Progress towards a renewed agriculture took a major blow recently when the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences received more money from big business agriculture. Who graced us with this money? Well, sly Monsanto — of course — who has pledged $1 million to help renovate Curtiss Hall. At a time when it is very crucial for Iowa State to foster a sustainable agriculture that returns more farmers to the land — the college instead now has to bend over for a soulless entity that does not care about the state of agriculture and rural communities, but like any other big business, only concentrates on profit. So why did they give us this generous gift? Because, as Wendy Wintersteen, dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has said, Monsanto shares the college’s ”vision of creating an environment that reflects the vitality of agriculture and life sciences for Iowa and the world, and that conveys the college as an exciting place to study, work and forge tomorrow’s leaders.”

Yeah, right. Monsanto’s real vision is to create an environment that reflects the vitality of agriculture for Monsanto. So far, they’ve been very successful. Their control of agriculture has led to food safety issues, health issues and a lack of diversity from monopolization of seed stock. Problems ranging from ban of mandatory artificial hormones, like rBGH, dumping of chemical by-products into rivers and streams, buying up small seed companies and enforcing a no-seed saving policy, thus control a majority of the food system. Let’s not forget the ultimate slap in the face to impoverished nations: that Monsanto claims that they are “feeding the world.” No one can claim to be effectively feeding the world especially when a child dies of starvation every five seconds. Now they hope to direct Iowa State’s research and mindset toward agriculture to better fit what they see will help them as a global corporation.

Fred Kirschenmann of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture reminds us that land-grant universities were created for and by the people. Is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences demonstrating this to its full potential? He notes “Agriculture is dependent on cheap energy. It was cheap energy that made industrial agriculture so effective and efficient. But the era of cheap energy is over, so agriculture that continues to rely on extensive energy inputs will increasingly be at a comparative disadvantage. What we need now are young, creative farmers who can transition to an agriculture based on biological synergies instead of energy inputs.” He also states that the public sector isn’t able to exist without the private sector, but we have to find that balance without the private eroding the public.

The average age of farmers is 57 with only 5.8 percent under the age of 35. The major struggles with beginning farmers are land cost, the amount of capital and markets that reward them for their labor. Not that Monsanto is to blame for the decline in farming, but industrial agriculture has overhauled the system and has made it unfair for the average aspiring farmer.

The irony from this occurrence may be the most unsettling, however. One of the goals of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is to get more farmers out on the land. I wonder how they will be able to continue to try to achieve this while accepting money from one of the major causes for the decline in agriculture and agricultural communities. It’s hard to turn down this kind of money for such a large renovating task, but anyone with any sort of value system has to feel a little uncomfortable about this. We need to think about whether or not this action represents our future goals and mission in agriculture.

I’m sure Charles Curtiss, who was known for “instilling the dignity of Agriculture and spelling it with a capital A”, is rolling over in his grave. He would be ashamed to see the stranglehold big business has on agriculture, and then to have that same big business fund a building in his name.

Now, I hate to admit this, but I once worked for this conglomerate. I felt brainwashed. I wasn’t ever told what exactly I was doing just told what I was supposed to do. Only afterwards learned how their practices are effecting the vulnerable and their corporate practices are ruining small town America, a place where life is good. I know this because I was born and raised in a community which was centered on agriculture. My grandpa, a lifetime farmer and a conservationist known statewide, worked hard and was a good steward of the land. I’m sure he would be really proud to know that I am at a school that takes funding from a business that supports everything that he fought. Now we are told to give in to a big business that swallows up family farms and the vitality of rural America.

— Ellen Walsh is a junior in public service and administration in agriculture from Elgin.