Morning Ag Clips

Home / Search for "community supported agriculture"

Project to strengthen Community Supported Agriculture

by

MADISON, Wis. — FairShare CSA Coalition was awarded a $492,000 2018 Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) for its project titled “Developing a CSA Network ‘Community of Practice’ and Shared Technical Assistance Resources.” FairShare, a Madison-based non-profit, is collaborating with the University of Kentucky and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers in California (CAFF), in addition to other CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) support organizations across the country to strengthen CSA nationally.

“It is our goal to make the resource assets and programmatic strengths that already exist among CSA support networks across the States widely known and available, while developing new resources and trainings around carefully identified priority areas,” says FairShare Executive Director, Carrie Sedlak. “We will be drawing from a diverse set of expertise to provide CSA farmers with innovative, evidence-based marketing support, while formalizing a national coalition of collaboration. By doing so, all of our individual endeavors can be shared easily in the future as we work to strengthen CSA across the nation,” Sedlak continues.

The three-year grant builds on the relationships formed and work that was developed through a 2015 FMPP grant, titled “Expanding CSA Markets: Increasing Consumer Demand Through CSA Networks and Targeted Marketing.” FairShare created toolkits focused on four key programmatic areas and conducted a consumer marketing survey with over 3,000 CSA members. Throughout the course of this project, FairShare worked closely with four diverse farm networks across the country, several of which are partners on the new ‘Community of Practice’ grant. The four toolkits are available for public use at csacoalition.org and include CSA Incentives, Food Access, Promotions and Fundraising, and Workplace CSA.

Several briefs detailing the results of the consumer marketing survey are also available for public use at csacoalition.org. Since their development, the toolkits and data from the CSA marketing survey have aided FairShare and partner CSA networks in devising targeted marketing efforts to help build consumer demand for CSA and increase sales locally and nationally.

The “Developing a CSA Network ‘Community of Practice’ and Shared Technical Assistance Resources” project will assist three audiences — CSA Technical Assistance organizations, new CSA growers, and experienced CSA growers. Throughout the course of the grant, the community of practice will develop a series of trainings around priority topics for each audience and create a publically accessible clearinghouse of resources, data, and strategies. As a result, CSA farms will be more connected to new data to make informed decisions, conduct targeted outreach, and optimize their management practices. Long-term impacts of this resource sharing will equip farms to improve their marketing messages, reach and retain new customers, grow their overall share sales, and improve CSA share quality through increased knowledge about CSA marketing and management practices.

Each partner organization will take the lead on a priority issue. At a meeting at the University of Kentucky this February the project partners and collaborators identified initial priorities as economic access, CSA incentive programs, and modifications to the traditional CSA model.

“We were delighted to host the core partners and collaborators of the CSA Community of Practice project for the first meeting of this group in Lexington this past February,” recalls Tim Woods, Extension Professor at the University of Kentucky. “This is an ambitious undertaking to work with a national group, but the meeting in Lexington confirmed that there is both a need and solid core of creative people working in these spaces.  We’re very excited to see what these teams are able to develop and share, confident they will be able to readily engage the larger CSA community nationally.”

Grant collaborators felt a similar excitement to beginning such a wide-reaching project. “It was so wonderful to meet people working on CSA across the country. As CSA is growing and changing, it is the perfect time to combine our efforts and get the word out about CSA as the backbone of a strong local food system,” explains Claire Strader, Organic Vegetable Educator at FairShare CSA Coalition and Dane County Extension.

“CAFF is thrilled to see the long-awaited national CSA Community of Practice coalesce, creating a really important space for information exchange and collaboration,” adds Michelle Wyler, Managing Director of the Farm to Market program at CAFF. “The CSA COP enables farm support organizations to expand our knowledge, hone our expertise, and to dive deep into addressing the identified needs of CSAs across the nation.”

Grant partners are looking forward to launching a national-level CSA marketing campaign as part of the grant project, as well as expanding participation in the national CSA community of practice in future years. The grant will conclude in September of 2021.

FairShare CSA Coalition connects farmers and consumers through Community Supported Agriculture. For further information, please email carrie@csacoaltion.org or call (608) 226-0300.

