Jason Rowntree, the C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture in the Michigan State University Department of Animal Science, has been selected as a recipient of the Hero Recognition by North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, or NCR-SARE.
The award recognizes long-term service to NCR-SARE, as well as leadership and lasting impact on sustainable agriculture in the North Central region and beyond. Rowntree was honored July 14 at the NCR-SARE Administrative Council summer meeting in Madison, Wisconsin.
NCR-SARE is one of four regional offices that run the national SARE program, a grants and education initiative that advances innovation and promotes sustainable U.S. agriculture.
The North Central Region includes 12 states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Rowntree is a world-renowned researcher in the areas of beef cattle production and regenerative grazing systems, which aim to increase economic viability for producers while encouraging sustainable agriculture practices that benefit the environment.
“I’m very appreciative to NCR-SARE for this recognition, and I want to acknowledge that there are so many people involved in making our program thrive,” Rowntree said. “Our goal is to deliver information to farmers and ranchers that helps them make informed decisions. It’s important for our producers to have profitable operations, but they also embrace the idea of building resilience and ensuring our food systems are sustainable long term. The boots-on-the-ground partnerships are really what makes this work.”
The MSU Lake City Research Center is the homebase of Rowntree’s research program, an 810-acre center that hosts studies on beef cattle, potatoes and bioenergy crop production.
Rowntree’s belief that beef cattle grazing can enhance farm profitability and build resilience of land led to the creation of the MSU Center for Regenerative Agriculture, now known as the Landscape Intelligence Network. The program, which also includes experts on plant agriculture and natural resources, provides farmers and land managers with evidence-based information that boosts economic outcomes while protecting soil health, resilience and water cycling.
At the national and international levels, Rowntree co-leads a $19 million project to better understand the outcomes of regenerative grazing systems. The project, which is in its fifth year, is called “Metrics, Management, and Monitoring (3M): An Investigation of Pasture and Rangeland Soil Health and its Drivers,”
Funding for 3M is provided by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Noble Research Institute, Jones Family Foundation, Greenacres Foundation and ButcherBox. The partnership brings together researchers from public universities in the U.S. and United Kingdom, as well as 11 nonprofits and private research organizations.
Rowntree’s research is also backed in part by MSU AgBioResearch, which supports more than 300 MSU faculty in seven MSU colleges conducting research on a variety of agriculture- and natural resources-related topics. AgBioResearch Director George Smith said Rowntree’s work exemplifies the land-grant university mission of research, teaching and outreach.
“I’m thrilled to hear that Dr. Rowntree is being recognized for his tremendous impact on the fields of beef cattle production and regenerative grazing systems,” Smith said. “His research and leadership is internationally respected, leading to benefits for global agricultural systems. Through research, training the next generation of scientists, and outreach to producers and ranchers, Dr. Rowntree is building lasting partnerships that will bolster our food systems for decades to come. We’re fortunate at MSU to have his expertise that drives innovation at a time when agriculture is facing an abundance of challenges.”
This story originally appeared on the AgBioResearch website.
