04/29/2003

Organic Farming Advocate to Lecture at Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — A nationally recognized leader in the organic/sustainable agriculture movement will bring his expertise, his ideas and his vision for agriculture to Auburn University May 7-8 as the 2003 E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer.

Frederick Kirschenmann, director of the Iowa State University–based Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will discuss “Designing a Food and Farming System That Works for People and the Land” in a public lecture Wednesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center auditorium.

On Thursday, May 8, from 1-2:30 p.m. in Spidle Hall, Room 144, Kirschenmann will present “Moving from an Industrial to an Ecological Model of Sustainability,” a technical address geared toward AU College of Agriculture faculty and students.

Kirschenmann, who has been at the helm of the Leopold Center since July 2000, is a third-generation farmer with a thriving 3,500-acre certified organic farming operation in North Dakota. Long a staunch advocate of sustainable agriculture, he has been actively involved with numerous national and international organizations dedicated to developing food and farming systems that are economically viable, that conserve natural resources and that enhance the quality of life in communities.

The theme of this year’s York Lecture Series reflects a growing emphasis on sustainable agriculture in the College of Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Interim Dean and Director John Jensen said.

“Increasingly, our researchers are investigating how, using the most environmentally sound methods of production possible, we can enhance Alabama’s diverse agricultural product base and make it more competitive in the global marketplace,” Jensen said. “Dr. Kirschenmann’s insight will be extremely valuable to us as we incorporate this dimension into our instruction and research programs.”

The E.T. York Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1981 with an endowment from AU alumni E.T. York, Jr., and his wife, Vam Cardwell York. For more information on the 2003 York lectures, contact Bill Hardy at (334) 844-5620.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
Contact Bill Hardy, 334-844-2345 or hardywe@auburn.edu

04/29/03

For immediate release