SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Oct. 1, 2010

Media Contact: Brian Scott, 605-773-3623

or 800-228-5254

2010 Soil Conservation Award Program Winners Announced

PIERRE, S.D. – The state Conservation Commission and eight local Conservation Districts are proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Soil Conservation Award Program.

The Soil Conservation Award Program was created by the South Dakota Legislature in 2008 to recognize exceptional farming and ranching practices that conserve soil and other natural resources in South Dakota.

Eight producers were nominated in 2010.  The winners include: Bruce Wintle of Beadle County; DJ Land and Cattle of Brule and Buffalo Counties; Allen Veskrna of Gregory County; Gary Noem of Kingsbury County; Dennis and Jean Fagerland of Marshall County; Kevin Michel of Moody County; Rausch Herefords of Potter County; and Kevin Widhalm of Roberts County.

Each award winner will receive a certificate and recognition sign, which the recipient may install on the property for which their conservation efforts are being recognized.

“The conservation activities of agricultural producers are often overlooked by the general public,” said Brian Scott, natural resource specialist for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. “This award highlights their work and demonstrates that South Dakota producers can and do make a difference.”

State residents or groups may nominate any South Dakota farming or ranching operation for the award by submitting a nomination form — available at any Conservation District office — to the producer’s local Conservation District.

Producers using grassed waterways, terraces, crop rotations, sufficient crop residue to protect soil stability, no-till, grasslands managed for sustainable productivity, livestock management to limit soil and nutrient runoff, or forest lands managed according to a forest stewardship plan to conserve soil are eligible for the award. 

Nominations must be received by the Conservation District by no later than January 1 of each calendar year.

Agriculture is South Dakota's No. 1 industry, generating more than $21 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 173,000 South Dakotans.  The South Dakota Department of Agriculture's mission is to promote, protect, preserve and improve this industry for today and tomorrow.  Visit us online at http://sdda.sd.gov/ or follow us on Facebook

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