ASA presented three Conservation Legacy Awards during its annual banquet at Commodity Classic in San Antonio last week.

The program is sponsored by BASF, Monsanto, the United Soybean Board and Corn and Soybean Digest, and recognizes soybean farmers across the country for their outstanding environmental and conservation practices, while maintaining profitable farming operations.

Regional Conservation Legacy Award Winners

Kurt Lawton (left) and ASA President Ray Gaesser present Mark and Phyllis Legan of Coatesville, Ind., the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award for the Northeast Region. Photo Credit: Sandra Martin

Mark and Phyllis Legan of Coatesville, Ind., received the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award for the Northeast Region.

“With an efficient livestock operation operating hand-in-hand with the farm’s soybean and barley operations, the Legans’ farm is a great case study in the variety and diversity of individual farms within our industry. Mark and Phyllis have done a wonderful job making use of the nutrients generated by their livestock and returning those to the soil in their fields,” said ASA President and Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser. “What’s more, the Legans are first generation farmers, and have brought a unique perspective to their work that will undoubtedly help other first generation operators do the same.”

The Legans’ operation is both 100 percent no-till and 100 percent cover cropped, which Phyllis says enhances soil biological activity and improves organic matter. The Legans also utilize the manure from their large-scale hog operation as a nutrient for integration into their soil. Through drainage tiling, cover cropping, man-made wetlands and other methods, the Legans are also invested in smart water management on their farm as well.

“Conservation means using our land and water resources, but leaving them in as good or better shape than when we were entrusted with them,” says Mark. “At the same time, we are living and working at a productive, sustainable farm and leaving it in good shape for future generations.”

ASA President Ray Gaesser (right) and Sharon Hall (left) present Clinton, Ky., soybean and corn farmer Jerry Peery, pictured with wife Valarie, the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award for the South Region. Photo Credit: Sandra Martin

Clinton, Ky., soybean and corn farmer Jerry Peery received the American Soybean Association’s Conservation Legacy Award for the South Region.

“Jerry has been at the forefront of the no-till movement in the South since the early 1970s, and he’s continued in that environmental leadership ever since. His is a story of adaptation and growth over more than five decades of farming,” said ASA President and Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser. “Farmers like Jerry, who keep one eye on tradition and the other on new practices and solutions that allow them to farm more sustainably and productively, are a wonderful example of modern conservationism at its very best.”

Peery began no-till farming on his land after attending several field days with no-till pioneers Shirley Phillips and Harry Young, Jr., in the late 1960s, and since the mid-1980s, the Peery farm has been entirely no-till. In addition to no-till, Peery utilizes annual rotation, buffer strips and waterways, cover crops, advanced soil and tissue testing, and makes extensive use of GPS and other precision agriculture technology to allow for more precise application of inputs and collection of valuable data. This provides Peery with a vast set of data points from which to ensure he receives maximum benefits from the smallest amount of inputs and environmental impact. Technology is a key component of the modern-day operation for Peery, who started with a 1949 Allis Chalmers and a harvester with a 10-foot header. Today, Peery harvests with a cutting-edge tractor and combine technology.

“We understand that there will never be more land than currently exists, and we believe it is our moral and spiritual responsibility to do everything we can to leave the land in better condition than when we began caring for it,” said Peery. “Farming has been my life for nearly 60 years, and my farm is one hundred percent no-till today because I have been working hard to protect the land’s valuable resources.”

National Conservation Legacy Award Winner 

ASA President Ray Gaesser (right) and Jim Call, Chairman of the United Soybean Board (USB) Jim Call (left) present David Ausberger, pictured with his wife Lee Anna, the national winner of ASA’s Conservation Legacy Awards program. Photo Credit: Sandra Martin

The American Soybean Association (ASA) honored Jefferson, Iowa, soybean farmer David Ausberger as the national winner of ASA’s Conservation Legacy Awards program. The program is sponsored by BASF, Monsanto, the United Soybean Board and Corn and Soybean Digest.

“David is a shining example of the innovation that happens every day on soybean farms across the country. He isn’t simply maintaining the environmental quality of his land, he is improving it,” said ASA President and fellow Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser. “The unique work that David is doing reaches far beyond his farm, and will help other farmers in their efforts to continue productive operations while remaining excellent stewards of the land.”

Prior to his recognition as the program’s national winner, Ausberger was named the Midwest Regional winner of the Conservation Legacy Award for his use of no-till—or as he describes it “never till”—and expansive cover cropping, a practice he says enables him to better manage soil and water quality, disease, weeds and insects. An active participant in multiple federal conservation programs, Ausberger also pointed to innovative strategies like the strategic application of nutrients through an extensive composting program that makes use of poultry litter from a nearby operation, and waste wood chips from the City of Jefferson.

“Conservation is a legacy that goes both forward and backward for me and my family,” says Ausberger. “It is a way to preserve the land for my kids (or somebody else’s kids) who may be farming it in the future. It is also a way to honor my dad’s ideals and commitment. Whether my kids and their children are walking this ground or live a thousand miles away when they grow up, I hope they do not have to worry about the water they drink or the air they breathe.”

Through cooperation with the Iowa Soybean Association and participation in multiple ISA initiatives, Ausberger developed a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan to reduce nutrient loss and better manage inputs. As a Certified Conservation Farmer, Ausberger shares his success with advanced conservation measures with other farmers in his area through more than 40 hours of classroom and field experience. Finally, Ausberger is part owner of a seven-turbine wind farm that generates enough electricity for his entire community.

Nominations are open for the 2015 Conservation Legacy Awards Program online at www.SoyGrowers.com/Award-Programs.