Three members of the Scottsburg FFA and their advisor, Caroline VanGosen, were honored by the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts recently. They received the Friend of Conservation award in the nonprofit category.

Nominated by the Scott County SWCD, Scottsburg FFA has worked closely with the SWCD in the community, sources say. They cooperate on educational efforts for schoolchildren and work together on projects related to improving quality of food available in the community.

Tim McConaha, Wayne County, received the Friend of Conservation award in the individual category. The 2012 state SWCD supervisor of the year continues to assist in a variety of soil and water conservation activities, both on his farm and in the community. Local SWCD staff affectionately call him “Ride-along Tim,” because he often rides along and assists them with various projects.

Ceres Solutions Cooperative received a Friend of Conservation award in the business category. Ceres employees have been instrumental in encouraging farmers in the Big Pine Creek Watershed in Benton, Warren and White counties to adjust soil fertility practices and use cover crops to help protect the soil and reduce nutrient loss.

Conservation Farmer of the Year
Kurt Voelkel of Dubois County was named Conservation Farmer of the Year by IASWCD. Indiana Farm Bureau sponsors the award. Voelkel operates Green Acre Farms near Otwell and is a true believer in soil health. Judi Brown, Dubois County SWCD director, says he has no-tilled continuously for 30 years and has used cover crops for 20 years.

FSA state committee members named
USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently named appointments to Farm Service Agency boards across the country. Those named in Indiana include Ken Rulon, Arcadia, chairman; Kim Ames, Fillmore; Bill Gelfius, Hartsville; Clint Orr, Forest; and Kirk Perkins, Wolcottville. Steve Brown, Tippecanoe County, was previously named FSA director for Indiana.

Ramsey also is on the Indiana Farm Bureau District 8 Women’s Leadership Committee. She and her husband, Phil, farm and operate a farm drainage and excavation business.