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The 64th annual meeting of the Daviess County Soil and Water Conservation Department was held Monday evening, March 17, in the Gallatin R-5 High School cafeteria.
Dr. Jesse Maize was named Conservation Farmer of the Year. Kevin Waterbury of Gallatin accepted the award on his behalf.
Mr. Maize, Kansas City, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Maize, was reared on the family farm west of Jameson. His father, Russell, received the Daviess County SWCD Conservation Farmer of the Year in the 1950s.
Mr. Maize graduated from Jameson High School and the University of Missouri at Columbia with a B.S. in agriculture. After graduating from college he joined the navy, flying missions as a hurricane hunter. After his military service, he returned to farming for one year. Dr. Maize entered dental school and received his degree as an orthodontist.
After his parent’s deaths, he became more involved in the family farms. Over the last 25 years he has traveled to the farm three days a week to focus on his cow/calf operation. Dr. Maize leases his row crop acres to local farmers. He is committed to crop rotation, installing terraces, structures, and field borders.
His dedication to farm stewardship has made him this year’s Conservation Farmer of the Year.
Incumbents Tom Bonderer, treasurer, Area III-Gallatin, and Tom Lambert, chairman, Area I-Pattonsburg, were re-elected to serve another four years on the Board of Supervisors for SWCD. Others on the board are Trevor Clark, member, Area II; Don Tolen, member, Area V, and Tim Baker, secretary.
Speaker for the evening was Duane Parker of Springfield, Firewise Communities Consultant Forester. Mr. Parker shared several key ideas on how to prevent fires around your home, whether you live on a five or 10 acre tract or a farmstead.
SWCD recognized Marsha Clark with a plaque during the ceremonies. Mrs. Clark’s husband, Jim, was a devoted member of the Soil District Board from 1990 until his death in December of 2007.
Poster awards were given to the top winners in third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades from each school in the county. Winners from Gallatin were Samantha Boyd, Aubrey Burns, Aubrey Nelson and Kirbie Crouse; from North Daviess, Ryan Lewis, Ridge Heiber, Savannah Lewis and Garrett Hartley; from Pattonsburg Jacob Feck, Wyatt Dinwiddie, Kelly Warford and Ethan Teel; from Tri-County, Ami Lane, Chase Gardner, Brittany Huskey and Nate Sutton; from Winston, Gillian Heldenbrand, Tristyn Siegel, Stephen Evans and Kayla Eisman.
Personnel recognized at the meeting were: SWCD – Susan Heldenbrand, district manager; Betty McFee, district clerk; John Sandy, district technician; and Ashley Deskins, equipment manager; NRCS – Tracy Smith, district conservationist; George Taylor, resource conservationist; and Ron Musick, technician; MDC – Nate Mechlin, private land specialist.
Cost Share Report for fiscal year 2007 was as follows: Regular Cost Share Claimed 376,310.11; Hickory Creek 68,786.23; County Total 445,096.34. Cost Share Report for fiscal year 2008 (July 1-March 12) was as follows: Regular Cost Share Claimed 75,536.44; Hickory Creek 22,516.92; County Total 98,053.36.
Completed Engineering Practices for fiscal year 2007 were: 21 terrace systems; four sod waterways; three pasture seedings; 30 structures; seven no-till; five field borders; two well decommissions; and one nutrient management.
Those attending enjoyed a meal furnished by SWCD, BTC Bank of Gallatin and Pattonsburg, and Home Exchange Bank of Jamesport.