Sustainable agriculture insights at Kansas Wesleyan

By Scout Nelson

Kansas Wesleyan University is set to continue its insightful lecture series with an event titled "A Prairie Conversation," scheduled for the evening of November 13th. The series provides a platform for experts to discuss significant topics in agriculture and sustainability.

This session, held in Peters Science Hall 201, will feature a discussion led by Stan Cox, an ecosphere fellow at The Land Institute.

The conversation will delve into Cox’s extensive career in plant breeding and crop research, focusing particularly on his contributions to developing perennial agriculture. Having completed his graduate work at Iowa State University, Cox spent over a decade conducting research on sorghum in India and later as a wheat geneticist in Kansas, where he specialized in creating disease-resistant wheat through hybridization techniques.

Since joining The Land Institute in 2000, Cox has been at the forefront of pioneering research into perennial sorghum, aiming to establish more sustainable agricultural systems. His work supports the institute's mission to promote ecological intensification of agriculture that benefits both the environment and farm productivity.

The event will also include a question-and-answer session, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage directly with Cox on various topics related to his research and the broader implications for global agriculture. The session will be moderated by Wes Jackson, co-founder of The Land Institute and a distinguished alumnus of Kansas Wesleyan.

This lecture is part of Kansas Wesleyan’s commitment to fostering educational discussions that highlight the role of science and research in advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

It aims to shed light on how perennial crop development can contribute to solving some of the pressing environmental challenges faced by modern agriculture, such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.

The university encourages all interested members of the public, students, and professionals in the field of agriculture and environmental science to attend this enlightening conversation. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights into the future of agriculture from leading experts in the field.

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