Last Friday Iowa Governor Terry Branstad vetoed the portion of Senate File 510 which eliminated the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. However, he also moved funding over to the Iowa State University Nutrient Center. Leopold Center Director Mark Rasmussen says the Governor’s decision sends three quarters of the Leopold funding over to the Center.

He says there’s only 10-percent of the funding left for the Leopold Center coming from Foundation endowment accounts. Rasmussen says transferring most of the Leopold funding to the ISU Nutrient Center allows that to keep going.

The lingering question is if a recovery in the ag economy would prompt Iowa State lawmakers to restore funding for the Leopold Center next session? However, Rasmussen isn’t very optimistic about that happening.

Over the past 30 years, the Leopold Center sponsored more than 600 grants involving research and education on a wide range of agricultural projects. Rasmussen says that focus will change with the loss of most of their funding.