Grassley Congratulates Iowa State Professor, Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, on her Exemplary Work on Behalf of Farmers and Rural Communities

Prepared Floor Remarks by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Congratulates Iowa State Professor, Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, on her Exemplary Work on Behalf of Farmers and Rural Communities

Thursday, October 7, 2021

 

I’d like to take this time to recognize an impressive Iowan. Professor Lisa Schulte Moore, of Iowa State University is doing important work on behalf of farmers, rural communities and all Americans.

 

Dr. Schulte Moore is a landscape ecologist and professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Additionally, she serves as the Associate Director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University.

 

Dr. Schulte Moore was recently recognized as the 2021 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient, and first-ever Iowa State MacArthur Fellow.

 

This award is known as the “Genius Grant” and is given to individuals who have shown a dedication to their field through creativity and originality.

 

Dr. Schulte Moore is a founder of the Prairie STRIPS conservation program.

 

Established in 2003 at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City, Iowa, this program studied the effects of planting prairie strips on farmland.

 

Participants found that prairie strips can protect the quality of our soil and water by reducing farm field soil loss by 95 percent.

 

They also reduces nitrogen and phosphorous runoff by up to 80 percent.

 

Because of her work, prairie strips are used in 14 states on over 115,000 acres of cropland.

 

In addition to the $625,000 received through the MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Schulte Moore was recently awarded a $10 million federal grant to turn biomass and manure into fuel.

 

With this research, Dr. Schulte Moore is looking for additional ways that farm waste can be turned into renewable fuel.

 

Whether it is researching the next generation of biofuels, or helping farmers understand what conservation practices work best at their farm, I’m grateful that the MacArthur Foundation recognized Dr. Schulte Moore.

 

Her dedication and innovation encourage young people at Iowa State and beyond to become involved in agriculture.

 

The fact is, the United States has the safest and most abundant food supply in the world thanks to the American farmer and through the research of institutions like Iowa State.