June 8, 2011, Wednesday - A SIP OF SCIENCE: Agricultural Crossroads: Food, Fuel and the Future at Aster Cafe

Time: 5:30pm

Location: The Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street, St. Anthony Main

The rhetoric surrounding agriculture in the state of Minnesota almost invariably invokes a future of sacrifice. Some fear that maintaining the status quo will damage our ecosystems, while others are concerned that alternative approaches to agriculture will lead to economic woe and inadequate food supplies.

Nick Jordan, professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, wants to change the terms of the dialog from sacrifice to shared opportunity. Jordan wants to facilitate the adoption of land-use practices that take local agriculture in a new, multifunctional direction. Join Jordan, local farmer Tony Thompson, Warren Formo from the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Coalition, and Jim Kleinschmit and Anna Clausen from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy for a discussion of a new vision for local farmland use, and how we might get there from here.

It will be an evening of science, policy, music, and art. Nick Jordan, featuring images by Anna Clausen and music from Mother Banjo

A SIP OF SCIENCE bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly. Food, beer, and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum that offers the opportunity to talk with researchers about their current work, its implications, and its fascinations.