— FairShare CSA Coalition

For more articles out of California, click here.

The growth of community supported agriculture

by

ALLEGANY CO., N.Y. — In the early 1990s I lived in Concord, Massachusetts. Despite growing up in a big city, I was always interested in agriculture ‒ especially in the natural way of farming. So, my then wife and I became board members in the Massachusetts chapter of the Natural Organic Farmers Association, NOFA, in 1991(since then, NOFA has morphed into the Northeast Organic Farming Association). Back then, organic farming was just beginning to take off on the east coast and in Oregon and California as a well-known consumer phenomenon, and I grew to know many Massachusetts organic farmers and their production methods.

One of the individuals I met was an organic farmer named Robyn VanEn. Co-founder of the Indian Line Farm in Berkshire County, MA, she was an early proponent of Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. She learned this approach of doing business from a Swiss friend and introduced the CSA concept to the U.S. in 1985. From a modest 200 or so in 1991, CSAs today number well over 6,000 and are still growing. Robyn VanEn’s vision of CSA’s had three important benefits: saving farmland from development, re-establishing local and regional food supplies to benefit consumers, and bringing back community involvement to farming.

According to the latest census figures, less than two percent of the U.S. population lives on farms today. Many people have no real idea where food comes from, other than it miraculously appears in the grocery store. Sociologists point out that many of our citizens have lost contact with the basic values of land stewardship, cycles of renewal, and the treasures of what poet Wendell Berry called “this once bountiful and beautiful land.”

 But what is Community Supported Agriculture? Like all good ideas, the concept of CSAs is straightforward, yet brilliant in its simplicity. The consumer, in effect, becomes a “shareholder” in the production of agricultural goods. The subscriber pays a sum of money up front for a certain level (or “share”) of crops raised during the growing season. The farmer upholds his/her end of the bargain by providing an agreed-upon quantity, quality and variety of produce on a regular (usually weekly) basis during the growing seasons.

Consumers benefit by getting fresh, locally grown products at a much less expensive price than would be purchased in a grocery store. The farmer benefits by having the capital to buy supplies at a time when they are most needed, by increasing his profit margin, and by diluting her risk involved in what is a most unpredictable business venture. Having an already established clientele takes away the worry, stress, and expense of having to market the products, and frees the farmer to do the best possible job for the consumer. In addition to getting fresh and wholesome food, the local community also benefits by saving the farmer from potential financial difficulties and, thus, keeping farmland from being developed into housing developments or strip malls.

Consumer participation in the farm can vary depending on the availability of time, level of interest, as well as the personality of the farmer. Some subscribers drive to the farm weekly to put in a few hours of work in exchange for a reduced price of the share. Others make a family outing of going to the farm to pick up produce and visit with the farmer and other shareholders.  Still others may simply wish to get their shares at conveniently located, prearranged locations in towns or at farmers markets.

A typical share in the northeast consists of a twenty-week or so supply of fresh produce. In the early  spring, cool season greens, radishes, spring onions, and spinach are usually available. As the season progresses, carrots, peas, and beets mature. Summer, of course, is the high volume season when tomatoes, melons, peppers, cucumbers, corn, beans, garlic, onions, and summer squash, as well as cut flowers are included in the typical fare. In fall, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, spinach and a variety of other greens are offered. Many farmers extend the growing season by offering honey, grains and flour, poultry, eggs, maple syrup, and other value-added products (at an additional cost).

Most CSA farms are certified organic or carry a “naturally grown” designation. The difference is the level of certification, but both types of operations avoid the use of prohibited chemicals and farming practices. There is a “transitional certification” for those farms that are in the process of transitioning over a three-year period from agrochemical-based to organic agriculture. When considering joining a CSA, the following criteria should go into the decision-making:

  1. The cost of a share per household member or per family;
  2. Would any family members consider “getting their hands dirty” in exchange for a reduced share price, and does the CSA farm offer this option;
  3. Is it possible to pay the cost of the share in installments, rather than all up-front;
  4. How much produce does a family need or is capable of consuming in a week;
  5. Are family members willing to try new things (e.g. Brussel sprouts, arugula, etc.);
  6. What range of products does the CSA offer?

