Iowa State University President David Cook is spending his first year on the job looking at where the university can have the greatest impact in the years ahead, and agriculture remains a major part of that conversation.
Cook has been traveling across Iowa during his first several months as president, meeting with communities and learning more about what the university is doing well, where there may be opportunities to improve, and what Iowans will need from Iowa State in the future.
Those conversations are also helping Cook identify priorities for Iowa State agriculture. One area he says the university needs to continue examining is value-added agriculture and the role Iowa State can play in creating more opportunities around the commodities produced in Iowa.
Cook pointed to Iowa State’s existing partnerships with the agriculture industry, along with significant research grants the university has received, as a foundation for expanding that work.
Another priority is the continued development of digital agriculture and agricultural technology.
Cook said Iowa State already has a strong position in that area through its research and educational programs. Those technologies are becoming increasingly important as farmers look for ways to use inputs more efficiently, better understand information coming from their fields, and improve overall productivity.
Cook’s first months at Iowa State have included an effort to spend more time outside of Ames and hear directly from communities across the state. Although Cook and his wife both have longstanding connections to Ames and Iowa State, he had spent decades away from Iowa before returning to lead the university.
He said those visits are giving him an opportunity to better understand what communities need from Iowa State now while also looking at the challenges and opportunities that could shape the university’s work in the future.
That includes listening to farmers, researchers, and others involved in Iowa agriculture as the university considers where its research resources can make the greatest difference.
For Cook, the direction is a combination of building on areas where Iowa State already has expertise while continuing to listen for the next set of problems agriculture needs the university to help solve.
Whether that means finding additional value for the commodities Iowa already produces or developing technology that can help farmers become more productive, Cook says what he learns from people across the state can help shape the future of agricultural research at Iowa State.
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