Springhill Farms Receives 2014 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award®

(October 24, 2014) Sand County Foundation and the Kentucky Agricultural Council (KAC) are proud to announce Springhill Farms as the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award®, which honors landowner achievement in voluntary stewardship and management of natural resources.

Jerry & Valarie Peery own and operate Springhill Farms, a row crop operation in Clinton.

With a history of seeking new technologies and methods for improving their farm, the Peerys began experimenting with no-till farming more than 40 years ago, before many farmers had considered it.

Their conservation practices, combined with the use of precision farming technologies to manage inputs like seeds and fertilizer, have lowered overall operating costs while increasing crop production. At the same time, valuable habitat and forage has been maintained for many species of wildlife.

The $10,000 Leopold Conservation Award is presented in honor of renowned conservationist and author Aldo Leopold, who called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. Award applicants are judged based on their demonstration of improved resource conditions, innovation, long-term commitment to stewardship, sustained economic viability, community and civic leadership and multiple use benefits.

Sand County Foundation and the Kentucky Agricultural Council presented the award at the American Farmland Trust National Convention in Lexington, October 21.

“The Peery family's acceptance speech for the award was testimony to a lifetime of improving the economic and environmental sustainability of their land. As they increased their landholdings, they implemented more and more sustainable environmental practices. Their farm is emblematic of Leopold's belief that productivity is best when the environment is a prime focus,” said Nancy Cox, Ph.D., Kentucky Ag Council President.

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, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food & Environment, DuPont Pioneer, Farm Credit, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and The Mosaic Company.

Visit www.kyagcouncil.net or www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

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.