02/07/2005

Sustainable Agriculture Focus of Winter 2005 York Lecture

AUBURN, Ala. —Nationally recognized sustainable farming advocate James E. (Jim) Horne will deliver a public lecture in Auburn Wednesday, Feb. 23, as part of the Auburn University College of Agriculture's E.T. York Distinguished Lecture Series.

Horne, president and chief executive officer of the Oklahoma-based Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will discuss “Emerging Food Systems: Creating Opportunities for Farmers and Rural Communities” in the lecture, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the AU Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.

The lecture series, which is free and open to the public, will continue Thursday, Feb. 24, when Horne will give a technical presentation focused on achieving sustainability on farms and ranches in the South. That lecture is set for 3:30 p.m. in Room 207 of AU's Comer Hall.

Horne believes sustainable agriculture—a system of farming that is economically healthy and environmentally sound—is the key to revitalizing rural communities. With 30 years' experience in the sustainability field, he is best known for integrating social, ecological and economic viewpoints into a local food system. Under his leadership, the Kerr Center has become an award-winning, innovative institution—a local and national leader in finding creative solutions to the agricultural, environmental and social challenges facing Oklahoma and the nation.

Horne is the author of The Next Green Revolution: Essential Steps to a Healthy, Sustainable Agriculture, a readable, practical introduction to sustainable agriculture—what it means and why it is needed. In the book, Horne gives practical suggestions for increasing profits and reducing risks while regenerating the soil, protecting the environment and being a good neighbor.

The E.T. York Distinguished Lecture Series was established at Auburn in 1981 from an endowment by E.T. York, Jr., and his wife, Vam Cardwell York, both native Alabamians and AU graduates. York served as head of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service from 1959 until 1962, leaving to head the Federal Extension Service in Washington, D.C. He later became provost and vice president for agriculture at the University of Florida. In 1975, York was named chancellor of the State University System of Florida, a post he held until his retirement in 1980.

The E.T. York Lecture Series features internationally known researchers who speak about their field of interest in both formal and informal lectures and technical seminars at Auburn.

For more information on the upcoming York lecture, 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 Elaine Rollo, 334-844-3204 or rollome@auburn.edu