By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Preserving Indiana’s natural resources for future farming generations was at the center of messages presented during the annual River Friendly Farmer Award Ceremony on Aug. 15 at the Indiana State Fair.

During the ceremony, 76 award winners were honored as the 2007 River Friendly Farmers for outstanding on-farm conservation efforts, including no-till farming, water and sediment control basins, filter strips, grassed waterways or other best management practices.

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

The awards presented on behalf of the Indiana Association 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. Forty-eight of the 76 River Friendly Farmer recipients were present for the annual Farmers’ Day ceremony.

“Our recipients understand that a clearly defined conservation plan translates into tremendous savings in many important areas, said Jim Droege, president of IASWCD and a farmer from Posey County. “Most important, is the protection conservation practices provide to our soil and water resources. Conservation management also can translate into long-term and short-term savings on a farmer’s bottom line, and eligibility for cost-share dollars to put more conservation practices on the land.”

Droege was joined at the ceremony by the director of the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service Jane Hardisty, Villwock and Tammy Lawson, who serves as the director of the ISDA Division of Soil Conservation.

“NRCS is proud to work with these stewards of the land, and have the opportunity to recognize them today,” she complimented.
“These farmers are setting an example of leadership by ensuring conservation is a part of their operation to protect the future of our natural resources.”

In order to qualify as a 2007 River Friendly Farmer, individual growers were nominated locally by their county Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Their award applications highlighted defined stewardship goals and articulated conservation plans incorporating best management practices to achieve those goals, according to IASWCD, who leads the award program in Indiana.

“I see conservation applied every day in my work at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and through personal experience on my farm,” said Lawson, who represented Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, on behalf of the state of Indiana. “I applaud these winners who understand that conservation is simply both a sound ethical practice and smart business management.”

For a list of the 2007 River Friendly Farmers, who joined the 280 awarded farmers since 1999, visit www.iaswcd.org/pdfs/wu/rffrecipients.pdf