J. Gordon Arbuckle, professor and extension sociologist in sociology and criminal justice and Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, is the recipient of the 2025 Dean Lee R. Kolmer Award for Excellence in Applied Research from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. His research program centers on bringing applied social science research-based information to bear on the interrelated challenges of agricultural adaptation to climate change and improvement of soil and water conservation programs and policy. His professional achievements, contributions and impacts in the field of soil and water conservation are nationally and internationally recognized.
Arbuckle views his conservation-oriented research and extension activities as tightly intertwined and complementary means to address soil and water challenges. His goals are threefold: to work with the public, nongovernmental organizations and private sector agricultural stakeholders to identify issues and research questions focused on addressing soil and water conservation challenges; to conduct applied research that generates data on problems that stakeholder groups face; and to translate those data into information that stakeholders can use to guide their programs and policies. He does this through the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, an annual survey of Iowa farmers that he directs, and other quantitative and qualitative research efforts.
Arbuckle plays a pivotal role on numerous science teams, advancing group efforts in important and impactful ways. He is a member of the Science-based Trials of Row crops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) team. He conducts an annual survey of farmer and farmland owner partners to understand their motivations, practices and challenges regarding prairie strips and their interest in providing outreach to others. Arbuckle’s work informs research prioritization within the STRIPS team and conservation program delivery by federal, state and NGO partners. He was also one of 11 founding members of the Iowa State Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative’s Consortium for Human and Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), which seeks innovative ways to return more value from agricultural supply chains to rural people and the land. Arbuckle brought the “human” into the C-CHANGE work plan, ensuring its efforts were centered on improving the lives and livelihoods of everyday Iowans.
In 2021, Iowa State was asked by Governor Reynolds’ office to support Iowa’s Carbon Sequestration Task Force by providing science expertise on carbon sequestration, opportunities for Iowa farmers and its potential economic impacts on the state. The science team was given 100 days to develop a comprehensive report to inform Task Force recommendations. Arbuckle was an important contributor to this effort, providing crucial data and analysis regarding Iowa farmers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding developing agricultural carbon programs, and informing the State of Iowa’s response.
Arbuckle is strongly committed to involving undergraduate and graduate students in his research program. He mentors students through the Iowa State Honors Program and Science with Practice. He employs students on grant-funded research projects and serves as their major professor. For five years he also served as associate chair and then chair of the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture.
Many of Arbuckle’s impacts on the field of soil and water conservation stem from his dedication to making stakeholder engagement and partnerships central to his applied research and extension programs. A colleague stated, “He has an infectious enthusiasm for teamwork, stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary research, and passes powerful skillsets in these areas onto all with whom he interacts. In sum, Dr. Arbuckle has provided outstanding service to the State of Iowa by developing new applied agricultural knowledge and mentoring the next generation of agricultural leaders.”