Finalists for the Leopold Conservation Award
Friday, September 16th, 2022 -- 9:00 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) Another four Wisconsin farm families have been selected as finalists for the annual Leopold Conservation Award, in which the winner will get $10,000 for demonstrating responsible stewardship and management of natural resources.
According to the Wisconsin Ag Connection, the award, which is named in honor of world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, is presented annually in nine states to private landowners who practice responsible land stewardship and management.
A winning recipient will be announced this fall during the WFBF convention in Wisconsin Dells. One of this year’s finalists is Tomandl Farms of Medford in Marathon and Taylor counties.
As former agriculture educators, Joe and Christy Tomandl regularly host pasture walks at their three dairy farms, where they show the benefits of rotational grazing and conservation practices.
Joe leads the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, a first-of-its-kind program in the nation that helps others establish their own farms. In addition to a large wetland the Tomandls restored, they provide bird and wildlife habitat on pastures and woodlands.
The program, which is a partnership between the Sand County Foundation and Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, is also made possible through the support of:
- American Farmland Trust,
- Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin,
- Compeer Financial,
- McDonald's,
- The Nature Conservancy,
- USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service,
- We Energies Foundation,
- Wisconsin Corn Growers Association,
- Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board,
- Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association,
- And Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.
Last year, John & Dorothy Priske of Fall River were named the winners of the Leopold Conservation Award. This is the thirteenth year the program has been run in Wisconsin.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.