QUITMAN — The Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District, a local agency dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of the area’s natural resources, honored the 2023 Conservationists of the Year in each county within its area during the Conservationist of the Year Banquet March 21 at the Brooks County USDA Service Center in Quitman.

The service area includes Ben Hill, Brooks, Colquitt, Crisp, Irwin, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth counties.

Conservationist of the Year award-winners included:

— Peter Fox, Ben Hill County. He farms 300 acres of timber which has been in the family for over 200 years. The purpose of the timber operation is to enhance wildlife. He has been in many NRCS programs over the years. Some of the conservation practices he utilizes is prescribed burning.

— Dixie Hay Farm, Brooks County. Josh and Brandon Simpson farm 600 acres of hay, 700 acres of cotton and 130 acres of peanuts, and they run cattle as well. They have been in many NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP. Some of the conservation practices they use are planting cover crops, putting in grass waterways, terraces, and more.

— Davis Family Farms, Colquitt County. They farm 7,500 acres of cotton, corn, and peanuts in Colquitt County as well as Dougherty, Mitchell and Worth counties. They also run approximately 300 head of beef cattle. The farm has been in numerous NRCS programs and they use conservation practices like planting cover crops, putting in terraces, installing grassed waterways, and much more.

— Lenny Wells, Crisp County. Wells farms pecans in Northwest Crisp County on land that has been in his family since the 1890s. He started the operation in 2005 with his father by planting 25 acres of pecans. The pecan operation has grown but remains small at 100 acres. Some key aspects of conservation practices on the farm are the maintenance of clover in orchards to help build organic matter, provide supplemental nitrogen for the trees and improve the soil, planting pollinator strips along some of the orchard edges, scouting for insect pests, applying no more fertilizer than is required based on soil and leaf sampling, and conserving water through the use of soil moisture monitoring and recommended irrigation schedules.

— Royal Farms, Irwin County. Charles Royal has broiler chicken houses as well as runs beef cows and cuts hay. His farm has been in several NRCS programs for stackhouses, pine trees, and cross fencing. He uses rotational grazing along with converting pine trees into CRP programs.

— Copps Farms, Thomas County. Robby Copps farms cotton and peanuts, has beef cattle, 10 acres of Satsuma trees, and is also a partner in a produce stand. His farm has been NRCS CSP and some of the conservation practices he utilizes are cover crops, grid sampling, low pressure pivots, GPS, and drip control nozzles.

— Russell Griffin, Tift County. His family owns and operates a sixth-generation family farm involved in the production of cotton, peanuts, pecans, hay, and cattle. Over the last several years their operation has used the NRCS EQIP and CSP programs to help further their conservation efforts. They use the practices of terracing, grassed waterways, and buffer strips around field edges to reduce erosion.

— Travis Wilson, Turner County. He farms 1,000 acres of peanuts and cotton and runs about 220 head of cows. Travis’ father’s land was in NRCS programs in which he now farms. Some of the conservation practices he utilizes are drip irrigation systems, cover crops, installing terraces, and grassed waterways.

— King Farms, Worth County. He farms 600 acres of peanuts and cotton on his first-generation farm. He has been in NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP. Some of the conservation practices he uses include drip irrigation, planting cover crops, installing terraces, and more.

The Middle South Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District is a unit of state government that directs natural resource management programs in Ben Hill, Brooks, Colquitt, Crisp, Irwin, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth counties. The Conservation District works with farmers, landowners, and with other units of government to educate and actively promote programs and practices that support the conservation, and use and development of soil, water, and related resources. More information can be found at www.gacd.us/middlesouthgeorgia.