Have you ever felt like you're responsible for completing an impossible to-do list? Who hasn't, right?I can vividly remember one day earlier this year when I attempted to type a list of all of the things (both personally and professionally) that I wanted to accomplish every day. I still have the list... it has 15 items. As a number, 15 doesn't really seem like that many. But, these weren't everyday obvious things. The words on my list weren't brush teeth, pay bills, empty Inbox, or feed kids. Next to each check box were phrases like learn …
Iowa Entrepreneur
I am always excited to share how technology can impact soil and water conservation. So, I am especially thrilled that Iowa Public TV provided me the opportunity to showcase technology to a new and different audience through their Iowa Entrepreneur series. Iowa residents can watch Agren's story on Friday, June 30th at 6:30 pm or Sunday, July 2nd at 10:30 am. If you are outside the state of Iowa, you can stream the video after it airs at Iptv.org/IowaEntrepreneur. …
Finally, a Formal Conservation Curriculum for Agricultural Education
This week I am pleased to have as my guest writer, Dr. Thomas H. Paulsen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Studies at Iowa State University. Dr. Paulsen has extensive experience in school-based agricultural education. He served as an agriculture instructor at Lynnville-Sully High School from 1987-1992 and Carroll High School from 1992-2008. He coordinates ISU's Agriculture and Life Sciences Education program where he works closely with student teachers, cooperating teachers, and members of the School of …
Honoring the Past
Late last year, Peggy and I were vacationing in Alabama. Driving along Interstate 85, I noticed signs for Tuskegee, Alabama. It took me a few miles to put things together, but I started to recall my history lesson about George Washington Carver and his passion for soil health. In one of those unplanned side trips, Peggy and I exited I85 and toured the George Washington Carver Museum on the campus of Tuskegee University. The son of a slave woman, Carver was born into slavery, and spent his childhood in Missouri. In 1888, Carver moved …
Precision Conservation Book
Do you remember The Jerk, a 1979 movie comedy? In the movie, Navin R. Johnson (played by Steve Martin) is thrilled to find that his name is listed in the local phone book. Since the release of the book “Precision Conservation: Geospacial Techniques for Agricultural and Natural Resources Conservation” I find myself relating to this movie. It is not that I am mentioned in the book, but my name is mentioned along with so many precision conservation superstars. The book consists of 17 chapters, each chapter written by leading researchers who …
A quest to improve soil health
A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of participating in an expert panel on soil health. The goal of the expert panel was to identify a tool that can be used to project soil health improvements as farmers adopt new agronomic practices.Much is being written and said about soil health these days. It seems like every agricultural magazine and website has at least one article on soil health. There is a constant stream of advice about how agronomic practices like cover crops and no-till can improve soil health. There is also an abundance …