Having weathered droughts and the 1980s farm crisis, Scotty and Jo Herriman thought they knew the ups and downs of farming. Although agile in the face of adversity, nothing could have prepared them for a historic flood’s wrath. The heart of their 2,000-acre farm in northeast Oklahoma sits along the Verdigris River. Fertile river bottom land was cleared and terraced for growing corn, soybeans, wheat and milo in the 1970s, and a riparian area was maintained to prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for wildlife. It began raining on June 26, 2007, and five days later the Verdigris River crested over 30 feet. A broken levee flooded the Herriman’s home and deluged a local refinery, dumping 42,000 gallons of oil into the river. Everything along the float line turned black, and the flood washed away the topsoil the Herrimans had worked three decades to preserve. Their farm was nearly decimated with just 13 acres of crops left to harvest. That was followed by poor crop yields in 2008. Scotty says he was pushed to consider changing how he farmed. Inspired by other farmers having success with reduced tillage, in 2010 he adopted no-till soybeans and strip-till corn. In addition to time savings and less equipment maintenance, Scotty noticed positive changes in his soil. The prior year’s plant-root channels that dig deep into the ground were improving soil infiltration and creating a more stable and resilient soil structure. Future crops were less stressed by drought and pests due to increased crop vigor. To reduce herbicide use, Scotty planted a cover crop of cereal rye in 2016. Cover crops suppress weeds and leave a mulch layer an inch thick, which further increases soil moisture retention and moderates the soil’s temperature. Today, he sells cereal rye seed to farmers for cover crops and has hosted many farm tours to showcase the soil health benefits of cover crops. The Herriman Farm was also one site for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and American Farmland Trust’s “Soil Health Case Studies” in 2022. The study analyzed the financial impacts of conservation practices on 350 acres of the farm. It found the farm’s net income increased by $4 per acre, per year, achieving a 7 percent return on investment. The Herrimans have been repeat winners in the National Corn Growers Association’s yield contest for dryland corn in Oklahoma. Other sources of pride for Scotty and Jo are their three grown sons, each with agricultural careers. The Herrimans have always been willing to try innovative techniques, such as terracing, prescribed burning, and brush management. In 1978, they purchased land that included 26-acre Chouteau Lake, the largest lake in Nowata County. The land was full of scattered timber and had poor drainage. Three acres of large trees along the lake act as a riparian area and natural buffer. Several fishing clinics have been hosted at the lake that serves as a popular community resource. Scotty’s passion for working with other conservation-minded people led the governor to appoint him to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission where he served for a decade, two years as chairman. He also served as president of the Oklahoma Soybean Association. “Scotty is truly inspirational, full of wisdom and counsel, willing to share and gently guide those around him,” said Kevin Norton, a retired associate chief with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “He is absolutely the most humble, peaceful, and optimistic farmer I have ever encountered.”

With federal and local funding, Sand County Foundation and Dubuque County Watersheds worked with 75 farmers to seed 8,500 acres of cover crops with a drone in 2024. For more on Sand County Foundation's work to assist farmer-led watershed groups, visit: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/conservation/supporting-farmer-led-groups

Join moderator Lance Irving of Sand County Foundation as he discusses conservation-minded farming and ranching with three Leopold Conservation Award recipients: Jimmy Emmons of Oklahoma, Russell Hedrick of North Carolina, and Loran Steinlage of Iowa. This event took place on January 14, 2025

Sand County Foundation is launching a new funding opportunity for farmer-led groups in Wisconsin. Proposals will be reviewed and negotiated on a rolling basis through March 31, 2025. Learn more at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/conservation/supporting-farmer-led-groups

