Sand County Foundation and the Kentucky Agricultural Council (KAC) are proud to announce the finalists for the prestigious 2014 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award®, which honors landowner achievement in voluntary stewardship and management of natural resources.
The finalists are:
Jerry & Valerie Peery, who own and operate Springhill Farms, a row crop operation in Clinton.
Ronald & Gloria Bowling, who, along with their son Will and wife Maggie, own and operate The Old Homeplace Farm, a cow calf operation in Oneida.
Charles Williams, who owns and operates West Wind Farm, a tree farm in Munfordville.
"The Kentucky Ag Council appreciates the affiliation with Sand County Foundation that showcases the excellent conservation practices in Kentucky. We are excited about the quality and quantity of the excellent farmer applicants,” said Nancy Cox, Ph.D., Kentucky Ag Council President.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. It inspires other landowners through these examples and provides a visible forum where farmers, ranchers and other private landowners are recognized as conservation leaders.
In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”
Sand County Foundation and The Kentucky Agricultural Council will present the award at the American Farmland Trust National Convention in Lexington, October 21. Visit www.kyagcouncil.net or www.leopoldconservationaward.org.
The Leopold Conservation Award in Kentucky is made possible thanks to the generous support of Farm Credit Mid-America, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Monty’s Plant and Soil Products, Natural Resources Conservation Service, DuPont Pioneer, Farm Credit, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and The Mosaic Company.
ABOUT THE LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents Leopold Conservation Awards in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
ABOUT SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION Sand County Foundation is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to working with private landowners on voluntary, ethical and scientifically-sound land management practices that benefit the environment. www.sandcounty.net
ABOUT THE KENTUCKY AGRICULTURAL COUNCIL The Kentucky Agricultural Council (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) organization consisting of some 80 agricultural organizations representing all sectors of Kentucky agriculture. The membership is composed of commodity groups, state and federal agricultural organizations, agricultural trade organizations and the state’s institutions of higher education that serve Kentucky agriculture. The KAC functions as an umbrella group and hub for its members, disseminating information and promoting coordination among all agricultural organizations and sectors.
Since 2006, the KAC also has served as the “steward of strategic planning” for the future of Kentucky agriculture and Kentucky’s rural communities. www.kyagcouncil.net.
Gary Huddleston | AIN Chairman