By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Farm Foundation is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a series of events scheduled throughout 2008.
The anniversary was marked with a reception and dinner in Oak Brook April 16, featuring New Mexico State University President Michael Martin as the speaker. He offered what he called a “stylized history” of land grant universities, which can help when looking into the future. He talked in terms of eras – before and since land grant universities were established.

First came what he called the Colonial Era, through about 1830, when the population was exploiting both the land and slavery and expanding westward. Next was the Era of Mechanization, which lasted until the 1920s. Without slave labor, it became incumbent upon farmers and people in all businesses to replace those lost laborers with mechanization and education.

“It was an interesting time in history, much like today, with a huge influx of immigrants,” Martin said.

The third he called the Chemical Era, though the late 1950s. It was a time when the land had been exploited as much as possible so it became necessary to use chemical fertilizers to pump up yields and release laborers into other areas of the economy.

The fourth – in which he believes we are coming to the end and which will overlap with the upcoming fifth era – he calls the Biological Era. This saw the rise of hybridization for various, desirable crop qualities.

Finally, the era he sees beginning is the Energy and Water Era, in which he says “inducements will cause institutional innovations.” Martin believes land grant universities have a role to play in the new era, but not without overcoming some challenges. The first is an aging infrastructure.

“Many universities grew as a direct result of the G.I. Bill and the ‘Baby Boom.’ Those aging buildings no longer meet the needs and demands of today’s university student. They expect wireless Internet access everywhere,” he said.

A second challenge is that the demands of science have changed significantly. “Big science is really expensive,” he said, adding scientific equipment is obsolete long before it wears it out.
“But maybe the biggest challenge is replacement of the Baby Boomer staff and faculty,” Martin said.

He doesn’t want the land grant universities to become irrelevant. He urged those listening to become directors of the agendas for land grant universities, force them to listen, address issues, marshal resources and “hold us accountable.” He said universities may need to rethink their system of departments, as it becomes crucial to think across a variety of disciplines to solve problems.

Celebrating the legacy

“We will honor the legacy of our founders, and the individuals and organizations whose leadership has and continues to enrich and sustain the Foundation’s work,” said Farm Foundation President Neilson Conklin.

“Today, Farm Foundation is the nation’s only foundation devoted to economic and public policy issues in agriculture, the food system and rural America. As our founders envisioned, we challenge leaders to look to the future with constructive dialogue, objective analysis and innovative ideas.”

In the depths of the Great Depression, leaders of agriculture, agribusiness, the media and academia – spearheaded by International Harvester President Alexander Legge and former Illinois Gov. Frank Lowden – conceived a private organization addressing issues facing agriculture and rural communities. They envisioned a group “free from political considerations” that would be a catalyst for new ideas to benefit agriculture and rural communities.

Since its creation in 1933, Farm Foundation has worked as a catalyst, fostering discussion of current and evolving issues affecting agriculture, the food system and rural communities. Through projects and conferences, the Foundation provides comprehensive, objective information to enhance the decision-making capacity of private and public leaders. Farm Foundation does not lobby or advocate positions.

A series of events are also planned in 2008 to honor Farm Foundation’s partnership with the USDA and other federal agencies, the American Agricultural Economics Assoc. and the American Agricultural Law Assoc.

This farm news was published in the April 23, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.