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” Those words from Aldo Leopold ring true for Troy Firth as he walks through a forest. Born into a family of loggers, early on Troy worked in sawmills and the woods. He grew unsatisfied seeing forests left degraded by severe harvests, and efforts to take only the best trees. The prevailing practices of the time were threatening the local ecosystem and compromising the long-term health of the local timber economy. At that same time, Troy’s conservation ethic was being influenced by reading Aldo Leopold and Wendell Berry. He came to see that forestry done right is an observational science that attempts to mimic nature. He acquired his first forest land in the 1970s, and has since purchased about 7,000 acres. Through decades of care and diligence, Troy’s forests thrived as he built a business that provides rural jobs and a unique model for the timber industry. In addition to lumber, Firth Maple Products is Pennsylvania’s second largest maple syrup producer. Its humble beginnings took shape when Troy began tapping maple trees while living on his family’s dairy farm. The 160-acre farm’s rolling terrain proved better for growing trees than crops. Troy also found that logging and maple syrup pair well, both seasonally and for managing a workforce. Troy says, “A bad logger goes to the woods thinking of what he can take out. A good logger goes to the woods thinking of what he can leave.” In addition to his unconventional “worst first” approach to selecting timber for harvest, he removes trees by doing the least possible damage to others left standing. The same care is given to the forest floor to not disturb soil, vegetation, and wildlife habitat. To foster tree species and age diversity, Troy uses an approach akin to the Femelschlag technique or gap silviculture. Small group selections, no larger than a few acres, are harvested to create canopy gaps where the forest understory stocked with native species allows for natural regeneration to occur. This approach attracted the attention of conservation biologists and avian researchers who conduct a multi-year study of songbird diversity in forests Troy manages. Troy subcontracts with four teams of Amish loggers who use horses instead of mechanical skidders. This minimizes damage to the forest floor, allowing the understory to recover quickly. Troy was demonstrating horse logging at a field day about 25 years ago when he met one of his conservation idols, Wendell Berry. “When Aldo Leopold was writing “The Land Ethic” and worrying about “the apathy of private timber owners,” he was thinking of the need for foresters like Troy,” Berry wrote in his letter nominating Troy for the Leopold Conservation Award. Troy and his late wife, Lynn, founded the Foundation for Sustainable Forests in 2004 to protect forested ecosystems and highlight sustainable forestry practices. He remains determined to see the organization serve as a regional model for other conservation-minded landowners. To date, Troy has had a hand in the conservation of 2,250 acres of working forests, with more gains on the horizon, including the generous bequest of his own lands. While Troy’s career may sound idyllic, his lived experience is far from it. He has been unfairly criticized for not having what others say is a “realistic” approach to industrial timbering. Yet, his 45-year career is proof that forestry can be both economically profitable and ecologically nurturing.

Lewis Heaton is a farmer, rancher, hunter, conservationist, and budding photographer. He does more than just capture the beauty of landscapes and wildlife; he has been prioritizing their care at Heaton Ranches for decades. Lewis returned home with a degree in diesel mechanics in 1975 to take over the family farm. The 160 acres near McKenzie in Burleigh County had been in his family since 1926. From the start, Lewis realized developing resilient and sustainable farm and ranch methods would be key to his long-term success. Long-held practices like traditional soil tillage and calving during the winter wouldn’t be sustainable. Experimentation took time, but gradual improvements fueled his growing interest in improving soil health, wetland and freshwater resources, and habitat for wildlife and pollinators. He embraced conservation practices that were both environmentally and economically beneficial as his business grew to 20,000 acres in four counties. Today, he and wife Sherry, daughter Ella, and sister and brother-in-law Colleen and Albert Kershaw, graze 800 cow-calf pairs on 14,000 acres of rangeland, and grow 6,000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and flax. Lewis began using no-till farming practices in the 1990s to reduce erosion by leaving crop residue on harvested fields. To introduce more organic material to the soil, he later began growing cover crops of rye grass, turnips, and radishes. By reducing fertilizer costs the profitability of crop production increased. He also sought new ways to make raising beef cattle more profitable. Grazing cattle on corn stalks following the harvest reduces feed costs while naturally fertilizing cropland with manure and urine. Moving the calving season to later in the spring reduced feed, building, and energy costs during the winter, while improving calf health and mortality rates. During the growing season, cattle at Heaton Ranches are rotationally grazed across more than 50 pastures. Depending on the pasture’s size, location, and water sources, the cattle are moved every three to 20 days. Wetlands are fenced off from grazing when native vegetation diversity and water quality can be improved. Lewis is a grazing mentor to other ranchers and is a frequent guest speaker on wildlife-friendly grazing practices. Likewise, he only cuts hay after the grassland bird nesting season and starts cutting hay in the field’s center to reduce the risk of harming wildlife. Like Aldo Leopold before him, Lewis understands the importance hunting plays in wildlife management. For the past 20 years, Heaton Ranches has enrolled more that 3,000 acres into the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s program that opens private land to sportsmen. This, coupled with planting trees and preserving wetlands, has increased the quantity and quality of wildlife found at Heaton Ranches. To protect pollinators, Lewis limits insecticide use and only plants wheat and soybean crops with noenicitinoid-free seeds. Heaton Ranches also participates in a project examining how carbon can be captured naturally by grassland ecosystems and how grazing cattle can enhance carbon uptake. Selling carbon credits from rangeland is something Lewis hopes will soon be available to more ranchers to provide income and preserve grasslands. Lewis is passionate about sharing what he’s learned with others. He’s one of two landowner representatives on the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture management board that oversees issues impacting this environmentally important region. Photographer or not, Lewis Heaton is the picture of what a conservation ethic looks like.

