Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Iowa and Nebraska to Host Sustainable Agriculture Listening Sessions

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) in cooperation with the Nebraska Great Plains Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D) and Iowa Golden Hills Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) will be conducting public listening sessions at three locations in east-central Nebraska and southwest Iowa to discuss increasing the sustainability of their agriculture.

The NCR-SARE listening sessions serve as an opportunity to bring together people with differing viewpoints within a community of place to share their perspectives of sustainability and agriculture. Reports resulting from the listening sessions serve as a respected information source on the status and prospects of sustainable agriculture and as such guide the Administrative Council that directs the NCR-SARE competitive grants and other programs.

NCR-SARE and the RC&Ds will partner with cooperative extension and community colleges to provide public meeting facilities in Lincoln, NE, Omaha, NE, and Council Bluffs, IA. The first session will take place on September 23, 2010 in Lincoln, NE at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Office. The second and third sessions will take place on Friday, September 24, 2010, the first in Council Bluffs, IA at Iowa Western Community College and the second in Omaha, NE at Metropolitan Community College.

"Southwest Iowa and east central Nebraska form a natural 'food shed' based on the naturally occurring flow of goods and services between the rural countryside and the metropolitan areas," explained Norman Hanson, Chairperson of the Nebraska Great Plains RC&D.

These listening sessions are open to the public. For more information, and to participate in any of these listening sessions, register online at http://www.mccneb.edu/sareusda/ or dial (402) 457-2241.

Information for each site:

  • 9/23/2010, 5:30-8:30pm, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County - Gary Bergman, gbergman@unlnotes.unl.edu, 402-441-7180
  • 9/24/2010, 8:30-11:30am, Iowa Western Community College - Bahia Barry, bahia.barry@rcdnet.net, 712-482-3029
  • 9/24/2010, 2:30-5:30pm, Metropolitan Community College - Jenn Valandra, jvalandra@mccneb.edu, 402-457-2555

No comments: