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Utah State hosts world-renowned ecologist

As students hosted midterm stress Wednesday night, the Utah State University Ecology department hosted Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, an expert in human-landscape interactions and sustainability.

The lecture was part one in a two-part seminar: Wednesday’s lecture was geared more toward the public and Thursday’s more toward experts in ecology, though the public was welcome to both.

Gwendwr Meredith was the PhD student directing the seminar that is part of an eight-part series of lecturers chosen, invited and hosted by graduate students in Biology-related departments.

“I hope people get a broader sense of what ecology means and to be inspired, as well as provide a networking sense,” Meredith said in regards to why she wanted to invite Dr. Schulte Moore. With Meredith’s study and interest focus being “bioprospecting of culturally significant species and ecosystem services provided by plants,” Dr. Schulte Moore’s studies coincide quite well.

Wednesday’s lecture was titled “Tweak, Adapt, Transform: Growing a resilient agriculture in Iowa and beyond.”

When asked about the objective, Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore said, “I want (those attending) to think more deeply about their role in agricultural systems.”

She explains that agriculture has traditionally been based upon maximization of crop yields, being spearheaded by engineers and economists; however, scientists have often been left out of the equation. Her research shows that by replacing small amounts of annual crop with perennial plants, 95 percent more soil can be conserved, along with 90 percent more phosphorus, and two times the biodiversity tend to inhabit the land. By doing this, she is not only looking to increase productivity, but also sustainability, while reducing overall negative environmental impacts.

Her successes have generated positive feedback from farmers and scientists alike. Since beginning her research in 2003, Dr. Schulte Moore and her team have researched 25 farms and planted more than 180 acres of perennial plant strips on 2000 acres of crop land. Some farmers are more concerned about soil, whereas some, as Dr. Schulte Moore said, “are concerned with having more wildness.” Regardless of the farmers’ hopes, she reports there has been all positive feedback.

“One farmer said it is the first time he has felt good about what he’s doing,” she said.

With the foundation laid and science accumulating, the next step, she said, is “helping tell the stories that farmers want to tell.” Due to nuances and contradictions in agricultural policy, it can be difficult for farmers to implement conservation practices. By telling their stories, there can be a shift towards more holistic, less discriminatory policies to benefit not just farmers, but also our planet and everyone living on it.

“It’s time to gather everyone to the table and have these conversations,” she said in her presentation.

Through numerous dialogues and “gatherings to the table,” Dr. Schulte Moore and her team have begun to convert farmers and people to the benefits of conservational practices.

“Will I be able to say I left the land better than I found it? That’s what matters to me,” said Seth Watkins, an Iowa farmer. Dr. Schulte Moore and her team would answer with a resounding yes, and it appears the evidence would, too. As she said, “Farmers are lining up to adopt these practices.”

Through educating farmers, institutions, and all types of people, the end goal of Dr. Schulte Moore — and most ecologists — is creating a sustainable agricultural system for now and generations to come. She summed up her presentation by urging attendees to share their knowledge, visit the country side, advocate for blended policies and more than anything, “Get to work.”

— jack_brimhall@yahoo.com