Sustainability author and expert John Ikerd to speak Nov. 14 at Yoder Public Affairs Lecture

Lecture: Yoder Public Affairs Lecture – John Ikerd, “Sustainable Capitalism: Self-interest Rightly Understood”
Date and time: Tuesday, Nov. 14 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: Free and open to the public

GOSHEN, Ind. – Author and retired agricultural extension agent John Ikerd calls for sustainable agriculture, or “agriculture that will last,” he said. “A sustainable agriculture must meet the need of people of the present, while leaving equal or better opportunities for those of the future.”

Ikerd will present his own suggestions for sustainability at Goshen College on Nov. 14 in the Yoder Public Affairs Lecture Series at 7:30 p.m. in Rieth Recital Hall. He will be speaking on “Sustainable Capitalism: Self-Interest Rightly Understood.” This event is free and open to the public.

In addition, Ikerd will speak on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Goshen Farmer’s Market (212 W. Washington Street) on the topic of “Beyond Organic to Sustainable/Local Foods.” And at 10 a.m. on Nov. 14, a coffee and conversation time with Ikerd, sponsored by Goshen’s Seniors for Peace, will take place at the Greencroft Senior Center in Goshen. Both of these events are free and open to the public.

Ikerd’s books, such as “The Case for Common Sense” and “Sustainable Capitalism,” reflect the author’s life in agriculture, but call for new, sustainable approaches to agriculture, ecology and the economy. “In order to last, a sustainable agriculture must be ecologically sound, economically viable and socially responsible,” he said.

Raised on a small dairy farm in Missouri, educated at the University of Missouri with bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree in agricultural economics, Ikerd’s career appears conventional: three years with Wilson Foods, 20 years in agricultural extension positions (North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and the University of Georgia) and 11 years under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the University of Missouri leading research and education programs related to sustainable agriculture as a professor of agricultural economics.

But Ikerd describes his own change in views “from a conservative, bottom-line, free-market economist to an open advocate of a new economics of sustainability.” Ikerd experienced the industrialization of agriculture first-hand during his early years of work in private industry and 30-plus years working with farmers. But he argues that with industrialization have come ecological and social problems that make the current agricultural industry, and market systems, “unsustainable.”

Since retiring in 2000, Ikerd spends most of his time writing and speaking about issues related to sustainable agriculture, with an emphasis on the economics of sustainability.

Ikerd’s visit to Goshen is sponsored by the Goshen College Yoder Public Affairs Lecture Committee. The Yoder Public Affairs Lecture Series began in 1978 when Frank and Betty Jo Yoder of Goshen created an endowed lectureship to enable faculty, students and community members to hear widely known speakers address current issues.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.