History of AMP

In 1999, Dr. Ben Stinner was selected as the first Kellogg Endowed Chair in Agricultural Ecosystems Management at the Ohio State University, or anywhere. Tragically, Dr. Stinner died in an automobile accident on November 24, 2004. During his life and after his death, Dr. Stinner was known for his ability to connect diverse groups of people toward a common goal. Two of the many tributes to Dr. Stinner can be read here and here. Soon after his passing, the Ben Stinner Endowment for Healthy Agroecosystems and Sustainable Communities was established by his many friends and colleagues and continues to promote and support his work. You can hear Ben describe the new approach to agricultural ecology that he pioneered in this video recording.

In 2006, Dr. Casey Hoy, longtime AMP participant, Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Entomology at OARDC, was appointed to the Kellogg Chair and led the Agroecosystems Management Program until 2021. Dr. Hoy's past research, applying systems analysis to agriculture, has contributed to improved understanding of insect and agricultural ecology. His work with AMP continued the tradition of bringing together faculty and students from many disciplines and farmers, entrepreneurs and practitioners in collaborative approaches to improving agricultural landscapes and communities. This network of relationships more recently led directly to The Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation (InFACT), an Ohio State Discovery Theme initiative focused on food security. Hoy’s work on defining and measuring agroecosystem health, a state that includes equity in addition to productivity, sustainability and resilience, contributed foundational concepts of InFACT and its research agenda. Hear Casey describe the systems approach to food security taken in InFACT, and the roots in agroecosystems health in this recording from a series featuring Ohio State endowed chairholders.