By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — On Wed. Aug. 19, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman honored 63 farmers with the coveted River Friendly Farmer award for helping to preserve Indiana’s natural resource for future farming generations.

“No matter if we’re from urban or rural America, we all have a responsibility to conserve soil and to conserve water,” said Skillman on Farmers’ Day at the Indiana State Fair. “This award recognizes the powerful reminder that farmers are the first environmentalists, so on behalf of the this grateful state of Indiana, congratulations.”
Award winners were honored as the 2009 River Friendly Farmers for outstanding on-farm conservation efforts, including no-till farming, water and sediment control basins, filter strips, grass waterways or other best management practices.

“Conservation doesn’t get on the land unless you, the farmer, insist it does, so we’re so proud and pleased to provide you with the tools for your business to make that a reality,” said Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service Director Jane Hardisty.
The awards presented on behalf of the Indiana Assoc. of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) and its 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts is a joint venture with Indiana Farm Bureau and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Division of Soil Conservation.

“Today’s award winners prove once again that farmers are at the forefront of environmental stewardship,” said Don Villwock, president of Indiana Farm Bureau. “Farmers have been and will always be, our first and best conservationists.”

In order to qualify as a 2009 River Friendly Farmer, individual growers were nominated locally by their county . Their award applications highlighted specific stewardship goals and articulated conservation plans incorporating best management practices to achieve those goals, according to IASWCD, who leads the award program in Indiana.

“We’re pleased to honor these producers who work hard to protect our natural resources,” said Paula Baldwin, IASWCD president.
Baldwin was joined at the ceremony by Hardisty, Villwock and ISDA Director Anne Hazlett.

For a full list of the 2009 River Friendly Farmers, representing nearly 48 counties across Indiana and joining more than 300 awarded farmers since 1999, visit www.iaswcd.org/district_tools/RFF/rffpage.html