2012 Conservation Award Presented to Josh Boydson
The Platte Soil and Water Conservation District recognized Josh Boydston at this year's annual Open House as 2012 Conservationist Landowner of the Year. Josh Boydston volunteered a demonstration site and the labor of planting cover crops. His enthusiasm for promoting and sharing his cover crop experience will benefit other Platte County landowners to improve soil structure and soil quality.
Open House and Cover Crop Field Day:
The Platte Soil and Water Conservation District held its 39th Annual Banquet at the Camden Point Community Center on March 22, 2012. An informative presentation on soil quality and cover cropping started the day off with NRCS Grassland Specialist, Doug Peterson. Terry Breyfogle was presented with an appreciation award of 27 years of service to Platte County landowners as NRCS District Conservationist. His last day with the Natural Resources Conservation Service was April 6, 2012. A Platte County conservation landowner, Josh Boydston, was presented with a certificate and gift card for volunteering his time and space to plant a demonstration covercrop field site. A fried chicken, boxed lunch was provided by Price Chopper and enjoyed by all before transporting to Josh Boydston's demonstration site. Speaker Doug Peterson was available for on-site field questions and answers.
Above: Hal Swaney, Vice-President of SWCD, presents awards to Terry Breyfogle and Josh Boydston. Below: Doug Peterson, NRCS Grassland Specialist, is shown giving an indoor and outdoor demonstration discussing soil quality and the variety of covercrops to improve soil structure.
2010 Conservation Award Goes to Tom Becker
The Platte Soil and Water Conservation District recognized Tom Becker as this year's outstanding landowner. Mr. Becker was selected by the District Board based on his accomplishments in soil conservation, water quality and wildlife habitat enhancements.
Tom Becker quickly realized the need to control the sheet and rill erosion occurring on his 160 acre farm when he purchased it in 2005. To date, using the district state cost-share program, he has installed more than 13,000 feet of terraces and a 500 foot diversion with more than 4,700 feet of underground tile outlets. In addition, he has controlled a large gully erosion problem at the edge of his terraced crop field by having a one-acre pond constructed with a 50-foot-wide grass filter strip surrounding the pool area. He has incorporated no-till planting into a corn/soybean rotation to compliment the terrace system. This reduces soil erosion to an acceptable level while improving soil organic matter to further improve the productivity of his farm.
Tom enjoys hunting and has made a personal commitment to addressing wildlife needs on his farm. Through the CP-33 Quail Buffer program, he created and maintains more than 12 acres of warm season grass field borders devoted to bobwhite quail habitat. Edge feathering was used along his forested ground to provide shrubby cover for quail. To further enhance wildlife habitat, two acres were sowed to warm season grasses and a food plot were enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Tom's farm was recently accepted in the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program because of his continued good stewardship of our natural resources and his willingness to convert an additional 8.2 acres of cropland to warm season grasses for wildlife habitat.
Tom understands the importance of conserving our natural resources not only for his family's benefit, but for future generations. Congratulations to Tom Becker for his commitment to the environment.