Ken Cook has spent much of his professional life at the center of the debate over the nation’s federal agriculture and food policy. His fingerprints can be found on every farm bill going back for more than three decades. He was a principal architect of the landmark conservation provisions of the 1985 farm bill, which for the first time attempted to shift U.S. farm policy from a narrow focus on maximum crop production to the conservation of land, water, wetlands, and wildlife.

Cook will discuss the enormous challenges in front of us as Congress begins its work to reauthorize the farm bill, which is required by law to happen every 5 years. From protecting land and water, to spending taxpayer dollars on programs that actually help the environment, improve the quality of our food, and enhance vital federal nutrition programs for those most in need, Cook will touch on these and many other issues as he lays out the battle before us to fundamentally change the way our government invests in food and agriculture.

This Program on the Global Environment Distinguished Lecture is also the first program in the Center for International Studies spring quarter series, “Food (In)Security: Access, Equity, Frameworks.” The event is cosponsored by CIS and the Program on the Global Environment.