Robyn VanEn died in 1997 but her Massachusetts farm continues the CSA model with a new set of dedicated organic farmers. Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, established the Robyn VanEn Center in honor of the founder of the CSA model in the USA. She would be both amazed and pleased to see the phenomenal growth of CSA farms in the past twenty years. And this concept appears to have staying power, unlike the fads and gimmicks that come and go. To find a CSA near you, search the Wilson College database of over 1,600 farms, or look at an impressive list of CSA farms at http://knowwhereyourfoodcomesfrom.com orhttps://www.localharvest.org.

–Steven Jakobi
CCE Master Gardener Volunteer, Allegany County, NY

For more articles out of New York, click here.

Tri-state community-supported agriculture conference

by

ARCHBOLD, Ohio — Want to learn more about how to start a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program? How about learning how to expand your existing CSA to make it more sustainable and successful?

If so, then the “Thinking Inside the Box: Growing CSAs Across the Tri-State” conference is a place to find answers to those and other CSA-related questions.

Experts with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)—in collaboration with Purdue University and Michigan State University—will host the conference Oct. 24–25. It runs from 1 to 8 p.m. Oct. 24 and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at Sauder Village and Farm, 22611 State Route 2, in Archbold, Ohio.

“The goal,” said Christie Welch, who is an organizer of the event, is to help “CSA operators take advantage of the increased demand by consumers for a convenient and safe way to access the locally produced foods they have come to expect.”

“This conference will provide an opportunity for producers to learn from their peers who have successfully operated CSAs for years as well as hear from OSU Extension experts on a variety of topics.”

While all CSAs have some slight differences in how they operate, all work by allowing consumers to purchase a share—some call it a subscription—to a farm in return for weekly deliveries of farm-fresh, local produce, goods, and foods. Farmers and growers benefit because they are able to derive income from the shares, which are often used for payment for their supplies, seeds, and labor costs.

During this past year and continuing now, farmers and producers nationwide are seeing an increase in consumer demand for CSA shares because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Welch, who is also the program manager of Ohio State University Extension’s Direct Agricultural Marketing Program. OSU Extension is CFAES’ statewide outreach arm.

“Many producers have reported selling out of the available share and have had to start a waiting list of consumers who want to be a part of the CSA,” she said. “Our goal with the conference is to share information and best practices to help growers increase their profitability and better serve their customers.”

Topics for the conference include the following:

  • Online CSA options
  • CSA administration
  • Continuous crop production
  • Introduction to season-extension methods

The conference will also feature a trade show, an optional farm tour, panel discussions from CSA operators, and presentations by:

  • Dan and Julie Perkins of Perkins Good Earth Farm, a 180-member CSA, certified organic hardneck garlic and produce farm with an on-farm stand, commercial kitchen, and local wholesale accounts in De Montte, Indiana.
  • Theri Niemier-Zimmerman, director of Bertrand Farm, Farming the City with Good Shepherd Montessori School, an agricultural learning center focused on environmental restoration through sustainable farming practice, in Niles, Michigan.

Conference registration is $75 per person and includes meals and handouts. The deadline to register is Oct. 15. Register at go.osu.edu/csaconferenceregistration2021. For more information, contact Welch at welch.183@osu.edu or 740-289-2071.

— Ohio State University CFAES

For more articles on Community Supported Agriculture, click here.

UK centers successfully train agricultural community members to recognize signs of mental distress

by

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Agricultural work can be a source of stress, anxiety and depression due to its unpredictability and physical and mental demands. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers are helping train Kentuckians to recognize signs of mental distress in members of their local agricultural community. The program is seeing great success.

Through the college’s Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention and the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center, Kentuckians who regularly interact with farmers and rural health care providers are learning Question-Persuade-Refer. QPR is a nationally recognized suicide prevention program that helps individuals recognize when someone is facing mental hardship and connect them with health care professionals. UK researchers took the existing QPR program and developed additional materials to help participants identify farm-related stressors and agriculture-specific behavioral clues that may indicate a farmer is going through a difficult time.

