Agri News, MN
03-13-07
Iowa regional news and notes
Iowa faces critical ag teacher shortage
AMES, Iowa -- The state faces a critical shortage of agriculture teachers,
according to Robert Martin, chairman of the ag education and studies
department at Iowa State University.
Enrollment in teacher education programs is at an all-time low. The decline
comes at the same time when the retirements of babyboomers is beginning to
impact the need for teachers in agriculture and related fields.
The decline in teachers also comes at a time when the number of jobs for welleducated agriculturalists in all areas of the industry is at a record level, Martin
said.
Ag Awareness Day in Emmetsburg March 22
EMMETSBURG, Iowa -- An Ag Awareness Day is planned March 22 in the Wild
Rose Casino, Emmetsburg. The event will run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Guest speakers include ISU livestock specialist Dennis DeWitt, ISU swine
field specialist Jerry Weiss and Michael McNeil, president of Ag Advisory, LTD.
The event costs $13. For more information, call the Kossuth Economic
Development Corporation at (515) 295-7979.
Nielsen board to have Danish meal fundraiser
HAMPTON, Iowa -- A traditional Danish meal will be prepared and served April
22 as part of a fundraiser for the Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm.
The farm is in the process of being restored to a 1920s to 1930s Danish farm that
can accommodate community events and share history of the Danish culture in
Franklin County.
The event will will be held in the Hampton Country Club and will begin with a
social time at 5:30 p.m. with supper at 6 p.m.
The speaker will be Jim Iversen, professor emeritus of Aerospace
Engineering at Iowa State University, and president of the board of directors of
the Danish American Heritage Society.
Tickets are $25 each. For more information, call Doreen Petersen at (641) 4563825.
Fundraising under way for Borlaug Center
NASHUA, Iowa -- The effort to raise funds to build the Borlaug Learning Center
for northeast Iowa is being led by the Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental
Association, which owns the Iowa State University Northeast Iowa Research and
Demonstration Farm at Nashua.
The new facility would honor Norman Borlaug, who was raised on a farm near
Cresco. He is known as the father of the "Green Revolution" and received the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work to improve agricultural production in
countries faced with famine.
The ISU College of Agriculture has pledged $150,000 toward the $300,000
needed to build the center. A volunteer committee has been formed and a
fundraising campaign is being conducted throughout the 20 counties served by
the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm.
For more information, contact Kay Connelly at (319) 240-0926.
Dairy facilities event rescheduled for April 3
CALMAR, Iowa -- The Iowa State University Extension's Dairy Facilities
Conference, originally scheduled for March 1 has been postponed to April 3.
The location remains the same at the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation Center at
Calmar.