate.edu/

news/pastevents/rees/rees.htm

Iowa farmers are caught in a bind:current federal farm subsidy pro- grams reward intensive corn-soy-

bean cropping systems, which farmersknow are unhealthy for the soil and theenvironment. Yet conservation programsincluded in the 2002 Farm Bill are over-subscribed, underfunded and difficult toaccess, farmers say.

About 50 producers attended six listen-ing sessions focused on the upcomingFarm Bill and held in various locationsaround Iowa during February. Funded bya 2006 grant from the Leopold Center’sPolicy Initiative, the sessions were con-ducted by the Iowa Farmers Union (IFU)Education Foundation.

Common themes emerged at each ses-sion. Almost all farmers want to be goodstewards of the land, but in order to makea living, they are forced to use loan defi-ciency payments and commodity subsidiesthat are tied to a very few crops: in Iowa,corn and soybeans. This mono-croppingdepletes the soil, requiring the use of moreand more chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Farmers also were concerned about lowcommodity prices, which have forcedthem to sell grain below the cost of pro-duction and rely on federal support tocontinue farming.

“I was never in the [subsidy] program

until 2002,” said WayneDemmer, a farmer fromDyersville. “The govern-ment should assist farmerswhen they need it. The con-cept was a safety net tomaintain prices.”

Most farmers mentionedthat the bulk of the subsidypayments go to a small per-centage of producers, oftenlarge operators who know how to “farmthe system.”

Other participants said they worried thattheir sons or daughters who want to farmwill not be able to make a living.

Land prices and cash rent rates are toohigh, which some farmers feel is worsenedby the 1031 land exchange, a tax shelterfor those who sell property and purchase“like” property within a limited time. Manyurban property owners are selling build-ings and purchasing Iowa farmland at in-flated prices through the 1031 exchange.

Participants also discussed the need toconnect young or beginning farmers tothose who are getting ready to retire. Onesuggestion was a federal income tax creditfor producers who transition land to a newfarmer.

“One farm can’t support two families,”another farmer said. “We need to work on

alternative, value-added production beingaccessible to beginning farmers. You won’tget small farmers back on the land in com-modity production.”

Most of the producers favored farmer-owned alternative energy production, suchas ethanol, bio-diesel and biomass crops.Some stressed that farmer ownership iscrucial. “I don’t want us to become an en-ergy colony for eastern investors,” oneproducer commented.

Other concerns included trade, organicissues, water and air quality, and concen-tration in the livestock industry. Com-ments from the sessions will be includedin a report that will be shared with variousgroups and policy makers. For informa-tion, contact the Iowa Farmers Union at(800) 775-5227.

An ecological footprint is the measure of how much land and water area a human populationneeds to produce the resources required tosustain itself and to absorb its wastes,given current technology. With the IowaState University Bioethics Program, theLeopold Center hosted a visit in Novem-ber 2005 by William Rees, the Canadianresearcher who helped develop the eco-logical footprint analysis in 1995. Sincethat time, the concept has won wide ac-ceptance as an effective tool to summarizehuman impact on the planet, coveringeverything from food production and landuse, to greenhouse gases and pollution.

The following information comes fromRees’ two presentations at ISU.

• According to 2001 data, the UnitedStates has a footprint that is 20 timeslarger than the poorest countries.Bangladesh and Pakistan have a foot-

print measuring less than 1.2 acres perperson, compared to 23.5 acres in theUnited States, 19.2 acres in Australia,16 acres in Canada, 13.6 acres in theUnited Kingdom, and approximately 5acres as a world average. In general,energy efficiencies have compensatedfor increases in the ecological footprint.

• One-fourth to one-fifth of the world’spopulation uses 86 percent of theworld’s resources. If the entire worldpopulation today enjoyed the same con-sumer lifestyles as residents of Canadaand the United States, it would takefour additional earth-like planets to ac-commodate everyone sustainably.

• To keep pace with medium populationgrowth projections estimated by theUnited Nations, food production mustincrease 57 percent by 2050. If diets areimproved, this could push the neededincrease toward 100 percent.

• Using current technology, about 1.2

acres per person are required to providethe diverse high-protein diet enjoyed bywestern Europeans and North Ameri-cans. However, only about 0.6 acres perperson is available as cropland for foodproduction.

• Most of the world’s nearly 200 nationsare partially dependent on food im-ports. Even some very wealthy coun-tries such as the Netherlands and theUnited Kingdom have food eco-foot-prints up to several times larger thantheir domestic cropland area. Just fivecountries – the United States, Canada,Australia, France and Argentina – ac-count for 80 percent of cereal exports inglobal food markets.

Participants at the listening session in Kensett included(left to right) Jim Berge, Kensett; Bruce Biederman,Grafton; Leigh Adcock, Iowa Farmers Union; NormBackhaus, Manly; and Richard Holstad, Northwood.

12 LEOPOLD LETTER • VOL. 1 8 NO.1 • SPRING 2006

Living mulch field day July 11The Leopold Center and Practical Farm-

ers of Iowa will host a field day July 11 atthe Craig and LaVon Griffieon farm nearAnkeny.

Several plots on the Griffieon farm dem-onstrate the use of living mulches to pro-tect soil, control weeds and reduce herbi-cide inputs in a corn-soybean-forage rota-tion. During the row crop phases of therotation, living mulches are chemicallymanaged in the row zone to minimizecompetition with the main crop. Themulches also provide refuges for naturalenemies of corn and soybean insect pests.

The research began in 2002, partiallyfunded by the Leopold Center. Research-ers have looked at soybean yield responseto kura clover, alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoilmulches. They also have found a reduc-tion in the soybean aphid population.

The field day will begin at 9 a.m. Formore information about the field day,contact PFI at (515) 232-5661.

Other summer field daysPractical Farmers of Iowa has scheduled

more than 20 field days in 2006. The first,on June 24 at the Dan Parizek farm nearTama, will focus on flax trials.

The Leopold Center is a major partnersupporting PFI’s on-farm research anddemonstration program.

Leopold Center-funded research alsowill be featured at field days for many ofthe Iowa State University Research andDemonstration Farms. Seventeen fielddays are scheduled throughout Iowa, be-ginning June 19 at the Horticulture Stationnear Ames where researchers will discussfruit and vegetable topics.

For a schedule of all field days, go to theLeopold Center web site events calendar,www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/events.htm.

What’s your footprint?The Leopold Center and the ISUBioethics Program hosted WilliamRees, a Canadian researcher whohelped develop the ecological foot-print analysis. Read about his presen-tation on page 11, or check out hismaterials on the Center web site,www.leopold.iastate.edu.