Mississippi Leopold Conservation Award Finalists Selected

Four finalists have been selected for the 2025 Mississippi Leopold Conservation Award®.

The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

Named in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, this award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In Mississippi the $10,000 award is presented with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

The finalists are:

Jim Currie of Picayune in Hancock County. At Woodland Cottage Farms, Jim Currie has restored and managed native grasslands and longleaf pine trees for long-term economic and ecological sustainability. He utilizes prescribed fire and other conservation practices to enhance biodiversity, control invasive species, prevent erosion, and improve his forest’s timber stand and understory. Silviculture is practiced by rotationally grazing beef cattle amid his forests.

Sledge Taylor of Como in Panola County. Sledge Taylor’s diverse revenue stream at Buckeye Farms includes cotton, corn, cattle, and timber. He grows 50 acres of sunflowers for wildlife food plots. With no-till practices and cover crops he is controlling erosion and increasing the soil’s biological activity. Soil moisture sensors are used to schedule irrigation. Beef cattle are rotationally grazed in small paddocks, which improves soil health by adding organic matter.

Spirit Hill Farm of Holly Springs in Tate and Marshall counties. Family matriarch Sheryl Bowen oversees the management of native grasslands, filter strips, wetlands, and pollinator plots at the Bowen’s forestry, beef cattle, and cash crop farm. She and her late husband Bob first adopted conservation efforts to restore habitat for the Northern Bobwhite quail. Their efforts were guided by advice from Quail Forever, Audubon, Mississippi State University, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Michael Wagner of Sumner in Tallahatchie County. At Two Brooks Farm, Michael Wagner grows rice and soybeans, and manages hundreds of acres of woodlands, lakes, and river frontage. His environmentally sensitive approach to growing rice includes a continuous production system and wetland habitat that provides many ecological benefits, including providing habitat for migratory birds, reptiles, amphibians, and wildlife species.

Mississippi landowners were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award. An independent panel of Mississippi agricultural and conservation leaders reviewed the applications. The award recipient will be recognized at the Mississippi Farm Bureau’s Annual Meeting this December.

The recipient of last year’s inaugural Mississippi Leopold Conservation Award was Terry K. Maxwell of Inverness in Sunflower County.

The Leopold Conservation Award in Mississippi is made possible thanks to the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Sand County Foundation, Farm Families of Mississippi, Mississippi Association of Conservation Districts, Mississippi Soil & Water Conservation Commission, and The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi.

“Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation and our 173,000 member families are proud to recognize these finalists as outstanding stewards of production farm and forestland,” said Mike McCormick, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President. “We know Mississippi farmers work hard to take care of the land they produce food, fiber, and shelter on, but working with the Sand County Foundation and the Leopold Conservation Award, we hope to show Mississippians and the nation how our agriculturalists do the most with our natural resources.”

“These award finalists are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”

“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the award recipients,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”

For more information, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.