Event Speaker

Laura Krouse

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Chair of the Linn County Soil and Water Commission Farmer — Advocate for local food

Laura Krouse owns Abbe Hills Farm, a 72-acre farm near Mt. Vernon that produces heirloom seed corn and is also home to a 200-family Community Supported Agriculture operation. In 2007, Ms. Krouse was the recipient of the Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture, granted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture to honor those who have contributed to the stability of family farms in Iowa. She was the first single woman named to the award, as well as the first small-market farmer. In the winter, Ms. Krouse provides conservation education to women landowners through a project of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network called "Women Caring for the Land." Laura Krouse is also chair of the Linn Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD). Ms. Krouse holds BS degrees in agronomy and agricultural business from Iowa State University, and an MS in agronomy from the University of Florida.