Cummins looks back on economic development
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 02/18/2010 11:25 AM
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CHARLES CITY, Iowa —George Cummins planned to retire as an Iowa State University Extension field agronomist last March. That was the projected date for the grand opening of the Borlaug Learning Center at the Northeast Research Farm at Nashua.
But as is often the case with building projects, the Borlaug Center completion was delayed until September, and Cummins stayed on to see the project, which he helped shape and nurture, through to completion. In the meantime ISU Extension reorganized and offered a good retirement incentive. Cummins and many of his Extension colleagues retired at the end of January.
Cummins started his career as a teacher in Africa. If things work out, he may finish his career there.
But, plans to return to Africa will have a wait a few years. His father, Fred, 98, is in a Charles City nursing home. Cummins' wife, Vonda, still works at the Charles City Public Library, and the couple has four grown children, David, Aaron, Rachel and Molly, and one grandson.
"Right now, my family needs me to be here," Cummins said.
He grew up on a farm near New Providence and graduated from ISU in 1964 with a degree in ag education. He spent three years in Tanzania with the Peace Corps and then served a stint in the Army, which included time in South Korea. He taught high school vocational agriculture in Vinton and then at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo.
In the late 1970s, he, Vonda, David and Aaron returned to Africa for two years to train local Extension workers in Swaziland. Cummins later had the chance to help train Extension workers in Malawi and to visit agricultural regions in Brazil.
In 1981, Cummins started working for ISU Extension, the first 11 years as Floyd County Extension agriculturist/director. He became a field agronomist in 1992 when Extension reorganized.
One of the people who most inspired Cummins was Nobel Laureate and hunger fighter Norman Borlaug, who grew up near Cresco.
Any time Cummins could see or talk with Borlaug, he took the opportunity.
"Dr. Borlaug accomplished more after he retired than most of us do in our working career," Cummins said.
Borlaug attributed his success to farmer-managed research.
"He involved farmers, worked with farmers and their problems," Cummins said. "He advocated for public support for research and a viable Extension program."
That's the model ISU has used at its research farms at Nashua and Kanawha, said Cummins, who also worked with local producers to set up demonstrations projects on their own farms.
"The role of Extension is to provide unbiased research to help clients make decisions," he said.