2009 Conservationist of the Year
John Buck
Buck Farms
New Bloomington, Ohio

John Buck, Buck Farms, New Bloomington, Ohio, was named “2009 Conservationist of the Year” at the ASA Awards Banquet at Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas.

Buck was one of three regional winners of this program, from which the national winner is chosen.

When it comes to conservation, John Buck says his philosophy is simple: “There is always more that can and should be done to protect our resources of land and water. We need to be attentive to this responsibility every single day.” Buck’s farm has been in the family since 1936 when his grandfather first purchased it. Buck is now a third-generation farmer and when he took over in 1999, he gradually increased the number of no-till acres. Four years later, the operation is 100 percent no-till.

Buck’s father started doing soil sampling to raise the efficiency of the soil and performing this regular sampling became a major component of decision for drainage issues and tilling projects. Since he has taken over the operation, Buck does grid sampling and works with the local fertilizer supplier to apply fertilizer and lime with precision in order to take better care of the soil and not over apply.

Buck recently installed 11 acres of filter strips to help protect the Lake Erie Watershed. He also maintains a 3-acre stocked pond and mows another 5 acres of grass and barn lots. “On both my land and that of my landlords, I installed buffer strips and waterways to help prevent erosion and chemical runoff,” says Buck. “The protection of water quality is one of the most important custodial functions that a farmer and land owner must do for environmental stewardship."

In addition to an expense-paid trip to the Commodity Classic, Buck received a plaque, an engraved mahogany book clock and a yard sign.

Conservation Legacy Awards: 2009 Regional Winners

In addition to John Buck, Regional Conservation Legacy Awards were presented to:

Midwest Region
Dean and Mike Coleman, Coleman Farms, Humboldt, Iowa were named "2009 Mid-West Region Conservation Legacy Winners." They received an award as the Mid-West Region Winner at the ASA Awards Banquet at the Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas.

The Colemans were one of three regional winners.

Conservation is a daily mindset for Dean and Mike Coleman and they’ve been recognized for many of their management practices, especially on planting windbreaks. “Every farmer, no matter how conservation minded, can always find one or two practices to better protect our water and soils,” said Dean. “It may take years to return our soils to their early state, but today is the best day to start that journey.”

Dean began farming in 1977 with his father-in-law. Dean’s son Mike joined the operation full time in 2002. They farm in an area where less than 10 percent of the crops are no-tilled and are early adapters of new technology and products that will improve their bottom line as well as conserve the soil. The Colemans have practiced no-till since 1993 with their soybeans and minimum-till with corn. “By using no-till we’ve lowered our energy use on soybeans by more than 50 percent and have reduced our trips across the field,” said Dean. They are cooperating with Iowa State University in a three-year project comparing no-till to conventional-till on soybeans in the heavy, dark soils of north-central Iowa.

Mike and his wife Michelle were awarded the Outstanding Windbreak Award in 2007. They planted a windbreak around their house that consists of 2 rows of lilacs, 3 rows of evergreens and 2 rows of hardwoods. In between the trees is a warm grass mix of Big Blue stem, Switch grass and Indian grass.
 

South Region
Rick and Phillip Castlen, Castlen Brothers Farms, Owensboro, Kentucky, were named “2009 South Region Conservation Legacy Winners.” They recently received an award as the South Region Winner at the ASA Awards Banquet at the Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas.

The Castlens were one of three regional winners of this program.

Rick and Phillip first began no-tilling 25 years ago. Nine years later, they were so sold on its benefits, especially with a “tremendous climb in yields,” that now all of their 1,000 acres of corn and 1,000 acres of soybeans are no-tilled. Besides using no-till to save soil, the Castlens have also installed a variety of conservation practices such as Water & Sediment Control Basins, Diversions, Grassed Waterways, Grade Stabilization Structures and Filter Strips.

The Castlens also work with several smaller landowners who have a variety of erosion and drainage problems. “When land is too steep to grow crops, we sow grass and manage it for wildlife,” said Rick. “When landowners aren’t able or willing to install needed conservation practices, Rick and I have done construction work at our own expense in order to control erosion,” Phillip said.

Fifteen acres of wetlands have been left for wildlife. In flood-prone areas, the Castlens have active CRP contract acres where they’ve built grassed waterways or filter strips.

“We are stewards of the land and our main goal is to leave the land that we own or operate in a much better state than the way it was when we began farming,” says Phillip. “That’s why we control erosion problems and leave the non-farming areas to wildlife habitat.”
 

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