Winner will receive $10,000 prize for Conservation Leadership

FRANKFORT (Jan. 16, 2024) - Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell invites Kentuckians to nominate a farmer or forester for the 2024 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award.

“Farmers are true stewards of the land, and this award is an opportunity to honor those who go above and beyond to showcase conservation practices,” Commissioner Shell said. “Farming is the backbone of our state, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is honored to work with the Sand County Foundation to present the Leopold Conservation Award to a Kentucky farm family who shows true devotion to the management of our natural resources.”

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water, and wildlife habitat management on private working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Sand County Foundation, the nation’s leading voice for conservation of private land, presents the Leopold Conservation Award to agricultural landowners in 26 states actively committed to land ethic. In Kentucky, the $10,000 award is presented with the American Farmland Trust, the Kentucky Agricultural Council and the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts.

Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application can be found at sandcountyfoundation.org/uploads/2024-CFN-Kentucky.pdf.

The application deadline date March 31, 2024. The committee prefers application materials to be sent electronically to colemansteve51@gmail.com.

Materials may also be mailed with a postmark of March 31, 2024. Mail applications to:
Leopold Conservation Award
c/o Kentucky Association of Conservation District
P.O. Box 4027
Frankfort, KY 40604-4027

The first Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award was presented to Sherwood Acres Farm of LaGrange in 2013. The 2023 recipient of the award was Donald Veatch, of Campbellsville in Marion County.

The Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the support and partnership of American Farmland Trust, Kentucky Agricultural Council, Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts, Sand County Foundation, U.S Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, AgriBusiness Association of Kentucky, Farm Credit Mid-America, Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Pork Producers, Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, Kentucky Tree Farm Committee, Kentucky Woodland Owner’s Association, and University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

For more information on the award, visit leopoldconservationaward.org.