DIRT WARRIORS DEPLOY ISU TRAINING IN AFGHANISTAN

By Willy Klein

John Sawyer, extension soil fertility specialist, talks with ADT members about gathering soil samples.

The “Dirt Warriors” landed on Afghan soils in July ready to help rebuild the agricultural infrastructure and increase capacity of agricultural systems in the Kunar province.

The 60 members of the Iowa National Guard 734^th Agri-Business Development Team (ADT) coined their own nickname. The Iowa Army and Air National Guard members are also livestock and crop producers, veterinarians, agronomists, engineers, foresters, marketers and agribusiness professionals.

Their first order of business was to become familiar with Kunar province land, farmers, agricultural professionals and government officials. ADT senior officers focused on building relationships and learning how the Afghans see their agricultural needs. Such conversations and assessments gave the team solid footing for developing practical, sustainable initiatives to implement relatively quickly.

And training from Iowa State University is helping them put their plans into action.

Col. Craig Bargfrede, commander of the 734th, worked closely with Iowa State to design a training program for ADT in June. ISU faculty and extension specialists covered crops and soils, animal husbandry, small-scale poultry production and vegetable production.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Eric Pugh meets with young Afghans near an orchard demonstration project in Kunar province, Afghanistan.

“ISU Extension and the colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture and Life Sciences gave ADT members a common, basic knowledge they are using in Kunar,” says Gerald Miller, interim vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach. “The ADT learned about subject matter, but as importantly they observed professional educators teaching in a variety of learning environments.”

First Lieutenant Scott Rottinghaus meets with agricultural officials of Kunar province at the Governor’s Compound in Asadabad, Afghanistan.

Scott Rottinghaus, first lieutenant, and Eric Pugh, staff sergeant, are two ADT members anxious to put their Iowa State University education to work for the benefit of Kunar farmers.

“I always knew that I wanted to work with and around growing things,” says Pugh (’91 forestry resource management). “I have great enthusiasm for conservation and managing landscapes so people can make a living and thrive. I can put that enthusiasm to good use here.”

Rottinghaus (’03 ag business) enjoys farming and the military. “This deployment gives me the chance to combine these; something I never expected to happen. This is an opportunity to work directly with the Afghanistan people and government to improve the lives of the people,” he says.

The Dirt Warriors are fulfilling their purpose through ADT initiatives like improving an orchard irrigation demonstration farm and a row crop demonstration farm. They plan to help Afghan veterinary professionals promote the value of improving animal nutrition. They also will work to improve the quality and volume of agricultural radio programming and facilitate the development of a small provincial poultry industry.

Iowa State faculty and researchers continue to assist the Dirt Warriors by providing “reach back” – supporting them electronically as questions arise while they’re in Afghanistan.

Miller says the trainings and reach back give faculty and staff a chance to go beyond their normal role to serve the state and nation. “They feel honored to have the opportunity to be involved,” he says.

With ISU Extension as stateside support, the ADT is replicating extension outreach by providing education and advice. They hope to improve farming methods in an effort to reduce rural poverty and raise farm incomes. As Pugh says, “What better place to make a difference!”

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PARTNERS WORK FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN UGANDA

By Ed Adcock

Mark Westgate (left), Henry Kizito and Dorothy Masinde look over common bean plants, a popular crop in Uganda. They work together through the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods to foster rural development.

It doesn’t take long during a visit with a Ugandan family for Dorothy Masinde to tell if the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) is having an impact.

“We are very generous in Africa,” she explains. “When you come to my house, the first thing I do is offer you food. So if I go to a home and nothing is offered to me, I know there’s trouble here. If I come back and we’re offered food, we’ve made a difference—that to me is the joy of my job.”

Masinde is the center’s associate director for field operations, working full-time in Uganda. She started six years ago when the Iowa State University center was beginning its development programs.

According to Mark Westgate, agronomy professor and director of CSRL, they began with listening to what rural Ugandans need and want.

“We start by working with the local communities,” he says, “working with individual farmers and trying to find out what their needs are and help them work on those needs—in terms of production, getting them into markets, health, nutrition, keeping their kids in school; the kind of thing that will sustain them in the long run.”

When CSRL was preparing to begin its development work, Masinde says it sought partners with a similar vision and mission. They selected VEDCO, which stands for Volunteer Efforts for Development Concerns. It is a nongovernmental organization established in 1986 to deal with social and economic turmoil after Uganda’s civil war.

About 20 staff members are involved in the Iowa State projects in Uganda’s Kamuli district, according to VEDCO executive director Henry Kizito-Musoke. The organization provides extension services, links to regional and national authorities and a connection to the agricultural college at Makerere University.

One project supports small landholder farmers, who till between two and five acres. The assistance includes help with crop production, grain storage and marketing.

“The food we eat here comes from these small farmers who, more often than not, are poor,” Kizito-Musoke says. “So the kind of input that Iowa State and VEDCO are putting together plus Makerere will help these people sustainably till their land, feed their families, feed their communities and then look at regional and national markets for their produce.”

The center’s service learning project brings together Iowa State and Makerere faculty and students to teach students at rural primary schools how to garden. (Read about one student’s experience on page 13.)

CSRL is funded by private gifts through the ISU Foundation; the Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture; the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Experiment Station; and government and private grants.

