AMES, Iowa — Representatives of Iowa State University’s Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) spent several days in Washington, D.C., late last month meeting with members of Congress and their staff to speak about the importance of the land-grant system to Iowa and the nation.
The Council on Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching is a national grassroots organization of volunteers from land-grant universities across the country created by the Board on Agriculture Assembly of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). CARET volunteers seek to further national support and understanding of the value of the land-grant system as private citizens, business owners and community advocates.
Iowa State's CARET representatives who attended this year’s national meetings were:
- Chris Cornelius, Bellevue
- Don Latham, Alexander
- Kevin Ross, Minden
- Katie Stutsman, West Des Moines
CARET representative Mike Gooder, Cresco, was not able to attend. Cornelius and Gooder are new members of the Iowa CARET team, appointed this year. All are alums of Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It was an honor to represent Iowa State University as a CARET delegate at the recent events in Washington, D.C.,” said Cornelius, a leader in the family business, Cornelius Seed. “Having the opportunity to be part of a national effort where everyone in the room is pulling the same way to support agricultural research, education and teaching at land-grant universities was a valuable experience. We spent a day on the Hill visiting each of the Iowa congressional delegations where we were welcomed with open arms as we told personal stories of how we have benefited from extension and university programs. I look forward to attending in the future.”
A reception to connect with Iowa State and CALS alums and students in the Washington area was held in conjunction with the CARET meetings. This year's special guest speaker was Scott Hutchins, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, who received a doctorate from Iowa State in entomology. The annual event is co-hosted by Daniel J. Robison, endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, and Jason Henderson, vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach.
Latham, a corn and soybean farmer, appointed in 1991, is the longest-serving delegate on Iowa’s CARET team. During that time, Latham has served in several related national leadership roles, including as chairman of the CARET executive committee from 2010-2011.
“I don’t think I’ve missed a national meeting during my tenure. I always find it very rewarding to advocate as a beneficiary of our land-grant system and tell the stories of why the work here – basic and applied research often delivered through extension programs – matters so much to agriculture and to our communities,” Latham said.
As they met with Congressional leaders, the CARET team emphasized the value of land-grant innovation that puts farmers first in the areas of agriculture research, extension and teaching. They highlighted examples including Planter University trainings for farmers, plant breeding research and AI training for 4-H’ers, as well as development of food enterprises and housing programs for communities across the state. Find more details on the CARET Report 2026 – For More Information webpage.
“Many thanks to our dedicated CARET representatives for their wonderful support, and for taking their own time to advocate for the land-grant university system and Iowa State especially,” Robison said. “Their work, and the entire CARET and CALS and Extension teams that visit Washington each year about this time do important work to advance our missions and convey to the federal government the good work we do on behalf of the nation. We also appreciate our partnership with the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, which coordinates the national CARET process, and guides requests for funding to keep land-grant universities serving stakeholders across Iowa and the nation.”
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Contacts
Daniel J. Robison, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, robisond@iastate.edu
Chris Cornelius, Bellevue, Iowa, chris.cornelius@corneliusseed.com
Don Latham, Alexander, Iowa, donel45@gmail.com
Ann Y. Robinson, Agriculture and Life Sciences Communications, 515-294-3066, ayr@iastate.edu