The Lafayette County Conservation Award Winners were presented at the annual Dairy Breakfast on Saturday, June 11.
Water Quality Leadership Award
This award goes to the Christensen Family, for their demonstration of outstanding leadership for the installation of many conservation practices that help keep nutrients and sediment out of lakes and streams.
Don Christensen and his wife Linda have two sons, Adam and Jeff, who farm together. The Christensen's moved to Lafayette County in 1999, where they raise cash crops consisting of corn and soybeans. The soybeans that are grown are all used for seed. They also have a 25 cow/calf operation and own 1280 acres and rent another 600 acres.
Over the years, the Christensen's have installed 16,174 feet of grass waterways. Many of the waterways have tile installed along the sides to keep them dry so that the grass can get established. Three timber toe wall structures and a concrete block structure have been installed at the outlet end of certain waterways to prevent the waterways from eroding. One stream crossing was installed to prevent erosion where the farm equipment is moved across the stream. To keep the stream banks from eroding into the cropland, 846 feet of stream bank protection, consisting of rock riprap, was installed. An old existing well was also safely abandoned, to prevent it from contaminating precious groundwater. In addition to the conservation they do on their own farm, they also no-till the cropland and have installed many grass waterways on the land they rent.
Adam and his wife, Marcy, have two children, Riley and Morgan, and Jeff and his wife, Emily have a son, Will
Conservation Farmer of the Year
This award is given each year to a landowner who, through their actions, has shown conservation efforts on their farm. It was awarded to McComish Farms, the host of this year's Lafayette County Dairy Breakfast.
Tim and Kim McComish began farming in 1979. In 1989, Tim signed a cooperators agreement with the Land Conservation Committee and began installing conservation to their property. These practices included broad-base terraces, grassed waterways and contour buffer strips. He even experimented with rotational grazing of his dairy herd. Their farm has grown to 460 acres, and they rent an additional 360 acres. A majority of the fields are planted on the contour using a no-till planter. A rye cover crop is planted when silage is removed and alfalfa is part of many fields crop rotation. A manure storage system was constructed in 2010 and a nutrient management plan was developed for the 2011 growing season. They currently milk about 200 head of Holsteins and house another 40 head of replacements.
Tim and Kim have a son, Joe, and a daughter, Erica. They also recently adopted two boys from Guatemala, Pedro and Jose.
The Lafayette County Land Conservation Department recently recognized Sonia Seiler as a "Friend of Conservation." Sonia and her husband Keith, along with their son John, own and operate Pharm-Aloe in Woodford. Pharm-Aloe sells aloe vera products to health food stores and organic farming markets in the midwest.
In 1995, Sonia and Keith purchased 159 acres in Woodford.
The farm was being cropped at the time and had a 9-acre pond and an old hunting cabin on it. In 1997, they signed their first CRP contract and began seeding down all the crop fields to native prairie plants.
The cabin has been restored and now is an outdoor getaway available for rent. The pond has cleared up, and has a very healthy fish population. They are into their second CRP contract and working to control invasive plants. They have also begun focusing on their woodland and are working with the forester to improve the quality of the woods.
2011 Wildlife Habitat Development Award
The award goes to the Daly family: Tom, Michelle, Tommi, Zach and Cody.
Tom and Michelle purchased a 20-acre parcel in September of 1997. They built their house to take advantage of the great view and to provide a haven for wildlife moving through from larger forested areas to the Northwest and Southeast.
In 1998, they planted over 2,500 green ash and walnut trees.
They also planted highbush cranberry, red osier dogwood, and hazelnut wildlife shrubs on the north-south borders.
In 1999, they planted 3,500 trees consisting of white pine, white spruce, white oak, and red oak.
The Daly's continue to plant between 25 and 100 trees and shrubs every year. They estimate they have planted more than 8,300 trees and shrubs.
They have enrolled 15 acres in the Managed Forest Program and have 4.5 acres in riparian buffer. They have also installed two wildlife scrapes. They have blue bird houses to put up and are working to get a bat house.
2011 Forest Stewardship Award
The honor was given to Joel Zimmerman.
Joel purchased 22 acres of fallow pasture and crop ground in March of 2010. In March and April 2011, he worked to prepare for late April 2011 tree planting. He put in many hours mowing brush, grass and cutting small unwanted trees.
In late April, 6,000 oak and 4,000 spruce were machine planted.
Most of the soils on this 22 acres is either too wet or too dry to grow crops, so putting it into forest made sense. The oaks will take advantage of the wet soils, and the spruce will grow well on the drier knolls.
Joel has a few years of hard work ahead of him to ensure the trees survive. This means many more hours mowing and re-spraying the trees with herbicide. However, there is no doubt he is committed to the task.
