Leopold Conservation Award presented to Jim and Valerie Hebbe
Sand County Foundation and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation selected Jim and Val Hebbe as the recipients of the 2012 Leopold Conservation Award.
The award announcement was made by Secretary Ben Brancel during the November 14 meeting of the state Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Board. The Hebbe family, from Princeton, received the $10,000 award and a Leopold crystal on December 2 at the WFBF Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells.
“Jim and Val Hebbe’s commitment to no-till and other conservation efforts that benefit soil and water is exemplary” said Dr. Brent Haglund, Sand County Foundation President. “Their on-the-farm practices and off-the-farm leadership make them shining examples of Wisconsin’s agricultural community.”
Jim Hebbe has been implementing conservation practices for 25 years and has shared his ideas with other farmers as the Green Lake County Conservationist since 1984.
He and his wife, Val, raise 1,100 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa in central Wisconsin. In addition to no-till planting all of the crops, he has worked to develop numerous conservation systems that complement each other and lead to less erosion and more residue cover on the land. Read more ...
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation is a private, non-profit conservation group dedicated to working with private landowners to improve habitat on their land. Sand County’s mission is to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes. Sand County Foundation works with private landowners because the majority of the nation’s fish, wildlife, and natural resources are found on private lands. The organization backs local champions, invests in civil society and places incentives before regulation to create solutions that endure and grow. The organization encourages the exercise of private responsibility in the pursuit of improved land health as an essential alternative to many of the commonly used strategies in modern conservation.
WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is Wisconsin's largest general farm organization. It represents nearly 24,000 farms and agriculturists who belong to one of 61 county Farm Bureaus found across the state. Much like Wisconsin's diverse agricultural landscape, Farm Bureau members represent all farm commodities, and all farm sizes and management styles. Farm Bureau's mission is to lead the farm and rural community through legislative representation, education, public relations, and leadership development.
SPONSORS:
