Fall 2008

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Letter from the Dean

Over the summer, I received a note from Nancy Degner, the executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council, telling me about a successful farm tour organized for 36 registered dietitians in Iowa.

The tour, organized by Nancy's organization, the Midwest Dairy Council and the Iowa Pork Producers Association, featured visits with farm families raising beef cattle and pigs in central Iowa. The tour group also toured the new ISU Dairy Farm and viewed the late-afternoon milking.

Nancy told me the dietitians learned how Iowa families care for their animals and address environmental issues, how co-products from ethanol plants can be fed to animals and how safe, nutritious meat and dairy products are produced. Accompanying the group were College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty and extension staff from animal science, food science and human nutrition and our Iowa Pork Industry Center.

Nancy concluded by stating, "I just wanted to let you know that having an ISU scientist or specialist at each stop really made the tour a success. We had the farmer present to tell their story, the family story, and then the science to back it up. Our three organizations really appreciate their assistance and your support."

I appreciated hearing about the efforts of Nancy and her colleagues and their plans to conduct more tours like this in different parts of the state. In an entirely different kind of effort, but with similar goals, Trent Loos, a journalist and rancher, made a journey in a chuck wagon to make a point about modern food production. Trent stopped at the Iowa State campus in August and talked to several of our faculty about the science, economics and food safety involved. I encourage you to watch some of Trent's video clips of his "LoosTales FoodLink Chuck Wagon Tour" on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/LoosTalesFoodLink.

We're learning more all the time about how science can impact food production and getting the story out through extension. We'll continue to do so, in partnership with groups like Nancy's and people like Trent.

Wendy Wintersteen

Endowed Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences