Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9/1/00
Contacts:
Kathleen Delate, Department of Horticulture, (515) 294-7069,
kdelate@iastate.edu
Julie Todd, Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-2405,
jtodd@iastate.edu
Organic Agriculture in Iowa Receives Recognition
AMES, Iowa -- Several organic agriculture "firsts" occurred across Iowa during the week of Aug. 21-24.
The first USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) grant for an Organic Agriculture Consortium was selected for an award of $1.8 million to support organic agriculture research, extension and education at several universities, including Iowa State University.
"ISU will receive a sizeable portion of the grant to continue research on organic grain, vegetable, fruit and herb crops. Marketing alliances for Iowa's organic farmers also will be developed through this grant," said Kathleen Delate, ISU Extension organic specialist.
Last week also marked the first Toolbox Training for Organic Agriculture in the Midwest, where ISU faculty and staff and area organic farmers served as instructors during a 3-day training session on organic agriculture. Several farm visits were included in the training.
Another event was an ISU field day held at the Neely-Kinyon Farm on August 24. One of the highlights of the field day was the long-term agroecological research (LTAR) site comparing organic and conventional crop production and food quality over the long term. Delate, assistant professor in the department of agronomy and horticulture, reported on how high-yielding organic soybeans during the transition to organic production have offered growers a 200-300 percent increase in returns over conventional soybeans.
At the field day, Jerry DeWitt, interim director of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension, talked about his upcoming book "Sustaining the Land," which details agriculture across America.
"With the near completion of USDA organic certification rules leading to an expansion of markets, and the continued 20 percent annual industry growth rate increase across the United States, organic agriculture is poised to offer a viable alternative to Iowa farmers," Delate said.
ml: isufarm
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