This summer, Iowa State will celebrate the life of George Washington Carver during the Research and Demonstration Field Days taking place on Iowa farms.

Although the field days occur each year in summer and fall, this summer’s rendition will be different because of an emphasis placed on the life of George Washington Carver and his ties to the College of Agriculture.

“At the field days, there will be displays and plantings of the same crops that George Washington Carver worked with, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes,” said Dennis Shannon, head of ISU Research and Demonstration Farm. “There will also be speakers talking about the life of Carver.”

Mark Honeyman, associate professor of research and development with the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms, said the field days will give people a chance to see research projects in person.

“It is a really good way for people to interact with researchers and ISU staff at the site,” he said. “They will be able to see firsthand, the current farming research that takes place in Iowa.”

Susan Thompson, communications specialist with the College of Agriculture, said almost 11,500 people visited the Research and Demonstration Farms in 1998 — a 34 percent increase from 1997 and double the 1996 figure. Attendance at the field days continues to grow despite the decline in the number of Iowa farmers, Honeyman said.

“People seek information in the face of change,” he said. “Carver was the first African American student at ISU and the first African American faculty member.

It is great that the College of Agriculture has such ties with Carver as a great researcher and an agriculturist.”

Each location will cover a different farming topic. The topics covered include weed management, crop management, production economics and others.

“At each field day, there will be displays of the topics discussed at that site, as well as a scaled-down version of the College of Agriculture’s Carver display that was shown last year at the Iowa State Fair,” Honeyman said.

For more information on the topics and locations of the field days, contact the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms at B1 Curtiss Hall or call 294-4620. Details regarding the field days can be found on the Web at www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/fielddays.html.