The Graduate Program and Sustainable Agriculture invites you to join us for:

"A Visit to Native Prairie Bison"

with 

Jathan Chicoine

In a Sustainable Agriculture Colloquium first, we will be taking a field trip to experience Native Prairie Bison first hand.  Jathan will share his efforts and vision to restore native prairie, oak savanna, and other native ecosystems on his family’s 180 acre farm, with the help of a bison family herd. 

Shuttle vans will be leaving from Seed Science (Parking Lot 40) at 3:20.  RSVP with Taylor Sklenar at sklenar4@iastate.edu to reserve a seat in the vans. 

Jathan A. Chicoine currently serves as Home Base Iowa Program Manager for State and Strategic Initiatives.   Prior to this position, Jathan served as the Director of the Iowa State University Veterans Center. 

Jathan comes from Central Iowa and is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy where he served as a Navy SEAL.  While completing his undergraduate and Master’s degrees at the University of South Dakota, Jathan co-founded the first Veterans Resource Center in South Dakota, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.  In 2008, Jathan was appointed to serve on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs, a congressional committee in D.C. From 2009-2010, Jathan was deployed to Afghanistan as a civilian contractor where he served as the team lead of a new initiative, working with Joint Allied Forces. Jathan also served several years as the chair to the Iowa Academic Council on Military Education and as the Veterans Liaison for the Council of Colleges of Military Educators.  He has received recognition for his commitment to Veterans, including being named the 2016 Iowa Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year and receiving the 2016 M.J. Riggs Award for contributions and impact to the Iowa State University Memorial Union.

Jathan’s life experiences and personal challenges reintegrating into the civilian world following military service have provided him a unique perspective as he serves as a Veteran's advocate and continues to work toward creating a better environment for those who have served us all as society.   Along with his professional activities, Jathan is currently collaborating with others in developing models for self-sustainable farming and developing diverse ecosystems by restoring native prairie, oak savanna, and other native habitats on his farm through the help and management of a bison family herd.