October 7, 2003
AMES, Iowa — An expert in agricultural ecology will discuss the role of soils in profitable, sustainable agriculture systems Oct. 22 at Iowa State University.
Phil Robertson, professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University, will present the 2003 Pierre Lecture in Soil Science at 4:10 p.m. in 2050 Agronomy Hall.
Robertson's presentation is titled Towards a Productive, Environmentally Safe Agriculture: The Soils Challenge. It will underline the importance of soil processes and properties in synergistic ag systems.
Robertson has served on several committees of the National Research Council's Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
In addition to the Pierre Lecture, Robertson also will present a technical lecture, Greenhouse Gases in Row-Crop Agriculture: Beyond Carbon Sequestration, at 11 a.m. Oct. 23 in 3140 Agronomy Hall.
The Pierre Lecture Series honors the memory of William Pierre, who served as chair of the Iowa State agronomy department from 1938 until 1964. Robertson's lecture will be the 16th in the Pierre Lecture Series.
The series is co-sponsored by the Iowa State Department of Agronomy Pierre Lecture Fund, the Graduate College Miller Lecture Fund, the Department of Natural Resources Ecology and Management, the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, the Interdepartmental Graduate Programs in Sustainable Agriculture and Water Resources and the Environmental Sciences Program.
Editor's note: Robertson will be in Ames Oct. 21-23 and available for interviews. Contact Michael Thompson, agronomy, (515-294-2415 or mlthomps@iastate.edu) to schedule an appointment. More information about Robertson is available at http://www.kbs.msu.edu/Faculty/Robertson/.