Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards Presented to 39 Farm Families at the 2023 Iowa State Fair
Farm families honored by Governor’s Office, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Department of Natural Resources for outstanding environmental leadership
DES MOINES, Iowa (Aug. 16, 2023) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon today recognized 39 Iowa farm families with Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards at the Iowa State Fair. The award acknowledges farmers who take voluntary actions to improve and protect our state’s natural resources while serving as leaders in their communities.
These farm families use proven in-field and edge-of-field practices such as cover crops, no-till, wetlands, bioreactors and saturated buffers, among many others, that support the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy by holding soil in place and improving water quality. These worthy recipients recognize that the benefits of conservation practices extend beyond their fields, and their leadership encourages others to adopt similar conservation practices.
“The Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award recognizes the farmers who have made stewardship a priority. Their commitment to protecting, preserving, and restoring Iowa’s natural resources will ensure that future generations can enjoy the benefits of healthy soils and improved water quality for decades to come,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Congratulations to the 2023 winners of the IFELA award. We applaud your leadership and commitment to environmental excellence!”
“We continue to see record engagement in our state’s conservation activity, and it is important that we recognize the dedicated Iowa farm families who lead by example in implementing these proven practices,” said Secretary Naig. “As we accelerate our water quality efforts statewide and work toward meeting our nutrient reduction goals, I believe Iowa farmers and landowners will continue to rise to the challenge in the years ahead by adding even more conservation practices.”
“We take great pride in recognizing these leaders in our farming communities throughout our state that put sound conservation practices at the forefront of their operations,” said Director Lyon. “Their conservation practices are leading the change and setting an example for future generations and other farmers.
A total of 777 Iowa farm families have been recognized since the creation of the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award in 2012. A list of previous recipients is available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website.
The winners were chosen by a committee representing conservation and agricultural groups.
High-resolution photos will be available for within one month of the ceremony on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Flickr page.
The 2023 award recipients, listed alphabetically by last name, include:
Craig and Nancy Anderson
Plymouth County
Daniel and Lisa Berns
Clayton County
Bice Family Farm
Boone County
Buhr Family Farms LLC
Benton County
Roger Bumann
Ida County
Cook Family Farm
Black Hawk County
Rusty & Karen Corderman
Sac County
Perry and Stacy Corey
Calhoun County
Kendall & Maureen Curtis
Chad, Kristie & Kyler Curtis
Howard County
Downs Family Farm
Madison County
Scott Eichelberger Family
Muscatine County
Troy & Jeanne Elbert
Pocahontas County
Ryan and Kristy Gibbs Family
Delaware County
Joshua Henik
Linn County
Mitchell and Brian Hora
Washington County
John Kielkopf and Ron Kielkopf
Keokuk County
Steve Killpack
Harrison County
John & Ione Koster
Carroll County
Krogmeier Dairy & Hinterland Dairy
Lee County
Buffalo Grove Farms
Boone County
Millard Land Corp.
Darrell Millard
Buena Vista County
Tynie Enterprises
Tyler, Annie, Tripp, Sawyer and Walker Millard
Buena Vista County
BarLee Farms, Ltd.
Miller Time Farms, Inc.
Black Hawk County
KA Miller Farm
Kris and Michele Miller
Wapello County
Mike Paustian
Scott County
Valley View Farms, Inc.
Randy, Josh, and Jake Pedersen
Cedar County
Peters Farm
Pocahontas County
Dan and Lori Ryner
Ryner Farms, Gillespie Family Farms
Madison County
Sampson Family Farm
Story County
Jon Sampson Farm
Humboldt County
Searle, Inc.
Leland H. Searle and Matthew L. Searle
Marshall County
Curt Sindergard
Pocahontas County
Jarrett Smith
Clay County
Zack Smith
Winnebago County
Todd and Angie Thilges
Kossuth County
Jasen and Jen Tiefenthaler
Sac County
Ryan & Tarin Tiefenthaler
Carroll County
Vos Family Farm
Ron and Nancy Vos
Sioux County
Hal R. Youngkin and Lu Anne Youngkin
Shelby County