Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Helmers Named Winner of Ag Extension Worker Award

 

Contact

Dolores Landeck

629-428-6339

landeckasabe.org

 

Carol Flautt

2698-6336

flauttasabe.org

 

ST JOSEPH, MICHIGAN—The American Society of Agricultural Engineers has named Matthew Helmers winner of one of its most prestigious honors, the Nolan Mitchell Young Extension Worker Award. The award, which was presented June 24 at the 2009 ASABE Annual International Meeting, in Reno, Nevada, honors an individual under the age of 40 who has demonstrated outstanding success in motivating others to acquire the knowledge, skills, and understanding to improve agricultural operations. 

 

Helmers was honored in recognition of his exemplary leadership and outstanding contributions in water quality and agricultural drainage engineering. An assistant professor and extension agricultural engineer, agricultural and biosystems engineering department, Iowa State University, Helmers is recognized as one of the leading extension drainage experts in the Midwestern United States, having led or collaborated on 40 research projects that have attracted more than $8.4 million in grants.  He has established effective partnerships with local and state agencies, and his work has focused on working with the agricultural production stakeholders to increase the implementation of best management practices that are cost-effective and can improve environmental quality.  He has provided statewide leadership on drainage and educational programming and coordinated regional drainage workshops. 

 

Helmers has been leading the water quality extension education portion of the Iowa Learning Farm (ILF), a partnership of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University extension, and the Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service, which links cooperating farmers with ISU Extension specialists to explore different soil conservation management techniques.  Among his numerous other activities, he he has made more than 160 presentations at extension meetings and conferences and aided in delivering design workshops across Iowa and the Midwest.  In association with the University of Minnesota, Helmers helps organize an annual bi-state Drainage Research Forum attended by producers, drainage contractors, university personnel, and agency representatives, with the goal of disseminating up-to-date drainage and drainage water quality research findings to help improve water quality.

 

Helmers is a native of Sibley, Iowa.

 

The American Society of Agricultural Engineers is an international professional and technical organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to biological, agricultural, and food systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St Joseph, Michigan, ASABE comprises nearly 10,000 members representing more than 100 countries. Further information on ASABE can be obtained by contacting the Society at (269) 429-0300 (phone) or (269) 429-3852 (fax); hqasabe.org. Details can also be found at http://www.asabe.org.

 

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