Mississippi Leopold Conservation Award Seeks Nominees
February 03, 2025
Nominations are now being accepted 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.
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.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others to consider conservation opportunities on their land. 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.
Award nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves. The nomination form can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.
The nomination deadline is June 1, 2025. Nominations must be emailed to MississippiLCA@sandcountyfoundation.org.
Nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of Mississippi agricultural and conservation leaders. Last year’s inaugural recipient was Terry K. Maxwell of Inverness.
“Mississippi farmers and ranchers have always been great stewards of this state’s natural resources,” said Mike McCormick, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President. “This land and water are how our membership makes their living and provides the food, clothing, and shelter for Mississippi and beyond. We are proud to stand with these organizations to recognize farmers in our state who are going above and beyond to protect the resources for the next generation.”
“Leopold Conservation Award recipients 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.”
The Mississippi Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through 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 and Water Conservation Commission, and The Nature Conservancy.
For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.
MISSISSIPPI FARM BUREAU FEDERATION serves as the largest and strongest general farm organization in Mississippi, with more than 177,000 member families in 82 county Farm Bureaus. It is a voluntary, non-governmental, non-partisan organization seeking solutions to problems affecting the lives of farm families, both socially and economically. Since its inception in 1922, the purpose of MFBF has been to provide a unified voice for Mississippi agriculture in the legislative arena, promote farm markets and serve as a leader in the state’s agricultural community on local, state, national and international levels. www.msfb.org
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION inspires and empowers private landowners to ethically manage natural resources so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org