Upon graduating from college, Eli Little faced a serious question about his future. Could his family’s ranch generate enough income to sustain another partner? The answer was right under his boots. Eli and his father Barry focused on improving their soil’s health on every acre of cropland and pasture at Blioux River Ranch in Hamlin County. Their renewed emphasis on conservation could reduce their input costs while maintaining, if not increasing, their yields and productivity. Barry began practicing minimum tillage on his 1,850 acres of small grains, corn, and soybeans in the 1990s. There were also 500 acres next to the Big Sioux River that had been poorly managed for decades. To prevent erosion and improve water quality he enrolled it into the federal Conservation Reserve Program. Integration of livestock on the land is one of the principles of soil health. However, the Littles had not considered their beef cattle as part of their conservation equation until their first attempt at rotational grazing in 2008. They listened to grazing gurus and combined multiple herds of cow-calf pairs into one single grazing group. After years of trial and error, their grazing efficiency found its groove. Beef production moved from a sidelight at Blioux River Ranch to a profitable enterprise. From May to October their 200 cow-calf pairs are moved almost daily to a new paddock ranging in size from two to 20 acres. This system has multiple environmental and economic benefits. The Littles noticed the amount of land they need to annually feed a cow-calf pair dropped from four to five acres, to less than two. That pencils out to quite a difference when local pastures rent for $55 per acre. Rotational grazing allows pastures to flourish without the need for synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. Following the fall harvest, cattle are moved through cropland to graze on cover crops or crop residue, which further reduces feed costs while improving yields. Cattle also do more than quickly turn grass into beef, they naturally spread fertilizer onto the land. Afterwards, their gut microbes interact with soil microbes, adding to the abundance of microscopic organisms that create a healthy soil and help re-establish the prairie’s natural mineral cycles. As a result, the Littles find more native plant species in their pastures that they did not plant. The grazing rotation is timed to allow these flowering plants to bloom and provide a food source for beneficial pollinators. A local beekeeper has kept beehives next to Blioux River Ranch pastures since 2016. To enhance wildlife habitat at Blioux River Ranch, about 100 acres are enrolled into a 30-year wetland reserve easement, while another 20 acres of cropland serve as food plots with a mix of corn and a brood mix designed for pheasants. Pheasant chicks need habitat for cover and insects for food. The brood mix grows sequentially flowering plants to protect and feed pheasants, while providing a water source from dew on the plant stems. As leaders on the Dry Lake Chapter of Pheasants Forever, Barry and Eli regularly volunteer their time and equipment to plant the brood mix for other landowners. Now more than a decade into fully immersing themselves into the school of soil health, the Littles share what they have learned with friends, neighbors, and strangers.

Farmer, conservationist, entrepreneur, mentor, and messenger: all describe Wendy Mariko Johnson. Following a career in California’s fashion industry, the Iowa native and husband Johnny Rankin returned to Floyd County to farm with an innovative flair. Their brand of land stewardship combines soil, animals, and plants, to produce local food and a healthy ecosystem. It also led to the family farm evolving into two farms. At Center View Farms they grow a diverse rotation of 1,000 acres of no-till corn, soybeans, and small grains with her parents. To improve soil health and protect water resources, they have established prairie strips, grow cover crops, and host research trials of 60-inch rows of corn. As an organic eater, Wendy sought to grow more organic crops. That transition was aided by growing alfalfa due to its ability to suppress weeds while boosting soil fertility. With acres of forage available she began acquiring livestock. The environmental and economic benefits of grazing led to the rebranding of 130 acres as the organically certified Joia Food and Fiber Farm. Where conventional corn once stood, there is now a perennial pasture for adaptive rotational grazing of sheep, cattle, hogs, and poultry sold at wholesale markets and direct-to-consumer. “I am providing animals a good life, one that involves their innate abilities to get their food on their own,” Wendy said. The holistic land management practices at Joia Food and Fiber Farm build soil health and biodiversity, sequester carbon, and enhance wildlife habitat. Over the past decade more than 6,000 fruit, nut, and hardwood trees and shrubs have been planted. Silvopasture, the deliberate grazing of areas with trees, has been embraced. Mowing is delayed to encourage grassland birds to nest. “I am helping clean water before it flows downstream from me. I am helping slow water down,” Wendy said of her efforts to restore riparian areas and stabilize streambanks. Wendy now grows Kernza, a perennial grain known for its ability to infiltrate water and build the soil’s organic matter. She is vice president of Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, which provides farmer-led, collective marketing, and technical support to other Kernza growers. Wendy is invested in strengthening local food systems. She worked on the creation of 99 Counties, a direct-marketing food company for small to mid-sized producers, promoting regenerative agriculture. She also started Counting Sheep Sleep Company, a value-added business to promote regenerative organic grass-fed wool. Wendy hopes that starting conservation-based farm businesses, and sharing the successes and failures that follow, will inspire other farmers to do the same. She believes conservation provides endless opportunities for farmers to grow their businesses, buffer against the worst effects of climate change, and provide the equity needed to do more on less land. In addition to chairing the Iowa USDA Farm Service Agency’s state committee, Wendy is a prominent figure in other local, state, and national organizations promoting conservation, soil health, climate disruption mitigation, and farmland preservation. Her thought leadership is generously shared with audiences ranging from regional farmer networks and federal policymakers to local Charles City high school agronomy students. Wendy looks to the future when describing her conservation advocacy, “I am part of a growing conservation ethic movement consisting of farmers and landowners who believe we are temporary land stewards and hoping that our conservation efforts will have long-term effects for future generations.”