https://civileats.com/2010/10/14/the-troubled-waters-of-big-ags-academic-influence/
The Troubled Waters of Big Ag's Academic Influence
EDITED

Last month, the University of Minnesota caused a stir when it
postponed the release of "Troubled Waters" - a film that focuses on
the effect agriculture is having on U.S. waterways from Minnesota to
the Gulf of Mexico.

The film's team had thoroughly fact-checked the film and followed the
review process utilized by the PBS science program NOVA.

Not long after the news broke that Troubled Waters was being held up,
it came to light that VP of University Relations Karen Himle was
behind the film's purgatory. This information was notable because her
husband John Himle is president of Himle Horner, a public relations
firm that represents the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, a group that
promotes both ethanol production and industrial agriculture practices.

More troubling, Cargill - which is a key player in ethanol production
- has its VP on the University of Minnesota's board.

Controversies around agriculture at universities are not new, but it
has become more frequent in recent years, as the public becomes more
aware of food production methods and industrial agriculture groups
feel threatened by the pressure to change. Just last fall Michael
Pollan was scheduled to give a solo lecture at California Polytechnic
State University when Harris Ranch Beef Company Chairman David Wood
threatened to cut off $500,000 in funding to the university if he was
allowed to do so.

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