A Tribute to Ron Raikes

On September 5th, Ron Raikes was tragically killed in a farm accident. Ron was a stellar Nebraska farmer, an outstanding state senator, a renowned educator, and a good friend of FSE. During the winter quarter of 2008/9, he (and his brother Jeff of the Gates Foundation) spoke to the members of our world food economy class about farming and being a farmer in Nebraska. Ross Feehan was an undergraduate member of that class who went on to become a summer intern on the Raikes farm. Ross's essay on his experiences is presented here as a tribute to Ron. Read more »

Bill Gates refers to FSE study in keynote speech at the World Food Prize Symposium

In one of his first major speeches on agriculture, Gates cited a FSE study that predicted that farmers in southern Africa will lose 25 percent of their corn productivity if they continue growing the same varieties they do now. The study, Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security in 2030, came out in Science in February 2008 and examines crop adaptation strategies for climate change and investment priorities.

Meeting addresses need for adapting crops to new climate conditions

A recent 3 day meeting of international climate and crop experts at Stanford University focused on ways to adapt agriculture to a warmer world. A summary report from the meeting identifies several priorities for research and investment in the coming years.