Message from the Dean - February 23, 2026

February 23, 2026

Hello, CALS,

Last week, I was in Arizona meeting with wonderful alums and friends of the college, including at a CALS reception in Phoenix. It was terrific to see these people, most of them snowbirds, who support the college in so many meaningful ways. These visits are an opportunity to not only touch base and thank them for their engagement with us, but also to learn what’s on their minds. That helps us stay relevant, focused and excellent. We discussed Artificial Intelligence, judging teams, Cyclone sports (of course), study abroad and study USA, water quality, pesticide regulations, crop prices, animal health and disease, enrollment, budget and much more.

This week, I am in Washington, D.C., with the annual Association of Public Land-grant Universities Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) to meet with teams from nearly every land-grant university in the U.S., and then go to Capitol Hill to talk to our Congressional delegation about the vital importance of federal support for USDA funds that enable our work. Funds such as Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, and Smith-Lever.  The group here includes:

  • CALS Associate Dean for Research and Discovery Danny Singh
  • Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson
  • CALS Communications, Marketing and Recruitment Director Andy Zehr
  • Iowa State Associate Director of Federal Relations Lucas Heitkamp, and
  • our most excellent private citizen CARET representatives from the agriculture sector:
    • Don Latham (crop farmer, Alexander, Iowa)
    • Chris Cornelius (seed company, Bellevue, Iowa)
    • Katie Stutsman (Corteva global lead, West Des Moines, Iowa)
    • Kevin Ross (crop and cattle producer, Minden, Iowa)

This year, we’re missing our other CARET rep, Mike Gooder (horticultural plant producer, Cresco, Iowa), who could not make it given scheduling conflicts. You are represented by this truly great team of CARET reps who take their own time to advocate for what we do because it helps them do what they do.

Then on Thursday this week, Kendall Lamkey, our associate dean for facilities and operations, will host the all-farms meeting for the college, bringing together people from every one of our farms and facilities across the state, and locally, from the college, animal science and Ag 450 farms and farm associations. Friday evening will be the annual ISU Alumni Gala, and then we get the weekend!

My best for a terrific week. Please let me know what you’re thinking. - Dan

Scenes from CALS

Row of flowering bushes beneath trusses.
Desert landscape in Arizona.
At Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West Architectural studios outside of Phoenix, Arizona. They back up to the McDowell Mountains in a Sonoran Desert landscape.  Along one side of the building is this beautiful row of bougainvillea under a repeated array of painted redwood trusses.
Person addresses a room full of people seated at tables.
Last week I spoke at the Department of Animal Science faculty, staff and external advisory group meeting. Over the last several weeks, I've had the excellent opportunity to attend departmental meetings with agronomy, ecology, evolution and organismal biology, statistics, natural resource ecology and management.