WASHINGTON, D.C. — American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food, has hired Tim Fink as its new policy director. Fink is charged with developing AFT’s overall policy direction and strategies, overseeing the implementation of those strategies, coordinating AFT’s federal policy work and all relevant state policy work in close collaboration with AFT’s national initiative leaders and regional directors.

Fink comes to AFT from the Supporters of Agricultural Research, or SoAR, Foundation where as the director of research and policy analysis he oversaw federal relations and science policy. There he successfully advocated for increases in USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative from $325 million in FY 2015 to $415 million in FY 2019. Fink also managed and successfully fundraised for the National Academies’ Science Breakthroughs 2030 project on behalf of SoAR. In addition, he served as project lead in developing a series of farm bill Research Policy Recommendations endorsed by 66 organizations.

Prior to joining SoAR, he was project manager for the 25x’25 Alliance where he led collaborations among government agencies, non-profits, academia and private industry that produced reports on topics such as agricultural adaptation to climate change and rural renewable energy policy. He was also responsible for promoting and tracking developments related to the farm bill Energy Title.

Fink has extensive experience in politics, including four political campaigns and as a legislative assistant to the chair of the House Energy Committee for Iowa’s General Assembly. He has also worked on faith and environmental issues as the first executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light and the faith program director for ecoAmerica. A proud native Iowan, he holds a master of theological studies from Harvard and a bachelor of arts degree from Luther College with a double major in political science and history.

Fink will be based in AFT’s Washington, D.C., office. He enjoys hiking, history, guitar, microbreweries, and Chicago Bears football. One of his goals is to visit each of the 58 U.S. national parks with his wife.

Creech receives award from CSSA

The Crop Science Society of America has announced that it will award its 2019 Early Career Award to Cody F. Creech, dryland cropping systems specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

The award will be formally presented at the CSSA Awards Ceremony on Nov. 13 during the scientific society’s annual conference at San Antonio, Texas.

The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national and international service, and research.

Creech, an assistant professor in the UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utah State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.

His research and extension efforts focus on enhancing agronomic practices to increase profitability, optimizing soil water conservation, and delivering weed management solutions. His research has refined the seeding recommendations for winter wheat and evaluated the role wheat residue has in facilitating soil water conservation.

He is an active member of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and national and regional Weed Science societies. Creech serves as the faculty supervisor for the High Plains Ag Lab and as an associate editor for the Agronomy Journal. He is also a Robert B. Daugherty Institute Global Water for Food Faculty Fellow.

According to a news release from CSSA, the Early Career Award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution in crop science within seven years of completing their final degree. The award consists of a certificate, a complimentary ticket to the award ceremony, and $2,000.

Award nominees are evaluated on evidence of quality teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels; effectiveness in extension and outreach activities; significance and originality of basic and/or applied research; achievements in private sector application of agronomy, crop and/or soil science; or contributions to the public or professional organizations and institutions. ❖