John Shepherd Named 2012 Young Sustainable Farmer - Watch Video >
John Shepherd, a 27-year-old grain farmer from Blackstone, Virginia, has been named the 2012 Young Sustainable Farmer. The award, sponsored by Bayer CropScience, recognizes young agricultural producers who demonstrate excellence in business and environmental sustainability.
Shepherd and his business partner, Jordan Brandon, operate Tri County Grain Farms, LLC, where they farm 1,350 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and barley. Shepherd’s barley won the Virginia state yield contest with a yield of 152.26 bushels per acre.
He also ranked second in state wheat yields with 120.89 bushels per acre.
He attributes his success in large part to having a detailed nutrient management plan for each field. Through ongoing soil and tissue sample analysis, Shepherd fine-tunes nutritional programs all season long. By doing so he helps better identify nutrient deficiencies before they become a problem, while avoiding environmental problems from excess nutrient applications. And as a certified nutrient management planner, Shepherd also helps other farmers produce nutrient management plans for their farms.
“Tissue sampling is very easy to do and is really key to our whole operation, “Shepherd says. “It tells us exactly what the nutrient content is of the plant and helps us adjust nutrient delivery. That way we don’t overapply nutrients, which saves us money and boosts yields.”
“Sustainable farming is not only about making a profit, but being a good steward of the land for future generations,” says Shepherd. “I believe that it is our duty as stewards of the land to not only prevent further degradation of resources, but to leave that land better than we found it. This is my goal on all the land that I farm.”
Congratulations to John on being chosen the 2012 Young Farmer Sustainability Award winner!
2011 Sustainability Award Winner
Ryan Kirby, a 2,500-acre grower from Belcher, La., was named the 2011 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Sustainability Award winner, presented by Top Producer and sponsored by Bayer CropScience at the Tomorrow’s Top Producer meeting in Chicago on Jan. 25.
Bayer CropScience and Top Producer teamed up to recognize young producers who excel in business and environmental sustainability with the Tomorrow’s Top Producer Sustainability Award.
Entrants were judged on entrepreneurship and new approaches to farming (50%), environmental and other on-farm sustainability efforts (30%) and economic stability and sustainability (20%).
Kirby demonstrates his sustainable practices -- growing cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat with water-conserving irrigation systems, precision application of fertilizer and inputs, and diversified crop rotations to manage risk. According to Kirby’s application for the award, he defines sustainability in agriculture as “the ability of agriculture to feed the entire world population without sacrificing the long-term viability or health of anything that agriculture affects, from the farmer to the consumer and the environment.”
He received a new Pansonic Toughbook rugged laptop and all-expense-paid trips for two to the 2011 Tomorrow's Top Producer Seminar in Chicago and the Farm Journal Corn College in Bloomington, Ill.
Congratulations to Ryan Kirby!
Video of Ryan Kirby Named 2011 Sustainability Award Winner >
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Top Producer Summer 2011 Article >
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