Saginaw Bay Agricultural Conservation Newcomer Award Nomination
Conservation Newcomer Award
Conservation Newcomer Award
Please note, information submitted will be used for award/event purposes only and will not be shared. You may nominate yourself or someone else. If you would like to make more than one nomination, please complete each nomination separately. All nominations must be received by January 10, 2018. For questions or assistance, please contact Ben Wickerham at 517-316-2286.
·Intent: To show appreciation for farmers who are new to conservation and to help build trust and deepen relationships with area farmers. Ideally, by recognizing this farm operation with the Conservation Newcomer Award, we would encourage other historically non-participating farmers to consider implementing conservation practices for the first time.
·Possible Recipients: Saginaw Bay Area farmers (row crop and vegetable farmers)
·Guidelines: Farmer must be farming land within the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Conservation can be either voluntary implementation or funded via a conservation program. Conservation practice first implemented in 2016 or 2017.
·Description: The Conservation Newcomer Award is intended to recognize an established cash crop or vegetable operation that hasn’t historically implemented conservation practices widely across the farm. An appropriate awardee would most likely not yet be Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP)-verified and would be implementing an important nutrient management practice or in-field management practice for the very first time. Well qualified candidates would be farming more than 500 acres, would report a positive experience with the new practice and would likely have the potential to be “influential” within the agricultural community.