Let your state legislator know why a fully-funded, fully-staffed Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture is important to you and important to Iowa’s future. We’ve posted some talking points below.
You can find your state legislator here.
Re-fund, re-build, and re-imagine the Leopold Center!
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture was founded in 1987 through bipartisan legislation, and has worked to identify and develop new ways to farm profitably while conserving natural resources as well as reducing negative environmental and social impacts. Housed at Iowa State University, it has stewarded public research funding that has resulted in 30 years of valuable research and benefit for all Iowans. It’s work is far from over.
Continued public support for the Leopold Center
The continued outpouring of testimony in support of the Leopold Center since spring of 2017 shows that support for the Leopold Center is bipartisan, urban and rural, and from farmers and non-farmers alike.
Support for the Leopold Center continues. In February, 2018, over 225 Iowans and counting have signed a petition calling for a renewed commitment to the Leopold Center. Over 600 people signed a petition in April 2017 asking the Governor to veto funding cuts to the Leopold Center.
Now is the time to build upon the Leopold Center’s work of the last 30 years to pursue future-forward research that supports Iowa’s economic development, natural resources, and communities.
What impact does the Leopold Center have in Iowa?
Since 1998, the Leopold Center has awarded more than 500 competitive grants for projects in every county of Iowa. These projects focused on strengthening and improving Iowa’s farming communities and natural resources.
The Leopold Center has funded numerous projects to the benefit of Iowa. These projects were so regularly successful that researchers were able to build upon and leverage their Leopold Center projects into new research. In fact, for every dollar that the Leopold Center invested in work, an additional $4.60 of research funding was leveraged to complement or expand other work. Examples of projects that the Leopold Center supported include:
- Conservation practices such as cover crops, Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS), riparian buffers, and soil-conserving practices.
- Local and regional food systems projects which strengthen Iowa economic development.
Together, we call upon all Iowans to join us as we work to re-build a fully-funded, fully-staffed, and re-imagined Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.