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Dr John Ikerd - "Reconnecting People and Earth Through Sustainable Food and Farming"

John E. Ikerd Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics
University of Missouri - Columbia

Background:
· Raised on a small dairy farm in southwest Missouri.
· Educated at the University of Missouri with BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics.
· Worked three years with Wilson Foods in Kansas City, MO, Atlanta, GA, and Detroit, MI between BS and MS degree work. · Worked in Extension Agricultural Economics positions at North Carolina State University, 1970-76 and Oklahoma State University, 1976-84 and was Head of Extension Agricultural Economic, University of Georgia, 1984-89.
· Returned to the University of Missouri 1989, under a cooperative agreement with USDA, to provide state and national leadership for research and education programs related to sustainable agriculture.
· Retired and received appointment as Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics on February 1, 2000.

Program Activities:
As state co-coordinator of extension programs in sustainable agriculture during the decade of the 1990s, Ikerd was responsible for implementing a professional development program for extension workers and others who provided Missouri with information related to sustainable agriculture. Other major research and educational programs included participatory on-farm research and demonstration programs and evaluation of impacts of sustainable agriculture on quality of life of farm families and others in rural communities. Dr. Ikerd was project leader for a three-state, five-year program, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which linked sustainable agriculture and sustainable community development.

Current Activities:
Since retiring from the University in early 2000, Ikerd spends most of his time writing and speaking on issues related to sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on the economics of sustainability. He also serves on boards of directors and advisory counsels for several nonprofit organizations dedicated to the sustainability of American agriculture and rural communities. Dr. Ikerd plans to continue writing and speaking out on economic and sustainability issues into the foreseeable future.

www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/

 

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