An Evening on Sustainability: Protecting the Environment, Promoting the Economy, and Preserving our Future
By Dave Murphy

On Tuesday, October 9, Iowa Farmers Union will host a panel discussion at Drake University that celebrates the environment, responsible agricultural practices, renewable energy and efforts to create a greener, more ecologically sound planet. The discussion, titled, "An Evening on Sustainability," will feature three prominent Iowans.

Speakers at the event include: Fred Kirschenmann, an organic farmer and distinguished fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Paul Willis, hog farmer and manager of Niman Ranch Pork, and architect Kevin Nordmeyer, partner RDG Planning and Design and a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Matt Russell, the State Food Policy Project Coordinator at Drake University Agricultural Law Center, will moderate the event, which will be held in 213 Cartwright Hall, at the Drake campus, on Carpenter Street, just west of 25th Street. The event will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

While Iowa is a leader nationally in commodity crops such as corn and soybeans and number one in hog and egg production, it is also the home of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames. The Leopold Center is known worldwide for a number of internationally acclaimed studies that have advocated for incorporating more sustainable farming practices in today's industrial agricultural landscape.

"Iowa has a lot to be proud of," said Chris Petersen, president of Iowa Farmers Union. "We're leaders in many areas of agriculture and renewable energy. The question now is how these things will be accomplished in the future and doing them in a way that promotes sound land stewardship."

Many are pleased with Iowa's accomplishments; however a growing number believe that better conservation and sustainable practices are needed to preserve Iowa's natural resources for future generations and can increase revenues for family farmers.

"We need to not only lead the nation in agricultural production, but also in how our production impacts the environment," said Petersen.

Kirschenmann, the former director of the Leopold Center, from 2000 to 2005, has over thirty years experience in organic farming, and will be covering a variety of topics in his discussion, including renewable energy and ecologically sound farming practices, which he titles: "Moving Towards a Sustainable Food System."

Kirschenmann currently runs a 3,500-acre-certified organic farm in North Dakota that contains a natural prairie livestock grazing system that combines a nine-crop rotation of cereal grains, forages, and green manure. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Chicago, and has written extensively about ethics and agriculture. He has held national and international appointments, including the USDA's National Organic Standards Board and was featured prominently in the 1995, award-winning film, "My Father's Garden."

Paul Willis, a former Peace Corp volunteer, is the owner and operator of the Willis Free Range Pig Farm in Thornton, Iowa, and manages over 575 other hog farmers who raise pigs for Niman Ranch. Willis has titled his talk, which will include a slideshow: "Pigs, Ethics, and the Land."

Twelve years ago, Willis was introduced to Bill Niman, and the two forged a groundbreaking partnership to sell natural pork from family farms using traditional, humane animal husbandry. Since then, Willis has been the driving force in creating the network of family farmers that raise pigs according to the Animal Welfare Institute's Humane Husbandry standards, the strictest standards in the pork industry.

Also speaking will be Kevin Nordmeyer, whose expertise is centered on sustainable design in Iowa and is the Chair of the United States Green Building Council-Iowa Chapter and a board member of the Iowa Environmental Council and the Center on Sustainable Communities. Nordmeyer's talk, titled: "Building a Sustainable Future," will center on his work as an architect and where he sees sustainable design concepts headed in the future.

Nordmeyer is also a lecturer at Iowa State University focusing on sustainable design in the Department of Architecture. Nordmeyer was the lead designer for the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at UNI in 1992 – Iowa's first modern sustainable building. He has been recognized nationally for sustainable design with the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Office Facility – one of the Top Ten Green buildings in the country in 2002. Currently, he is working on other significant sustainable projects in the area including Earthpark, The Great Ape Trust, and the College of Design Foundations Pavilion at ISU.

The speakers are hoping to share their experiences with sustainable systems to a wider audience here in Iowa, believing this is the best way to create economic opportunities that see the environment as a place of renewal as well as a source of inspiration.

"By holding this event we hope to promote concepts that create a vibrant future for Iowa. At Iowa Farmers Union, we believe in replenishing nature rather than extracting from it. Conservation and sustainability are hallmarks of family farms," said Petersen. "Our collective future depend on constantly improving our interactions with nature so as to have as little negative impact as possible, but to leave it renewed for future generations."