The History of the International Grassland Congress - 1927 to 2020
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The History of the International Grassland Congress - 1927 to 2020 V. G. Allen • R. J. Wilkins • G. D. Lacefield • S. R. Smith b The History of the International Grassland Congress – 1927 to 2020 Electronic PDF Navigation Instructions This PDF version of The History of the International Grassland Congress – 1927 to 2020 may be read from any PDF reader. However, for the best experience we recommend a PDF Reader application that incorporates full navigation capabilities including “Previous View” functionality. For a PC and Mac, the free Adobe Reader application can be used to fully exploit the navigation and search functions for reference links throughout the electronic document. For purposes of use on a PC or Mac using Adobe Reader, instructions are included here on how to activate the full navigation features as they are not turned on by default. These instructions also apply to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC if installed. 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Allen Paul Whitfield Horn Professor Emeritus Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA Chair, International Grassland Congress Continuing Committee (2001 to 2005) Roger J. Wilkins Honorary Research Associate, Rothamsted Research Life President, European Grassland Federation Instrumental in authorship of the IGC Constitution (from 1977 to current version in 2001) Garry D. Lacefield Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky Former Secretary, Forage and Grassland Foundation Lexington, Kentucky, USA S. Ray Smith Professor, University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky, USA Chair, International Grassland Congress Continuing Committee (2015 to 2021) Technical Editor: C. Philip Brown, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA Facilitation of Publishing: Krista L. Lea, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA Linguistic Editor: Leslie R. Malland, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA Copyright © 2021 Vivien G. Allen, Roger J. Wilkins, Garry D. Lacefield, and S. Ray Smith All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the Authors, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write or email Dr. S. Ray Smith, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Permission is not required to download the International Grassland Congress History PDF from the International Grassland Congress website for personal use. S. Ray Smith (Ph.D.) University of Kentucky N-222E Ag. Science Bldg. North, 1100 Nicholasville Road, KY, USA 40546-0091 mailto:[email protected] ISBN: 978-1-7361223-0-3 (Hardcover) ISBN: 978-1-7361223-1-0 (Ebook – Adobe PDF) Library of Congress Control Number: 2020922711 Printed by LuLu.com in the United States of America. First printing edition (2021). To buy additional copies, contact LuLu.com at https://www.lulu.com/ To access the electronic version, go to https://www.internationalgrasslands.org/publications Publisher: The Forage and Grassland Foundation N-222B Ag Science Bldg. North Lexington, KY, USA 40546 Suggested format for citation: Allen, V. G., Wilkins, R. J., Lacefield, G. D. and Smith, S. R. (2021). The History of the International Grassland Congress – 1927 to 2020. The Forage and Grassland Foundation, Lexington, KY, USA, 400 pp. Acknowledgements: Front cover image and book design by Vivien G. Allen and Roger J. Wilkins Cover pictures: Four horse team (photographer unknown) used with permission by South Australian Research and Development Institute - SARDI Primary Industries & Regions SA – PIRSA Minnipa Agricultural Centre, Minnipa SA 5654, Australia. P 61 8 8680 6200 F 64 8 8680 5020 Cattle grazing observed by drone. Created by Philip Brown, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA Dedication to Professor Ross Humphreys Ross Humphreys had a long career in grassland science as a teacher and researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia. Ross attended his first International Grassland Congress in Reading in 1960 and was thereafter a regular and enthusiastic supporter of IGC. Ross became the ‘guru’ of IGC history. We are privileged to tread in his footsteps and to build upon his publications. His book, The Evolving Science of Grassland Improvement, published in 1997, traced the development of grassland science over a 60-year period, largely through the changing contributions to the International Grassland Congresses. An Appendix to the book detailed the Congresses from 1927 to 1993 with analyses of the number of participants and their geographical origin and the numbers of papers on different topics. He followed this up with invited papers at the XIX Congress in Brazil and the XX Congress in Ireland in 2005. These papers stimulated us to embark on this fuller account of the Congresses, to delve further into origins and nature of the first Congresses, and to update our history to the present time. We have been privileged to know Ross well and are delighted that Ross, who lives in retirement in Brisbane, has been able to read and comment on key sections of this book. It is a great pleasure to dedicate this book to Professor Ross Humphreys. The History of the International Grassland Congress – 1927 to 2020 Preface What we know about the beginning of the International Grassland Congress is that it was the meeting of a few men who shared a common interest in grasslands and a sense of urgency to recognize the importance of grassland agriculture and its role in food security. They gathered in Leipzig, Germany, in 1927 and decided that there was value in meeting periodically in the future. As we follow the progress of this first and future meetings, we see the name of the meeting evolving to include broader membership from increasingly distant places, and we see the implications of the name for the type of organization this was to become. We see the impact of the Second World War, the loss of the organization’s funds, and the role of grasslands in the conflict. This war and subsequent conflicts, as well as concerns over increasing global population and food security, are reflected in many Congresses; there are also repeated references to the contributions of grassland science to global peace. The need for organizational structure becomes an evolving issue impacting many of the Congresses until the first Constitution is written and accepted in 1977. As the Congress increases its reach and impact, its relationship with other organizations and agencies becomes both an opportunity and a concern. Topics of interest change as research, experience, and new technologies move grassland science and practice forward and as new researchable needs evolve. We find, however, that many basic principles, methods, and objectives emerging from the early research and collaboration in grassland agriculture remain foundational to our knowledge, research, and teaching today. Over the 93 years of this Congress, grassland science and practice have come far and continue to progress. But there remain concerns as global population pressures continue to escalate. Food security, a motivating factor in even the first Congresses, remains a compelling challenge with security of nations in the balance. Population expansion accelerates losses of grazing lands to other objectives. As global populations move relentlessly away from an agrarian connection, pressures on our grasslands for other uses are reaching crisis proportions. vii At the XX International Grassland Congress in Ireland in 2005, Professor Ross Humphreys provided an overview and update of the History of the IGC from its beginning in 1927 in Leipzig, Germany (Humphreys, 1997; 2001; 2005). This important documentation of our history was both timely and crucial for preserving our knowledge of the IGC over this 78-year period. Professor Humphreys personally knew much of this information, and along with colleagues, he gave us insights into our organization and documented many statistics. Professor Humphreys (2001) quoted George Santayana (1920), saying, “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As we trace our history, we see the truth and the crucial importance of this statement.