The young forest can be seen while driving down Old Q road in Blanchard township.
Water Quality Leadership Award
This award goes to the Christensen Family, for their demonstration of outstanding leadership for the installation of many conservation practices that help keep nutrients and sediment out of lakes and streams.
Don Christensen and his wife Linda have two sons, Adam and Jeff, who farm together. The Christensen's moved to Lafayette County in 1999, where they raise cash crops consisting of corn and soybeans. The soybeans that are grown are all used for seed. They also have a 25 cow/calf operation and own 1280 acres and rent another 600 acres.
Over the years, the Christensen's have installed 16,174 feet of grass waterways. Many of the waterways have tile installed along the sides to keep them dry so that the grass can get established. Three timber toe wall structures and a concrete block structure have been installed at the outlet end of certain waterways to prevent the waterways from eroding. One stream crossing was installed to prevent erosion where the farm equipment is moved across the stream. To keep the stream banks from eroding into the cropland, 846 feet of stream bank protection, consisting of rock riprap, was installed. An old existing well was also safely abandoned, to prevent it from contaminating precious groundwater. In addition to the conservation they do on their own farm, they also no-till the cropland and have installed many grass waterways on the land they rent.
Adam and his wife, Marcy, have two children, Riley and Morgan, and Jeff and his wife, Emily have a son, Will
Conservation Farmer of the Year
This award is given each year to a landowner who, through their actions, has shown conservation efforts on their farm. It was awarded to McComish Farms, the host of this year's Lafayette County Dairy Breakfast.
Tim and Kim McComish began farming in 1979. In 1989, Tim signed a cooperators agreement with the Land Conservation Committee and began installing conservation to their property. These practices included broad-base terraces, grassed waterways and contour buffer strips. He even experimented with rotational grazing of his dairy herd. Their farm has grown to 460 acres, and they rent an additional 360 acres. A majority of the fields are planted on the contour using a no-till planter. A rye cover crop is planted when silage is removed and alfalfa is part of many fields crop rotation. A manure storage system was constructed in 2010 and a nutrient management plan was developed for the 2011 growing season. They currently milk about 200 head of Holsteins and house another 40 head of replacements.
Tim and Kim have a son, Joe, and a daughter, Erica. They also recently adopted two boys from Guatemala, Pedro and Jose.
The Lafayette County Land Conservation Department recently recognized Sonia Seiler as a "Friend of Conservation." Sonia and her husband Keith, along with their son John, own and operate Pharm-Aloe in Woodford. Pharm-Aloe sells aloe vera products to health food stores and organic farming markets in the midwest.
In 1995, Sonia and Keith purchased 159 acres in Woodford.
The farm was being cropped at the time and had a 9-acre pond and an old hunting cabin on it. In 1997, they signed their first CRP contract and began seeding down all the crop fields to native prairie plants.
The cabin has been restored and now is an outdoor getaway available for rent. The pond has cleared up, and has a very healthy fish population. They are into their second CRP contract and working to control invasive plants. They have also begun focusing on their woodland and are working with the forester to improve the quality of the woods.
2011 Wildlife Habitat Development Award
The award goes to the Daly family: Tom, Michelle, Tommi, Zach and Cody.
Tom and Michelle purchased a 20-acre parcel in September of 1997. They built their house to take advantage of the great view and to provide a haven for wildlife moving through from larger forested areas to the Northwest and Southeast.
In 1998, they planted over 2,500 green ash and walnut trees.
They also planted highbush cranberry, red osier dogwood, and hazelnut wildlife shrubs on the north-south borders.
In 1999, they planted 3,500 trees consisting of white pine, white spruce, white oak, and red oak.
The Daly's continue to plant between 25 and 100 trees and shrubs every year. They estimate they have planted more than 8,300 trees and shrubs.
They have enrolled 15 acres in the Managed Forest Program and have 4.5 acres in riparian buffer. They have also installed two wildlife scrapes. They have blue bird houses to put up and are working to get a bat house.
2011 Forest Stewardship Award
The honor was given to Joel Zimmerman.
Joel purchased 22 acres of fallow pasture and crop ground in March of 2010. In March and April 2011, he worked to prepare for late April 2011 tree planting. He put in many hours mowing brush, grass and cutting small unwanted trees.
In late April, 6,000 oak and 4,000 spruce were machine planted.
Most of the soils on this 22 acres is either too wet or too dry to grow crops, so putting it into forest made sense. The oaks will take advantage of the wet soils, and the spruce will grow well on the drier knolls.
Joel has a few years of hard work ahead of him to ensure the trees survive. This means many more hours mowing and re-spraying the trees with herbicide. However, there is no doubt he is committed to the task.
The young forest can be seen while driving down Old Q road in Blanchard township.
