Leopold Center 20th Anniversary Celebration Conference -- Breakout Descriptions

More than 20 breakout sessions are available to participants. These sessions look at the challenges for the Leopold Center and agriculture in the coming years. Breakout sessions are scheduled along four topic areas, or tracks - Bioeconomy, Food & Health, People on the Land and Natural Resources, along with several general sessions.

Printable descriptions of the breakout sessions are available here!

Please select the breakout sessions you wish to attend when you register for the conference.

BIOECONOMY

1. Harnessing the Wind

3:30-4:30 p.m.

This energy source is a dependable, safe, efficient, clean and environmentally sound way to meet some of agriculture's needs without adding to greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Haman from the Iowa Energy Center will discuss the latest research in this area.

2. Ash Recovery: Closing the Loop in Biofuel Production

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Robert Anex, associate director of the ISU Office of Biorenewables Programs, will provide updates on the latest innovation in biofuel production: returning processed ash to the land. This partial systems approach would recycle nutrients and decrease reliance on other fossil fuel-based inputs.

3. New Cropping Systems for Cellulosic Feedstock Production and Environmental Stewardship

1:45-2:45 p.m.

Producing biomass for conversion to liquid fuels and other industrial chemicals may offer economic opportunities for Iowans. However, removal of large quantities of crop materials also creates challenges in protecting the land. Iowa State agronomist Matt Liebman will explain his research on new crops and management systems that addresses these concerns.

4. Fish Bowl Discussion: On-Farm Energy Conservation

10:00-11:00 a.m.

Researchers and farmers interacting in a fishbowl discussion format will lead the audience in an engaging overview of Iowa's on-farm energy conservation projects. Dialogue will focus on adaptation and transition as well as the inherent challenges and opportunities of these systems. The audience will be challenged to use this session to rethink their own energy use and discover new ways to address energy consumption.

5. Create Your Own Virtual Farm for Biomass

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Learn how to use I-FARM, a free, web-based farm modeling program. I-FARM can predict economic returns and ecosystem impacts of farm operations, while integrating both crop and livestock components. Scenarios for biomass production will be demonstrated.

Presenter:

Rob Anex, ISU Office of Biorenewables Programs; Associate Professor, ISU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

6. Planning an Energy-Efficient Landscape for Iowa: A Systems Approach

1:45-2:45 p.m.

Any plan or vision for a sustainable future must take an integrated approach to energy use. Experts will paint a picture of an energy-efficient Iowa and alternatives to achieve it.

Panelists:

Fred Kirschenmann, Leopold Center Distinguished Fellow
Teresa Opheim, Practical Farmers of Iowa Executive Director, Ames
Duane Sand, policy consultant, Des Moines, Iowa
Representative, Iowa's new Office of Energy Independence [invited]

FOOD AND HEALTH

7. Healthy People and Landscapes: Iowa's Future Food System

10-11 a.m.

This session will provide both national and Iowa perspectives on the need to redesign our food system to address concerns about health, food security, farmer profitability, food safety and the environment.

Presenters:

Joan Dye Gussow, Professor Emeritus at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY; and author of This Organic Life;
Angie Tagtow, M.S., R.D., consultant

8. Developing a Vibrant, Sustainable Regional Food System: The Case of Northeast Iowa

12:30-1:30 p.m.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation chose northeast Iowa for funding as part of its new Food and Fitness Initiative. Learn about innovative collaborations that already link community-based food systems with health, fitness and conservation. The Leopold Center's Regional Food Systems Working Group has partnered with this group over the last two years.

Panelists:

Lora Friest, Northeast Iowa RC&D, Decorah, Iowa
Ann Mansfield, R.N., M.S.N., Winneshiek Medical Center and Round Table Services for Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
Eric Nordschow, farmer and implement dealer, Decorah, Iowa

9. Fish Bowl Discussion: A Walk Across the Food System

1:45-2:45 p.m.