“When the 2018 federal farm bill appropriated money for mental health services for farmers, it really opened up the conversation about mental health in the agricultural community almost overnight,” said Joan Mazur, professor and deputy director of the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention. “People really seem to appreciate the opportunity to talk about mental health, use the word suicide and have conversations about struggles they see in their communities.”

During the summer of 2020, with support from a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agrisafe subaward, the Southeast Center trained 17 certified QPR Institute trainers who, in turn, used those skills to train 415 Kentuckians as part of their Agricultural Community QPR for Farmers and Farm Families program.

“We really wanted to leverage this important policy ‘moment’ and develop a community-based support network to address this difficult issue,” Mazur said. “We asked people to participate who we knew were already embedded in rural agricultural communities, working with farmers on a regular basis and who really cared about farmers’ mental health. We wanted to find ways to break down the boundaries that farmers can put up.”

Alethea Bruzek, UK Cooperative Extension Service agent, was among the UK and Kentucky State University extension agents and faculty members initially trained in QPR. Since being trained, she has trained others.

“I have a unique opportunity to reach farm families through my work in extension,” said Bruzek, Boyle County family and consumer sciences extension agent. “This training gave me the tools that I need to start a conversation with someone in my local farming community, who may be struggling. It was a great chance for me to try to help.”

The centers received additional support from the 2020-2021 Kentucky Legislature through an effort championed by Kentucky Rep. Brandon Reed. The legislature’s allocation provided funding for 40 more QPR trainers to train an additional 300 Kentuckians in the Kentucky Rural Mental Health and Suicide Prevention pilot program. The second cohort of participants are located in counties with high needs for these services. They live in areas with high rates of morbidity and mortality and a large number of farms.

“It is extremely rare to have support from a state legislature to address rural mental health, and we are so appreciative that our legislators have made this issue a priority,” Mazur said.

The centers are also studying the effectiveness of the trainings. In the first group of participants, UK researchers surveyed them three days before and one month after the training.

“Our findings show that the training had a statistically significant impact upon trainees. After the training, participants were twice as willing to intervene with someone who needs help,” said Carolyn Oldham, director of continuing education for the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center. “In our first group of trainers, two had actually intervened with a producer within the first month after learning QPR.”

The second cohort of participants is in the midst of training. Researchers will survey this group at one month, six months and one year after they complete the program.

The researchers are also working with the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center to upgrade the state’s suicide hotline so when a Kentuckian calls it, a fellow Kentuckian answers the phone. Callers to the Kentucky hotline are also asked if they are a farmer or member of a farm family, which will allow researchers to track mental health issues in rural communities.

The Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention and the Central Appalachian Regional Research and Education Center are funded by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety and directed by Wayne Sanderson, a professor in the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.

Plans are underway for the project to build on the Kentucky model and extend and expand their agricultural community-based QPR train-the-trainer model to other Southeastern states the center serves.

The center also developed a video that highlights the importance of suicide prevention education and features some participants from the first co-hort. It is available online at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cXcmtfN3C6xJ3mapD3xPq-nHGN1B6_nn/view.

This material is based upon work that was supported by Agrisafe Network Incorporated under award number 20197002830434.

— Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

For more news from Kentucky, click here.

Community food guides connect more farmers with buyers

by

SACRAMENTO — Over the past year, many farmers have had to navigate rapid shifts in marketing practices since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional food-supply systems. During this time, establishing relationships with local vendors has become necessary for growers to maintain and increase profits.

To create a more connected and sustainable environment for local farms and markets, it has become crucial to understand the network of growers and identify critical gaps and central hubs in regional food systems, according to University of California Center for Regional Change Director Catherine Brinkley.

To help farmers establish connections with restaurants and produce sellers, Brinkley has created online resources for markets and farmers to identify opportunities to build relationships with local vendors in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Yolo counties – and, most recently, in Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties.

Creating direct relationships with vendors is key in areas such as Sacramento County, home to California’s capitol, one of the nation’s highest producing agricultural counties, and rising rates of food insecurity.

“In an effort to update the Sacramento Regional Food System Action Plan (2021) and draw attention to the transparent marketing connections between farms and markets in the county, we gathered online information about farms that advertise where their products can be found and the markets that advertise which farms they support,” said Brinkley.

