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| Names in the News |
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Delegates elect officers for Indiana state conservation<br>
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting of the Indiana Assoc. of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) recently elected officers to lead the association through the coming year.<br>
Leading the IASWCD this year are President Jim Droege of Posey County SWCD in Mt. Vernon, Vice President Paula Baldwin of Marion County SWCD in West Newton, Secretary Ray McCormick of Knox County SWCD in Vincennes and Treasurer Jeff Meinders of Ripley County SWCD in Milan.<br>
Droege is serving his second term as president and is chair of the Posey SWCD. He serves on the Posey County Farm Bureau, Inc. board and serves on the state Farm Bureau Natural Resources Committee.<br>
He operates a corn, wheat and soybean farm in partnership with his brother, Paul. They have constructed conservation projects such as WASCOB’s (water and sediment control basins) and waterways on their own farm as well as on rented land.<br>
Baldwin grew up on a Marion County dairy farm that she now helps manage in its current crop and beef cow/calf operations. She has been active in committee work for the Hoosier Heartland RC&D and has served on its executive committee for eight years. She serves as a member of the Marion County Tree Board and has been active in the Eagle Creek Watershed Alliance and the Indy Green Print committee on natural resources.<br>
McCormick operates a 4,000-acre grain farm in Knox County, Ind. and Lawrence County, Ill. He also does wetlands consulting, design and construction, and operates a waterfowl hunting business. He has received numerous awards for his dedication to conservation.
He has been an active supervisor with the Knox SWCD since 2007 and as a member of the IASWCD board as a regional director since 2007. McCormick also serves as an alternate board member to the North Central region of the National Assoc. of Conservation Districts board for the IASWCD.<br>
Meinders serves on the Ripley County 4-H Fair Board and has been an SWCD supervisor for 16 years, as well as a supporter of 4-H and FFA. This is his second term as IASWCD treasurer.<br>
His family’s farming program consists of corn, soybeans, wheat, hay and a herd of 65 registered Simmental cows, and conservation practices include no-till, minimum till, grass waterways, livestock watering systems and pasture improvement. He also operates a construction and excavating company.<br>
Joining the officers this year are three new members to the IASWCD board of directors. Representing: 11 counties in the North-Northeast Region is Tom Crowe of Allen County; 12 counties in the North-Southwest Region is Bob Weaver of Johnson County; and 11 counties in the South-Southwest Region is Ray Chattin of Knox County.<br>
Conservation producers win big at Indiana awards banquet<br>
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The power of conservation was evident as Indiana farmers were honored in Indianapolis at the 65th annual conference for Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD).<br>
Five producers received the 2007 Conservation Farmer of the Year award, presented to those who actively practice conservation on their land. It is sponsored by the Indiana Farm Bureau, Inc. and the IASWCD.<br>
The winners are as follows:<br>
•V. Albert Armand, Decatur County. The Armands are an excellent example of a strong family farming operation. Albert’s father, George, taught him how to raise crops and livestock, as well as the importance of family and wise financial decisions. They promote USDA and state conservation opportunities by participating in EQIP, CRP and LARE. Albert has served as a SWCD board member and as a district representative to the Sand Creek Watershed Steering Committee, among many conservation-related activities.<br>
•Paul and Cindy Giles, Spencer. The Gileses have used reduced conservation tillage since Paul took over the family farm 30 years ago. He went to no-till in 1984 and continues the practice today. Some of the rented ground has been in no-till for 53 years. He continues to add new practices every year in the vision of conservation. He has served his SWCD as a past chair, vice chair, and associate supervisor, among many community activities.<br>
•Dale E. Moore, Randolph County. Dale and his wife, Peggy, own 300-plus acres and farm more than 350 acres, with 77 acres in woodlands. Moore has a corn, soybean and pasture rotation. He has been no-till farming since 1991. He was a SWCD supervisor for several years.<br>
•Dean Rink, Elkhart County. Dean and his wife, Kathy, have farmed the Centennial Farm that has been in the Rink family for generations. While most of his acreage and rented cropland consists of gently rolling slopes, Dean has still chosen to adopt no-till on all of his cropland. He installed his first grassed waterway sometime around 1997-98, and has since installed waterways in every area of concentrated flow to control erosion and sedimentation.<br>
•Brian and Randy Weisheit, Dubois County. The Weisheit Bros. Farm has been in the family for six generations. Randy and Brian have worked for years to address the resource concerns on their farm and are close to completing several ongoing projects. The farm has sheet and rill erosion on some of the sloping land. These acres are worked by using conservation tillage methods that leave the residue on top for erosion control. |
| 2/13/2008 |
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