Leopold Conservation Award finalists

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Three central Illinois farm families were honored for their conservation agriculture efforts as the Sand County Foundation took advantage of a gathering of Soil and Water Conservation Districts and leaders of the conservation agriculture community to announce finalists of their 2024 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

Lance Irving, Leopold Conservation Award Program director, took the stage during the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ 2024 Summer Training Conference and 76th Annual Meeting in Springfield to announce three finalists:

• Lieb Farms in Piatt County.

• Lyons Farm in Montgomery County.

• Martin Family Farms in Logan County.

The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land. The award recipient will be revealed this summer at the Illinois State Fair.

The recipient receives $10,000, and their conservation success story will be featured in a video and in other outreach.

The foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 28 states.

In Illinois, the award is presented with the Illinois Corn Growers Association and Illinois Soybean Association.

Further support for the Illinois award comes from the Coleman Family Fund, Farm Credit Illinois, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of Illinois, Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Compeer Financial, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership and McDonald’s.

Lieb Farms

Brothers Josh and Jake Lieb of Monticello credit their late father Terry with being a firm believer in soil conservation. He planted trees and enrolled land in the Conservation Reserve Program.

Today, his sons are engaged in a local effort to prevent pollution of Lake Decatur, which supplies drinking water to area residents.

The Liebs grow cover crops and use no-till practices on their crop fields to prevent erosion. The streams they farm next to are well buffered with native species.

Ponds and terraces were constructed to trap sediment and nutrients. Windbreaks and forests are managed to control invasive species and promote biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

Lyons Farm

Since adopting strip and no-till on his corn and soybean fields in the 1970s, Richard Lyons of Harvel has sought other conservation practices that prioritize economic and environmental stewardship.

Growing cover crops prevents wind and water erosion and improves soil organic matter, which helps address issues ranging from Gulf of Mexico hypoxia to carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation.

Lyons has planted a two-acre pollinator plot and 13 acres of filter strips to improve wildlife habitat and improve water quality.

He uses variable-rate technology on farm fields to apply phosphorus and potassium based on soil tests taken every three years.

Martin Family Farms

At Martin Family Farms near Mt. Pulaski, Jeff Martin and his sons, Doug and Derek, regularly host groups to show impacts of their conservation practices.

Jeff was an early adopter of no-till practices before implementing diverse crop rotations, growing cover crop mixes and using microbe amendments to improve soil health.

The Martins have enrolled hundreds of acres into a permanent tree program and have planted diverse stands of native grasses and wildflowers to benefit pollinators and wildlife.

Twice annually they apply the beneficial bacteria and fungi found in a compost tea to their crop fields. Filter strips were installed to prevent erosion.