The American Soybean Association congratulates the regional winners of the 2023 Conservation Legacy Award.
• Tom Perlick, Washburn, Wisconsin (Upper Midwest Region)
• Terry & Lori Dabbs, Stuttgart, Arkansas (South Region)
• Michael Vittetoe, Washington, Iowa (Midwest Region)
• Les Seiler, Fayette, Ohio (Northeast Region)
The award winners were recognized at the annual ASA Awards Celebration event during Commodity Classic on March 10. The Conservation Legacy Award is a national program designed to recognize the outstanding environmental and conservation achievements of soybean farmers, which help produce more sustainable U.S. soybeans.
A national selection committee, composed of soybean farmers, conservationists, agronomists and natural resource professionals, evaluated nominations based on each farmer’s environmental and economic program. The program is sponsored by ASA, BASF, Bayer, Nutrien, the United Soybean Board/Soy Checkoff and Valent USA.
Tom Perlick, Washburn, Wisconsin (Upper Midwest Region)
Tom Perlick’s conservation journey is all about changing attitudes. From coming back to the family farm after his father’s death to charting his own course in unexplored management techniques, the now-veteran farmer is a pioneer in the northwest Wisconsin conservation frontier.
Learning what cover crops could bring to his operation has been amazing, Perlick says, as the number of earthworms alone on his farm has grown exponentially.
“Soil health is what I think it’s really brought to us,” he explains. “We’re learning so much more about how the mycorrhizal fungi, different bacteria and living organisms that are in the soil make our soil more productive and healthier. We minimize erosion to the maximum amount that we can.”
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