WATER QUALITY SEMINAR SERIES TO AIR STATEWIDE
AMES, IA--In cooperation with Professional Agriculture Off-campus Programs
in the
Iowa State University College of Agriculture, the Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agricultureis
sponsoring its third annual sustainable agriculture seminar this spring.
"The 1997 series will be a discussion of the interrelationhips
between agricultural practices and water quality in the food production
systems of Iowa in the 21st century. It will emphasize management
techniques to maintain
and enhance the quality of ground and surface water resources," according
to ISU animal scientist
and grazing team leader Jim Russell, who has coordinated this series since
its inception.
The seminar is offered for graduate credit through the animal
science department. This year, with coordination by Harold Crawford,
agricultural education professor, it will be transmitted via the Iowa
Communications Network (ICN).
Each Thursday at 7:30 p.m. the seminar will air at 12 sites around
Iowa. (One exception is the last seminar, to be held Saturday, March 29,
from 9:00 a.m. to noon, when students in outlying areas will travel to Ames
for the last course meeting.)
"We're pleased with how the seminar has evolved," Russell says.
The 1995 and 1996 seminars covered manure management and the future of
Iowa's food production, respectively. "We've accomplished a lot in terms
of getting information out. The ICN will allow us to reach an even broader
audience. We're especially pleased that this year's topic ties in with the
Year of Water," he says. "It's appropriate to assess progress in terms of
water resource
protection now and in the future. The use of the ICN increases the
opportunities for individuals out in the state to interact with these
programs."
Those who wish to attend the seminar at ISU may do so free of
charge. All seminars will be held at the Brenton Center in Curtiss Hall.
To enroll from off campus, call 1-800-747-4478.
The program is as follows:
Jan. 23, Paul Johnson, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Current and Future Issues Affecting U.S. Agricultural Environmental Policy
Related to Water Quality
Jan. 30, Darrell McAllister, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Current and Future Quality of Iowa's Surface and Groundwater Resources
Feb. 6, Stu Melvin & Jeff Lorimor, Agricultural and biosystems engineering, ISU
Minimizing Environmental Effects of Animal Production on Water Quality
Feb. 13, Ralph Neill (Corning), John Greig (Estherville), Leroy Stoltenberg
(Davenport) Protecting Iowa's Water Resources in the 21st Century: A
Producer's
Perspective
Feb. 20, Linda Appelgate, Iowa Environmental Council
Concerns and Support of the Public Regarding Surface and Groundwater
Quality in Iowa
Feb. 27, Jim Baker, Agricultural and biosystems engineering, ISU
Protecting Surface Water Quality through Management of Agricultural Practices
March 6, Rameshwar Kanwar, Agricultural and biosystems engineering, ISU
Protecting Groundwater Quality through Management of Agricultural Practices
March 20, Roger Becker, University of Minnesota
Weed Management Systems: High Tech Solutions or Education to Protect Water
Resources?
Sat., March 29, Bruce Babcock, Center for Agricultural and Rural
Development, ISU Farm Programs and Environmental Policy in the 21st Century
(9:00 a.m.)
Richard Schultz, Forestry, ISU
Improving Iowa's Water Quality: Streamside Management Systems
(10:00 a.m.)