NEWS
Finalists Selected for Leopold Conservation Award® F ive finalists have been selected for the 2020 Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award®. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the prestigious award recognizes farmers and foresters who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat in their care. In Wisconsin, the $10,000 award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. The finalists are: •M ike Berg of Blanchardville in Lafayette County: Berg’s farm has long featured contour strips and no-till practices. Recently, he’s planted more than 25,000 trees. Rip-rapping installed along the Pecatonica River has reduced erosion, minimized cropland damage from flooding, and improved fish habitat. Waterways are lined with grass buffer strips of at least 16-feet wide. Berg’s beef cattle are rotationally grazed in a manner than encourages grass growth while retaining soil. • John and Melissa Eron of Stevens Point in Portage County: The Erons designed ponds to collect runoff from spring rains, and installed woodchip bioreactors to remove nutrients from runoff. The water and nutrients are later recycled via irrigation on crop fields in the summer. Such efforts conserve soil and improve the water quality of Mill Creek, a Wisconsin River tributary. Field corners are planted with native wildflowers and grasses to provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
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Rural Route
Mike Berg
John and Melissa Eron
Dorothy and John Priske
Charlie Hammer and Nancy Kavanjian
• John and Dorothy Priske of Fall River in Columbia County: The Priskes adopted no-till and rotational grazing practices, and installed grass waterways to improve water infiltration, sequester carbon and build organic matter in their soil. They raised and direct marketed Scottish Highland beef cattle until 2015. Their pastures provided deep-rooted ground cover to reduce soil erosion. The Priskes lease 165 acres of farmland to Madison College for use as an agricultural education facility. • Charlie Hammer and Nancy Kavazanjian of Beaver Dam in Dodge County: These early adopters of reduced-tillage farming methods are also leaders in other ecological ways to protect soil and water. Cover crops are incorporated into their corn, soybean and winter wheat crop rotation. Pollinator habitats and prairie strips of native wildflowers and grasses are installed within their crop fields. Duck scrapes and food plots provide wildlife habitat. Solar and wind energy systems reduce their farm’s carbon footprint and electrical bills. • Brian Maliszewski of Independence in Trempealeau County: Maliszewski grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa and rye on rolling hills of erodible land, where conservation can be a challenge. He experiments with cover crop varieties and no-till planting methods to decrease soil erosion, build organic matter, improve earthworm activity and promote soil health. As president of the Buffalo/Trempealeau Farmer Network, he partners with Pheasants Forever on providing bird habitat by planting cover crops. The recipient will be revealed
WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
