The Drake University Agricultural Law Center is hosting a state-wide conference to help landowners learn how to protect their land, care for their soil and water, and develop the value of their farmland.
The conference, titled “Sustaining Our Iowa Land (SOIL) 2017: Cultivating Your Investment—Landowners and Stewardship” will be held July 27, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Olmsted Center, Drake University.
The Drake Agricultural Law Center is hosting the event in cooperation with Farmland Stewardship Solutions, the Iowa Water Center, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and The Nature Conservancy.
“We are excited to be partnering with Iowa leaders to put more conservation on Iowa farms,” said Neil Hamilton, director emeritus of the Drake Agricultural Law Center. “There is growing concern that Iowa’s commitment to protecting soil and water resources has waned. Our goal is to help landowners re-focus their efforts to not only improve their own farms, but to help Iowa again become a leader in protecting our state’s greatest resource.”
The conference is designed for an Iowa audience, but others are welcome to attend as the issues covered at the conference are important in other states as well.
“We help landowners develop the natural resource that is their farm,” said Mark Gannon, owner of Farmland Stewardship Solutions. “This conference is a great way for our company to partner with the Drake Agricultural Law Center and other Iowa groups to empower Iowa farmland owners to combine agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship.”
“The Iowa agricultural community has to do a better job of helping the owners of the farmland and the farmers who farm it work together for a more sustainable future,” Gannon added. “This conference is a commitment to that work.”
Registration is $75 per person and includes a light breakfast, lunch, and snack break. The price for students and a second registration (for spouses or family members of attendees) is $25.
Register now online.
Questions can be directed to Neil Hamilton at neil.hamilton@drake.edu or to Matt Russell at 515-689-8219.
Founded in 1983, the Drake Agricultural Law Center is internationally recognized for providing opportunities to study how the legal system shapes our food system and influences the ability of the agricultural sector to produce, market, and utilize agricultural products.
Learn more about the Drake Agricultural Law Center.