Often, farmers connect directly with community members at farmers markets, through community  supported agriculture (CSAs), and form relationships with buyers at local restaurants and institutions committed to supporting the community’s combined needs for a healthy diet, soils and development. By building a community food system, Brinkley hopes farming practices and consumer needs will become more transparent and adjust to help better meet the needs of ecosystems, farmers, farm workers and consumers.

Establishing a more integrated and complex community food system could benefit the community beyond growers and markets, generating regional pride and mutual support. By proudly showcasing the farms and markets that sell or donate food to them, farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants could build trust in the food system – and boost name recognition for many of the contributors.

“It is our hope that this research will encourage farmers, vendors and those within the community to create connections and utilize their purchasing power in ways that will support their local agricultural community,” said Brinkley. “Building coalitions of growers and sellers can help promote sustainable farming practices within the area, which support farm workers, the environment and fellow consumers.”

Brinkley’s team also highlights avenues for building greater equity into the food system with a focus on self-identified growers and market managers of color as well as where farms and markets donate to food banks and seek to alleviate food insecurity.

The online publications developed for Sacramento, El Dorado, Yolo and Placer counties includes mapping of transparent market connections, a food system assessment to help understand how the many farms and markets are connected, which markets are essential to the network, and which types of marketing practices are dominant within these counties.

The guides are produced in partnership with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, the Edible Schoolyard Project, and the California Alliance of Farmers Markets.

Brinkley intends to produce guides for all 58 California counties. “Community Food Guides” for El Dorado, Placer, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Yolo counties can be downloaded for free at https://brinkley.faculty.ucdavis.edu/home/research/california-county-community-food-guides.

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings the power of the University of California to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, economic and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu and support our work at donate.ucanr.edu.

–Liana Wolfe
UC ANR

For more articles out of California, click here.

Capital Farm Credit 4-H & FFA community grants available

by

BRYAN, Texas — Continuing its statewide effort to support agriculture and rural communities across Texas, Capital Farm Credit recently began accepting community grant applications for 4-H and FFA community projects.

The annual program is designed to provide grants to Texas FFA chapters and 4-H clubs to develop projects to better their community. Awarded grants range from $500-$1,000, dependent on the proposed budget of the organization. Funds are awarded to assist club and chapter members in bringing positive change to local communities.

“Texas 4-H and FFA students are encouraged to apply as they identify service projects needed in their local communities,” said Jeff Norte, Capital Farm Credit chief executive officer. “Through our outreach grant program, we believe we can help empower young people to cultivate change for future generations.”

Community grant applications are available for online submission through November 15, 2021.

For more information regarding the Capital Farm Credit Community Outreach Grant Program, visit https://www.capitalfarmcredit.com/about-us/community-support.

About Capital Farm Credit 

For more than 100 years, Capital Farm Credit has supported rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Capital Farm Credit is a proud member of the Farm Credit system and serves more than 21,500 members, with loans outstanding totaling more than $9 billion. Headquartered in Bryan, Texas, Capital Farm Credit has offices serving 192 of Texas’ 254 counties.

For more information about its financial services, patronage dividend program and office locations, visit https://www.capitalfarmcredit.com/.

–Capital Farm Credit

For more articles out of Texas, click here.

Urban agriculture takes center stage on recent Ag and Rural Development Commission tour

by

DETROIT — Members of the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development got a first-hand look at the opportunities available for urban agriculture while touring new Commissioner Andy Chae’s farm, Fisheye Farms, located in Detroit.

As a first-generation farmer, Chae shared with his fellow Commissioners and attendees his passion for agriculture, farming, and getting more people to consider agriculture as a career.

Fisheye Farms is a specialty-crop operation growing “anything you can find at the farmers market,” said Chae, like mesclun mixes, eggplant, cabbage, and tomatoes. Restaurants he delivers product to include Detroit’s Selden Standard and Coriander Kitchen and Farm. He also runs a Community Supported Agriculture program, which is when a community buys into a farm’s seasonal harvests in advance.

