150 Points of Pride

The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a proud and distinguished history. As part of Iowa State's sesquicentennial celebration, 150 points of pride related to the College - accomplishments, discoveries, contributions, highlights, famous and interesting people - will be posted here. These postings will coincide with 150 days of the 2007-2008 academic year, beginning Aug. 20, 2007 and ending May 2, 2008, with time off for the Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. Check back each Monday for five new items.

Leopold Center

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture was one of several environmentally-related centers and programs created by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act (GWPA). This landmark legislation recognized the importance of agriculture to Iowa’s economy but also regarded the protection of natural resources and improvement of rural economies as essential for Iowa’s future. The new agriculturally-focused center was located at Iowa State University, but the GWPA mandated that advisory board members include representatives from other colleges and universities, government agencies and the farm community. Its three-fold mission was to conduct research to identify and reduce negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of agricultural practices; research and assist in developing emerging alternative practices that are consistent with a sustainable agriculture; and work with the Iowa cooperative extension service to inform the agricultural community and the general public of its findings. The center was named after Iowa-born conservationist Aldo Leopold, who saw the need for wise use of land and water resources and is probably best known for his 1948 book of essays, A Sand County Almanac.

Fast fact: The Iowa Legislature created the Leopold Center to research agricultural practices that are both profitable and protect the state's natural resources.

Dennis Keeney

Dennis Keeney came to Iowa from Wisconsin in 1988 to become the first director of the Leopold Center. He grew up on an Iowa dairy farm near Runnells, and was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin in soils and water chemistry. His vision of the Center as a catalyst for work that others might be reluctant to do yielded a host of innovations -- multidisciplinary research teams that focused on key Iowa issues, support of basic science to improve soil testing and nutrient management, and a broad-based grants program that entertained queries from all quarters. It also brought the Leopold Center an international reputation in research on groundwater quality, nitrogen use and interdisciplinary studies. While at the Center Keeney also served in leadership roles for the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America and the Iowa State Water Resources Research Institute. He retired in 1999 and is Senior Fellow for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis and the Department of Soil, Air and Water at the University of Minnesota. The Leopold Center hosted the Keeney Distinguished Lecture in Keeney's honor on October 22, 2007.

Fast fact: As the first director of the Leopold Center from 1988 through 1999, Dennis Keeney pioneered research and outreach on agricultural issues related to sustainability, land resource use, rural community development and water quality.

Multidisciplinary Issue Teams

The Leopold Center established and nurtured Iowa State University's first agricultural multidisciplinary research groups. These Issue Teams included researchers from a variety of academic departments, farmers and extension educators. There were five Issue Teams started in the late 1980s and early 1990s: Cropping Systems, Human Systems (1989); Animal Management, Manure Management (1990); and Agroecology (1991). The Weed Management Issue Team (1995) was a later addition. The Agroecology Issue Team built a series of buffers along Bear Creek in Story County and received national honors in 1999 when the USDA and Environmental Protection Agency named it one of 12 National Restoration Demonstration Watersheds. Using a similar approach, the Leopold Center supported research on alternative livestock production systems and hoop barns, creating the Hoop Group in 1998. The Leopold Center also supports research on organic crop production systems as part of its Long-term Agro-ecological Research Initiative (LTAR). LTAR celebrated 10 years at the Neely-Kinyon Research Farm near Greenfield in 2007, and is believed to be the largest randomized, replicated comparison of organic and conventional crops in the nation.

Fast fact: The Leopold Center created and supported innovative work across academic disciplines, some of which continues today.

Sustainable agriculture education and service

The Leopold Center has a history of service and support for new ideas and education. In 1993, the Center received one of 10 nationwide Innovations in State and Local Government awards from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The Center also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Iowa Academy of Science in 1997 for its work in science, technology and application of science to public service. At ISU, the Leopold Center supports the Henry A. Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture and provides stipends for students enrolled in the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture (GPSA), one of the nation's first graduate degree programs in sustainable agriculture at a land grant university. In 2003, with Leopold Center backing, the ISU College of Business became the first land grant university to offer a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) with a minor in sustainable agriculture.

Fast fact: The Leopold Center has helped Iowa State become a leader in educational opportunities in sustainable agriculture.

Spencer Award

David and Amy Petersen received the first Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture in 2002, one of Iowa's largest sustainable agriculture awards. The award recognizes a farmer, educator or researcher who has made a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture and the future of Iowa's family farms. It honors the beliefs, innovations and stewardship of Norman and Margaretha Spencer, who farmed in Sioux County for many years. The award carries a $1,000 stipend, thanks to an endowment from the Spencer family, and is administered by the Leopold Center. The Petersens operate a dairy farm near Blue Grass, and have close ties to ISU. Other honorees include Dave, Diane and Dresden Petty, from the Iowa River Ranch in Hardin County; Boone farmers Dick and Sharon Thompson, who helped create Practical Farmers of Iowa; long-time ISU sustainable agriculture educator Jerry DeWitt; and Ron and Maria Rosmann and sons who operate a diversified organic farm near Harlan in Shelby County.

Fast fact: The Spencer Award is one of Iowa's largest awards for a farmer, educator or researcher who has made a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture.

*Some historic photographs courtesy of the University Archives.

150 Points of Pride Archives