Discussants from all steps in the food chain will lead the audience on a journey across the food system using the fish bowl presentation format. They will describe the process of bringing a dairy product from the farm to ISU's Dining Service. Participants include owners of an Iowa dairy with on-farm processing, a food inspector, dietitian, food safety expert, dining service manager and residence hall student. The goal is to engage and challenge participants to use systems thinking to address problems to create a more transparent and participatory food system that will provide clear health benefits to consumers and economic benefits to rural communities.

Fish Bowl Participants:

Jill Burkhart, Picket Fence Creamery, Woodward, Iowa
Sue Stence, dairy farm and processing inspector, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Doris Montgomery, dietitian, Iowa Department of Public Heath
Sam Beattie, Associate Professor, ISU Food Science and Human Nutrition
Erica Beirman, Manager, ISU Dining Services [invited]
Jenna Burkhart, ISU residence hall student, Woodward, Iowa

10. Food Preparation Demonstration: Iowa Local Foods Show

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Chefs from ISU and the University of Northern Iowa will prepare a new creation using a seasonal local food. Each chef will use the same tools and ingredients. Demonstration commentary will come from farmers who grew the local product, the chefs offering preparation tips, and a dietitian discussing how this food fits into a healthy diet.

Participants:

Facilitator and narrator: Rich Pirog, Initiative Leader, Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems
Emily Krengel, Dietitian, Cass County Memorial Hospital

11. Building Local Food Networks in Iowa: Progress and Potential

12:30-1:30 p.m.

This session will trace the local food movement in Iowa from the early 1990s to the present and examine opportunities and challenges to meeting the increased demand for local food across a variety of market venues.

Panelists:

Neil Hamilton, Director, Drake Agricultural Law Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Susan Jutz, Grower, Local Harvest CSA and owner of ZJ Farm, Solon, Iowa
Kamyar Enshayan, Coordinator, UNI Local Food Project, Cedar Falls, Iowa

PEOPLE ON THE LAND

Aldo Leopold reminded us that people are not separate from the land, they are part of one community. This track features learning circles about four types of "capital" - ecological, human, social and economic - found in this one community.

12. Maintaining the Land's Capacity for Self-Renewal

10-11 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa biology professor Laura Jackson and ISU Extension wildlife specialist James Pease will explore what Aldo Leopold called the "health" of the land - its capacity for self-renewal.

13. Opportunities for Beginning As Well As Begin-Again Farmers

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Mike Duffy, ISU economist and director of the ISU Beginning Farmer Center, will discuss the challenges of entering agriculture for the first time. He will be joined by Robert Pridie of Akron and Steve Williams of Villisca, who have found different solutions to the same puzzle.

14. Fish Bowl Discussion: Diversification on the Farm, in Rural Communities

12:30-1:30 p.m.

Discussants well-versed in soil quality, on-farm biodiversity, ecosystem management, agricultural economics, ecology and rural sociology will engage and challenge to create more diversity for the Iowa farmer and Iowa's rural communities. The fish bowl format will encourage lively interaction by all.

Fish Bowl Participants:

Heidi Asbjornsen, Associate Professor, ISU Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Doug Karlen, Scientist, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ames
Matt Liebman, Professor, ISU Agronomy
Carol Williams, Research Associate, ISU Agronomy
Corry Bregendahl, Assistant Scientist, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Ames
Denise O'Brien, Executive Director, Women, Food and Agriculture Network; and Farmer, Atlantic, Iowa

15. No Child Left Inside: Helping the Next Generation Discover a Sense of Place

1:45-2:45 p.m.

The emerging and spontaneous movement to reconnect children to the natural world cuts across the usual social, political and economic lines. Learn what's happening in Iowa to link children and nature, and see how to launch these activities in your school, neighborhood or community.

Presenters:

Gary Richards, Executive Director, Take a Kid Outdoors, Fayette, Iowa
Dick Jensen, Fayette farmer and founder, Take a Kid Outdoors, Fayette, Iowa [invited]

16. Policies to Help Farmers Move toward Ecologically Sound, Profitable Farming

3:30-4:30 p.m.

