FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE PROFESSOR TO BE FEATURED ON IPTV SUNDAY Neil Hamilton, director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, will be featured in a special edition of "The Perennial Gardener with Karen Strohbeen" at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 4, on Iowa Public Television (channel 11). Strohbeen is a 1971 Drake graduate. This special edition of "Perennial Gardener," which will be shown during IPTV's annual fundraising Festival, will focus on the joys of growing potatoes, from planting to harvest. Much of the program was taped at Hamilton's garden and home near Waukee. Hamilton and his wife, Khanh, raise fresh vegetables for several local restaurants. The program also explores Hamilton's work with the International Potato Center in Peru. He has traveled to Peru to conduct an intellectual property rights audit for the center, which is a public research institution Professor Hamilton also recently received the Distinguished Service Award to Iowa Agriculture from the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA). The award is presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Iowa agriculture over a period of years. The award was announced at the annual meeting of the Iowa chapter of ASFMRA on Feb. 15. Hamilton was unable to be there for the presentation because he was in France, teaching a graduate course (An Introduction to American Agricultural Law and Policy) at the University of Nantes. Upon learning of the award, Hamilton said, "I love my job and the challenges it brings – and I look forward to continuing my efforts as a teacher, writer and policy advocate – in order to serve my students, Iowa, and all people interested in how we farm and what we eat." Hamilton has taught at Drake Law School for 18 years and written a series of books for farmers and lawyers, including the national award-winning "What Farmers Need to Know about Environmental Law." His newest book is "The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing." He also writes a column called "The Food Chain" that appears periodically in The Des Moines Register.