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Oct. 19, 2009 Source: Iowa Farmer Today news release As the landscape of Iowa agriculture has changed over the past 25 years, there have been many people whose influence has been felt during that time. These individuals encompass many areas - agronomy, livestock, public policy, ag technology, politics, economics, and activism. Regardless of the area of influence, they have helped change agriculture not only in Iowa, but for many, throughout the world. Iowa Farmer Today staff members and our readers collaborated on composing a list of the 25 most influential people in Iowa agriculture over the past 25 years. All those selected are either native Iowans or have made their biggest impact while working in Iowa. The nominees were many, but in the end, these 25 individuals (or couples) were deemed to be the most influential from September 1984 to the present, and are presented alphabetically. Marilyn Adams Adams founded Farm Safety 4 Just Kids after the death of her 11-year-old son, Keith Algreen, in a 1986 farm accident. She and her organization are credited with dramatically increasing the awareness of farm safety for children throughout the United States. Varel Bailey Bailey, who farms near Anita in Southwest Iowa, has served on countless boards, and was a driving force in the 1980s and 1990s on development of the ethanol industry in Iowa. Alfred Blackmer Blackmer, who died in 2006, was a long-time agronomy professor at Iowa State University. He developed a late-spring nitrogen soil test in 1990 that allowed farmers to better understand and refine fertilizer application. Ernie Behn Behn was an early proponent of no-till and ridge-till farming. He wrote the book, "More Profit with Less Tillage," that was first published in the late 1970s. Behn farmed near Boone. Norman Borlaug Borlaug, who died Sept. 12, was a Northeast Iowa native and agronomist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his development of higher-yielding wheat and his work in feeding the hungry. Called the Father of the Green Revolution, Borlaug is credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives worldwide. Francis Childs Childs, who died in 2008, set dozens of corn yield records with his innovative approach to farming. The Manchester farmer had yield of more than 400 bushels per acre in his test plots in the early 2000s. In 2002, he told i>Iowa Farmer Today he achieved 500 bu./acre in some of his test strips. Childs had his detractors. He was criticized for his heavy use of fertilizer and other treatment methods, and dealt with several allegations of cheating that were never proven. Lauren Christian Christian, who died in 1998, was an international leader in swine genetics while a professor for 33 years at Iowa State University. A native of LaPorte City, Christian was also the first director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. Rich and Nancy Degner Rich is the longtime executive director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, while Nancy has been the executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council since 1975, teaching thousands of people about how to enjoy and prepare beef as part of a nutritious diet. Rich has been with IPPA for more than 30 years, becoming director in 1998. Steve DeWitt DeWitt helped found Iowa Farmer Today in 1984, helping to revolutionize the news coverage of agriculture in the state. A native of Jefferson, he has been active with the Iowa FFA for many years. DeWitt continues as publisher of Iowa Farmer Today, a role he has held for the duration of the paper's history. Mike Duffy Duffy, a longtime Extension ag economist at Iowa State University and director of the Beginning Farmer Center, has been instrumental in helping farmers refine their operations to become more efficient. Duffy also compiles the annual Iowa Land Values Survey. Larry Ginter Ginter, a pork producer from Rhodes, is a longtime leader with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Ginter and his organization protested the move to large hog confinements in the 1990s, leading to legislation further regulating the confinements. Ginter also was instrumental in gaining a nationwide vote regarding the mandatory pork checkoff. Sen. Charles Grassley Grassley, a native of New Hartford, has served in Congress since 1974, the past 29 as a senator. Grassley, who still works on his family farm, has been an influential member of the Senate, most recently as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He is also a member of the ag, judicial and budget committees. Sen. Tom Harkin Harkin, a native of Cumming, has been in Congress since 1974, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984. He most recently was chairman of the Senate Ag Committee before stepping down to take the helm of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Neil Harl Harl, a professor emeritus of ag economics at Iowa State University, has been a leader in the areas of estate planning and farm finance. The Appanoose County native is known throughout the United States for his expertise in these areas. Paul Johnson Johnson, a former state legislator, DNR director and head of USDA's soil conservation program, was the principal author of the 1987 Groundwater Protection Act in Iowa. Roy Keppy Keppy, a Davenport native who died in 2005, served on the boards of several state and national pork groups. Keppy was instrumental in the development and implementation of the pork checkoff. He was the first president of the National Pork Council (which later became the National Pork Producers Council). Jon Kinzenbaw Kinzenbaw grew a welding and repair shop in Ladora into one of the largest, private ag manufacturing companies in the country. He invented the first adjustable width, high-clearance moldboard plow and the near-folding corn planter, a piece of equipment that became the norm for growers. Dean Kleckner Kleckner, a native of Rudd, served 10 years as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau and 14 years as president of the American Farm Bureau. Kleckner has served on several advisory committees, specifically on trade, and worked extensively to help establish global markets for Iowa farmers. Gary Lamb Lamb, who farms near Chelsea, has been a longtime leader in the Iowa Farmer's Union, serving as the organization's president. He also served as an ag adviser for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Paul Lasley The Missouri native is a longtime professor of sociology at Iowa State University. Lasley was instrumental in the development of the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, taking a look at not only ag prices, but also community development and how ag changes affect rural communities. John Lawrence A native of Tabor, Lawrence has been Extension livestock marketing economist at Iowa State University since 1991 and director of the Iowa Beef Center since 1998. Lawrence has worked to make producers understand cost of production and other tools to make their operations more efficient and has helped build the beef center into a nationally known source for information. Jan Schuiteman Schuiteman, a Sioux Center native, earned his DVM from Iowa State University in 1974. He helped build Pro Edge Ltd., which included NOBL Laboratories, a leader in swine biologics, and Trans Ova Genetics, a leader in bovine embryo transfer technology. He eventually sold NOBL Labs to Boehringer-Ingleheim. Harry Stine Stine, a Dallas County native, started Stine Seeds in the mid-1960s and became a leader in breeding high-yield soybean plants. Stine later did similar things with corn. By 1991, Stine Seeds had become the largest domestic and privately owned soybean company in the U.S. Dick and Sharon Thompson The Thompsons, who farm near Boone, helped found Practical Farmers of Iowa in 1985. The organization, dedicated to the concept of sustainable agriculture, now has more than 700 members. The Thompsons have had visitors from nearly 60 countries. Bob Wisner Wisner spent more than 40 years as the Extension grain marketing economist at Iowa State University, retiring in 2007. Wisner's attention to detail was legendary among farmers and his fellow economists, compiling his estimates for acres planted, exports, feed use and other areas. He is a Michigan native. Also considered in the compilation of this list were Terry Branstad, Tom Vilsack, Craig Lang, Gene Futrell, Richard Willham, Harry Vermeer, Daryl Strohbehn, Dixon Terry, Steve Kerns, Jeff Hansen, Wythe Willey, Bill Northey, Bob Lounsberry, Patty Judge, David Osterberg, Rev. Maurice Dingman, Stan Johnson, Fred Kirschenmann, John Whitaker, Dale Cochran, Bill Horan, Ron Litterer, Chris Petersen, Harry Hillaker and Elwynn Taylor. Tweet |
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