Stephanie Kruse, DRI Foundation Vice-Chair and Trustee, established the Harold J. Kruse Farming & Environment Award in 2022 to honor her father’s memory and recognize his farming business sense.
Harold J. Kruse was born in 1920 near George, Iowa, and was shaped by growing up during the Depression, along with a strong German belief that owning land was the key to success and the future. He used his business and finance expertise to parlay that into owning some of the best farmland in Iowa.
Kruse also was innovative and created a farm corporation for tax benefits and was masterful in deciding when to sell corn and soybeans he had stored to optimize his revenue. In addition to being a very intelligent businessman, he was also generous and charitable.
Gabrielle Boisrame, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor and Markus Berli, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor are the first recipients of this award. Their research focuses on reducing agricultural water use by improving irrigation efficiency, but still providing the same amount of food.
Through Kruse’s Award, DRI scientists will have the opportunity to compete for research funding that explores activities and phenomena connected to farming and the environment. For more information on how you can support impactful science that inspires solutions, please contact the DRI Office of Advancement at (775) 673-7300.
