REYNOLDSBURG – The Ohio Department of Agriculture recognized five families as winners of the 2022 Conservation Farm Family Awards at the Farm Science Review in London.
The five families honored were Settlage Farm, Auglaize County; Baltes Farm, Mahoning County; Felumlee family, Claylick Run Farm, Licking County; Branstrator Farm, Warren County; and Brown Family Farm, Highland County.
The Settlage family 500-acre farm in near St. Marys includes organic pasture, organic soybeans, organic corn, organic milk cows, heifers and hogs. The farm is managed organically and is consistent with diverse crops, pasture, livestock and woodland in conservation. Settlage received the Cooperator Award from Auglaize SWCD in 2021.
Since 1984, the Conservation Farm Family Awards program has recognized Ohio farm families for their exemplary efforts conserving soil, water, woodland, wildlife and other natural resources on the land they farm. Conservation farm families also host a variety of educational programs, opening their farms to schools, scout groups, farm organizations and others.
The families each receive $400 from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, are featured in the September issue of Ohio Farmer magazine. Ohio Farmer magazine has sponsored the Ohio Conservation Farm Family Awards since the program’s inception.