Rosentrater Receives Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award

Kurt Rosentrater, associate professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Achievement in International Agriculture Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. He is recognized as a global leader in production and processing of value-added food and biomaterials. He is executive director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council, where he oversees educational and technical information dissemination to the biofuels industry. 

Rosentrater is a prolific researcher and has published widely on issues important to international food security. Results of these projects have had implications for food and feed supply chains in emerging economies around the world. He has led academic exchanges between Iowa State and universities in France, and served as a faculty mentor and teacher with the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge. He has helped teach the program in Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. He has worked extensively in global outreach and training throughout Bangladesh, Tanzania, Ghana and Japan. Through various programs at Winrock International, ACDI/VOCA, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Grains Council, he has conducted training programs on grain storage, grain and feed processing, and feed ingredient formulation and use for various animal species.

Rosentrater’s work has enhanced the international reputation of the college and Iowa State in global food security. The lessons learned through his international activities and integrated into his courses are helping a new generation of Iowa State students understand and engage in international development. A colleague states, “Kurt is the model for how faculty can conduct international activities, blending the land grant principles of teaching, research and extension.”