Nancy Kavazanjian, from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, won the 2020 National Conservation Legacy Award during the annual ASA Awards Banquet at Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas.

Nancy and her husband, Charles Hammer, a fourth-generation farmer, grow corn, soybeans and wheat. For the past 40 years, they have worked to implement innovative technologies and farming methods that protect their farmland while growing the highest-quality food and feed possible.

Kavazanjian and Hammer are firmly rooted in their motto “Our soil, our strength,” a guiding principal planted at the beginning.

“While the way we work to protect and improve our soils has evolved over the years, our resolve to uphold that motto has never waivered,” Kavazanjian said. “It’s more important than ever today to realize our soil is what makes really good agriculture.”

Kavazanjian also established pollinator habitat on the gravel-covered knolls to provide an atmosphere that supports native bees, butterflies, birds and wildlife. She is working with a university to pilot and proof a phosphorus-reduction system that could potentially have major benefits for lakes, farms and watersheds across the nation.

Nancy Kavazanjian

To stay abreast of emerging technologies, Kavazanjian attends industry meetings, reads industry information and networks with other farmers and researchers — connecting both in person and online.

Related:2020 regional conservation winners announced

“We’re all part of the problem, and we all need to be part of the solution," she said.

The Conservation Legacy Awards program is a national program designed to recognize the outstanding environmental and conservation achievements of soybean farmers.

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