What public policies encourage or prevent growers from moving into more diversified and ecologically sound and economically profitable farming systems? What kind of reward system would appropriately compensate owner and users to care for the land with future generations in mind? Mike Duffy and Dave Swenson from the ISU Economics Department guide the discussion.

NATURAL RESOURCES

"The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land." -- Aldo Leopold.

Join us for a 3x3x3 - three panelists in three sessions with three minutes each to respond to a timely and provocative essay or opinion piece. Farmer respondents and the audience will join in the exchange and critique. People registered for this session are encouraged to preview each essay, posted on the conference web site by June 11. Session Info A summary of key points and background of Leopold-related work will be provided at each session. You can register for one or all of these 60-minute sessions.

__ 17. Rethinking Agriculture for Healthier Soil and Water

10-11 a.m. Limited to 30 people.

Panelists:

Doug Karlen, Scientist, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ames
Dick Schultz, Professor, ISU Natural Resource Ecology and Management, and leader of the ISU Agroecology Research Team
Susan Heathcote, Water Program Director, Iowa Environmental Council, Des Moines
Francis Thicke, Organic Livestock Farmer and Owner, Radiance Dairy, Fairfield, Iowa

__ 18. Rethinking Agriculture for a Living Land

12:30-1:30 p.m. Limited to 30 people.

Panelists:

Ed Woolsey, Energy and Environmental Consultant, Martinsdale, Iowa
Dave Swenson, Associate Scientist, ISU Economics
Dana Jackson, Associate Director, The Land Stewardship Project, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Tom Frantzen,Organic Grain and Livestock Farmer, New Hampton, Iowa

__ 19. Rethinking Agriculture for Healthier Plants and Animals

1:45-2:45 p.m. Limited to 30 people.

Panelists:

Mark Honeyman, Coordinator, Iowa State Research Farms and Leader, ISU Hoop Group
Margaret Smith, Extension Program Specialist, ISU Value Added Agriculture Extension; and Farmer, Hampton
John Sandor, Professor, ISU Agronomy [invited]
Jody and Jim Kerns, Farmers, Trees, and Edgewood Meat Locker, Edgewood, Iowa

GENERAL TOPICS

20. Twenty Years of Organic Agriculture: Sustainable Impacts

10-11 a.m.

The Leopold Center's Long-Term Agro-ecological Research at the Neely-Kinyon Farm is believed to be the largest randomized, replicated comparison of organic and conventional crops in the nation. This session will offer an overview of some of the important learning that has taken place.

Presenters:

Kathleen Delate, Associate Professor, ISU Agronomy and Horticulture; and lead organic researcher
Cynthia Cambardella, Associate Professor, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ames
Ron and Maria Rosmann, Organic Farmers, Harlan, Iowa

21. Learning from the Legacy of Aldo Leopold

1:45-2:45 p.m.

What would Aldo Leopold tell us today? Buddy Huffaker from the Aldo Leopold Foundation will share his thoughts as well as report on activities underway at Leopold's Shack in Wisconsin. This session also will offer a look at Leopold's Iowa ties.

Presenters:

Wellington "Buddy" Huffaker, Executive Director, Aldo Leopold Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Jack Payne, ISU Vice President for Extension and Leopold Center Advisory Board member
Jerry Rigdon, Leopold Heritage Group, Burlington, Iowa
Craig Chase, ISU Farm Management Specialist

22. America's Lost Landscape, the Tallgrass Prairie

10-11 a.m. and 1:45-2:45 p.m.

View this nationally televised documentary about one of human history's most astonishing whole-scale alterations of nature. Awarded numerous honors, the 60-minute documentary was produced by David O'Shields and Daryl Smith, UNI biology professor and director of the UNI Tallgrass Prairie Center. Introducing the documentary will be Cedar Falls farmer John Miller, who was interviewed for the documentary and is a former member of the Leopold Center Advisory Board.