“As Commissioners, it’s important to visit farming and agricultural operations of all sizes and locations to get a deeper understanding of their challenges and what we can do to support them,” said Dru Montri, Commission Chair and owner of Ten Hens Farms.

According to Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Gary McDowell, first-generation and minority farmers can help further grow the state’s $104.7 billion food and agriculture industry.

“Michigan’s food and agriculture industry is a powerhouse of diverse products. From asparagus to flowers to peaches to asparagus, we grow it all,” said McDowell. “It’s exciting to see new and minority farmers discover a love for agriculture to make farming part of their careers and communities.”

A video of the Commission tour is available online.

The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development has the responsibility to recommend, and in some cases determine, policy on food, agricultural, and rural development issues. The Commission is a bipartisan body of five citizens appointed by the Governor. For more information on the Commission, visit their webpage.

— Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development

For more news from Michigan, click here.

ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences names Carolyn Lawrence-Dill associate dean for research and discovery

by

AMES, Iowa — Carolyn Lawrence-Dill has been named associate dean for research and discovery for Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, effective Aug. 16, 2021.

Lawrence-Dill has been a faculty member at Iowa State since 2014. She is a professor in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology and the Department of Agronomy, and a faculty scholar with the university’s Plant Sciences Institute.

In her new role, Lawrence-Dill will provide the dean, department chairs and other unit directors with strategic guidance and counsel on opportunities and challenges related to the effective and compliant conduct of the research enterprise of the college. Working in collaboration with the dean and other associate deans, she will ensure operations directly advance the college’s mission, and that resources are deployed wisely and efficiently.

“On behalf of the college, I am thrilled to have Dr. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill join the leadership team and help us advance every aspect of our research enterprise,” said Daniel J. Robison, holder of the endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “She brings to us great skill as a scientist and committed, engaged faculty member, and she has shown terrific energy in research excellence, funding, collaboration and impact. Carolyn will be a great partner to us all and will continue the tradition of service and excellence set by Joe Colletti. My great thanks to Dr. Kendall Lamkey and the search committee for terrific work!”

Lawrence-Dill holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. She earned her master’s degree in biology from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and a Ph.D. in plant evolutionary biology/botany at the University of Georgia, Athens. She first came to Iowa State for a two-year postdoctoral associate in bioinformatics position. Before returning as a faculty member, she was a National Science Foundation Research Fellow at the University of Georgia and spent a decade with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, serving as lead scientist for its Maize Genetics and Genomics Database project.

As a research leader or co-investigator, she has been responsible for bringing in more than $31 million in grants and project awards over seven years at Iowa State. Her main areas of research involve deploying team science approaches for data representation, accessibility and integration in the plant sciences with a focus on the prediction and analysis of gene functions, phenotypes and traits in crops. She also maintains research projects that focus on gene regulation and gene editing techniques. She is one of seven investigators leading the national Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative, a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded effort guiding the spending of $40 million authorized for genome to phenome research by Congress.

Lawrence-Dill currently represents the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station with the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities Experiment Station Section and North Central Regional Association of Experiment Station Directors. She was recently honored with a YWCA Women of Achievement Award for eliminating racism and empowering women based on conduct in research, personnel management and building community.

“I am very excited to welcome Carolyn Lawrence-Dill as our associate dean of research and discovery,” said Kendall Lamkey, professor and chair of the Department of Agronomy, who led the search committee for the associate dean position. “Carolyn has been an outstanding faculty member, and I am confident she will make an outstanding associate dean. I want to thank and commend the search committee for their time and input into this process.”

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University is one of the world’s leading institutions of agriculture, with more than 160 years of leadership in science, education and extension. The college has 284 tenured and tenure eligible faculty and 433 professional and scientific staff in 15 departments, eight of which are co-administered with another college. CALS departments are home to 580 graduate students, representing 13% of the university’s graduate student body. CALS ranks among the top of 60 national agricultural colleges for the number of faculty with findings published in scientific journals and for the number of faculty with federal grants. Over the past five years, CALS-supported scientists have brought in an average of about $55 million annually in sponsored funding.

— Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

For more news from Iowa, click here.