Marion County farmer receives Environmental Stewardship Award
COLUMBUS, Ohio - John Buck of New Bloomington has been named a 2009 Environmental Stewardship Award winner by the Ohio Soybean Association, Ohio Corn Growers Association and the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC).
The Environmental Stewardship Award annually recognizes the many accomplishments made by family farmers to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
Buck operates a grain farm that has been in his family for more than 70 years. Over the course of seven years, he has steadily increased his no-till acreage up to 100 percent of his productive farmland to sustain soil quality and implement conservation.
John has made crop management decisions that have resulted in the reduced use of pesticides, and he constantly monitors the usage of fertilizers and nutrients to ensure over-application is prevented. He has installed buffer strips and waterways to help prevent soil erosion and chemical runoff, and to protect the Lake Erie Watershed.
Numerous acres of woods on Buck Farms allow for wildlife refuge, while providing the opportunity for deer hunters, with permission, to help control the wild deer population.
Buck received a plaque from the Ohio Soybean Association and Ohio Corn Growers Association, and a proclamation of congratulations and recognition of his commitment to the basic principles of environmental and natural resource stewardship from Gov. Ted Strickland.
"John incorporates various management practices that protect and enhance the environment and precious natural resources while ensuring productivity and profitability," said Ohio Livestock Coalition Executive Director Sandy Kuhn. "In doing so, he has minimized his operation's footprint on the environment by working to preserve and improve water and air quality, to protect the land and to promote wildlife."
OLC coordinates the Environmental Stewardship awards program while seven cooperating member organizations ’Äì the Ohio Cattlemen's Association, Ohio Dairy Producers Association, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Soybean Association and Ohio Corn Growers Association ’Äì sponsor the individual commodity awards along with Ohio's Country Journal.