Thanks to a gift from Chipotle Mexican Grill, the Leopold
Center for Sustainable Agriculture will offer 10 Iowa farmers an
opportunity to participate in a national sustainable agriculture
conference March 25-27 in Kansas City.

The farmers who are
selected will receive a free tip to the 20th anniversary National
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) conference,
“Advancing the Frontier of Sustainable Agriculture.” The Leopold Center
will pay registration, lodging, and travel expenses (up to $750) for
each farmer.

Farmers who would like to attend the SARE conference can download the application form on the Leopold Center's web site at: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/sare.htm,
or call the Center at (515) 294-3711 to request a copy. Applications
are due to the Center by January 21, and winners will be selected by
January 30.

Farmers who attend will learn about how sustainable
farming is rapidly changing the face of American agriculture. The New
American Farm conference will be a gathering place for farmers,
ranchers, educators, researchers, students, advocates and the curious
consumers who share a passion for quality agriculture. More information
is available at the conference web site, http://www.sare.org/2008Conference/index.htm.

These farmer trips to the national SARE meeting are the Leopold
Center’s way of “paying it forward.” Last December, the fast-growing,
Denver-based restaurant chain chose the Leopold Center as one of two
recipients for the funds earned from selling a unique burrito-themed
calendar in their restaurants.

Here’s how Chipotle described
the Leopold Center on the calendar: “They look for ways to reward
farmers for protecting water resources and land while helping them
become profitable by producing high-quality food. With their help,
we’ll have an even nicer place to live and better ways to grow our
food.”

Chipotle takes great pride in serving “Food With
Integrity.” Their menu promotes food that is “unprocessed, seasonal,
family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone
free, organic, and artisanal.” Thanks to their gift to the Center, 10
Iowa farmers will have a chance to tap into 20 years of groundbreaking
SARE-funded research, experience and innovations.

Through its
research and education programs in the areas of policy, marketing and
ecology, the Leopold Center supports development of profitable farming
systems that conserve natural resources. The Center was established by
the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act.