Westgate says another reason the center has been successful is because it has these dedicated people working in the country.

“They know the issues—they are the program in country,” he says. “If we didn’t have them, CSRL wouldn’t be nearly as successful. The ones leading the program are committed to improving the lives of the small landholder farmers and young students.”

IOWA PORK INDUSTRY CENTER CONNECTS PRODUCERS WITH EXPERTS, RESEARCH

IPIC Director John Mabry (left) and IPPA producer education director Tyler Bettin

By Sherry Hoyer

Educational opportunities for Iowa pork producers don’t stop at the classroom door thanks to ongoing collaborative efforts between the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and Iowa State University.

“There’s so much information available that sometimes people don’t know where to turn,” says Tyler Bettin, IPPA director of producer education. “That’s why we appreciate our partnership with the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State. From science-based research to connections with experts around the world, they make sure we’re giving our members the best and most up-to-date knowledge we can.”

IPIC director John Mabry (MS ’74 animal breeding and genetics, PhD ’77) says the effort is a two-way street, and both appreciate what the other brings to the table.

“IPPA works with us at IPIC and ISU Extension on nearly everything we do,” he says. “We cosponsor a variety of workshops, seminars and programs throughout the year and bounce ideas off each other for new and improved opportunities. IPPA also offers assistance in communicating with and contacting our clients for these and other events.”

One such annual event is the Iowa Pork Regional Conferences. Since the first jointly sponsored series in 2001, IPPA and IPIC personnel have worked together to determine themes, identify expert speakers, choose strategic meeting locations and evaluate attendee opinions with an eye toward improving future programs. The high percentage of repeat participants is a true indication of the success of this venture.

In addition, the partners co-host producer certification and training sessions, youth programming and scholarship opportunities and risk and financial management workshops. They also work together to develop, staff and present educational seminars at the Iowa Pork Congress and provide support for youth interested in swine production through competitive events at Congress and the Iowa State Fair.

Bettin says the Iowa State connection is vital to IPPA’s mission to promote and educate for a sustainable, socially responsible, profitable and globally competitive pork industry.

“We strive to continue offering educational sessions that provide value to Iowa’s pork producers, and Iowa State is a big part of helping us do just that,” he says.

Mabry says the industry connection is invaluable to the center.

“IPPA provides financial resources that complement our center and institutional resources, making it possible for us to do more together than either of us could do separately. And of course, the ISU Extension swine field specialists help make it all work by combining their contacts and experience in Iowa” he says. “This partnership truly is an example of the sum being greater than its parts. Neither of us could do all that we do without the commitment and support of the other.”

IOWA STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION TEAMS UP WITH ISU EXTENSION

Extension specialist Leo Timms (right), Jessica Bloomberg, Iowa State Dairy Association; Jed Becker (left) Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation; and Wayne Dyskhorn, Iowa State Dairy Association and the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance

By Willy Klein

Several times every day more than 200,000 dairy cows step into stalls on Iowa’s 1,900 dairy farms to be milked. This seven-days-a-week chore supports 26,000 jobs and contributes $1.5 billion annually to Iowa’s economy. Daily demands on dairy producers and processors leave little time for one-on-one visits with legislators or consumers, even though they realize the importance of good communications with these groups.

To speak for them, producers depend on the Iowa State Dairy Association (ISDA), with connections to Iowa State University Extension and regional dairy associations.

The producer-driven association got its start when chartered by the Iowa legislature in 1876 to address breeding, feeding, disease and products. A 2001 organization restructure created the executive secretary position to serve as the organization’s voice; today, Jessica Bloomberg is that voice.

“I work closely with the board of directors who represent the membership. Together we review policies and issues that affect the dairy industry,” says Bloomberg. “I am building networks through the ex-officio board members with Iowa State University researchers and faculty and within the dairy industry.”

Bloomberg says her Iowa State contacts provide reliable science-based information that she shares with decision-makers in support of the producers’ stand on policy issues. She also finds the network of university educational research and resources to be great references for producers and consumers.

Wayne Dykshorn, ISDA board president from Sioux Center, depends on Bloomberg for legislative session updates. “There are many legislative issues that impact our industry – food safety, immigrant workers and animal welfare. As a board we rely on Iowa State to keep the association updated on current research so we make informed decisions on issues before the legislature. Then we depend on Jessica to represent the board in communications with legislators.”

ISDA holds coalition meetings to review local concerns, proposed policies, national and state issues and to identify hot topics to focus organizational efforts. Leo Timms, ISU Extension dairy specialist and professor of animal science, represents Iowa State on the coalition; Kurt Wierda (’94 agricultural studies) and Jed Becker (’76 farm operations), dairy producers, represent the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance and Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation, respectively. They say that regional association and Iowa State representation on the coalition is important to sustaining the ISDA mission.

“ISDA is a clearing house of information,” says Timms. “It’s like a big dairy circle; at the hub are all the important issues. ISDA is the conduit of information to and from processors and producers, legislators, ISU, consumers and environmental groups.”

Becker appreciates ISDA bringing ISU research to Capitol Hill.

“Most legislators have little dairy or farm background, yet they must make policy decisions that affect the dairy industry, Becker says. “It is important to have a collective voice express the producer view, and just as important that decision makers have access to ISU research that gives credence to that perspective. ISDA provides both.”