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For Immediate Release: Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018
Award to be presented Sept. 26 at the Wells
Farm in Milton
DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced
that Wells family from Van Buren County has been named the winner of the Gary
Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award.
Paul and Jayne Wells started farming on Paul's family
farm in 1966. Their son Jason now manages the farm and his sons McKane and Mylo
are also involved in the operation.
They have an organic dairy farm which consists of about
900 certified organic acres. In addition
they rent another 400 acres on which they raise conventional row crops. The
family raises corn, soybeans, oats, forage sorghum, triticale, alfalfa and
pasture.
“This multi-generation farm family is a deserving recipient
of the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award for their commitment to
environmental stewardship, animal care and community involvement,” Naig said. “This
award is an opportunity to recognize livestock farmers like the Wells family
that add so much to our state and rural communities.”
Naig will present the award to the family on Wednesday, Sept.
26. The ceremony will be at the family’s
machine shed, 14658 252nd St., Milton. The “Big Show,” which airs on both WHO and WMT radio, will broadcast
live from the presentation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The family was nominated for the award by the Southern
Iowa Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and highlighted the family’s
commitment environmental stewardship, animal husbandry and community involvement.
To protect the environment, the family uses numerous
conservation practices including cover crops, terraces, rotational grazing, and
others. Soils are routinely tested and the results are used to guide nutrient
applications.
The Wells family use sand bedding and rotational grazing
for dairy cows, weather permitting. Baby calves are cared for in individual
huts to protect them from weather and illness. As a result of all of their
efforts, the family’s dairy herd has received a milk quality award for each of
the last 24 years.
In addition to their work on the farm, the family is very
active in the community. Paul has served as a Director of Southern Iowa
Electric Coop for 21 years and is currently the Vice President. He is also a
member of the Iowa State Dairy Association, Practical Farmers of Iowa and
numerous other organizations. The family
is also very active in Milton Christian Church.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award, made possible
through the financial support of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers,
recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in doing things right. This
includes caring for the environment and their livestock and being good
neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm
broadcaster who helped create the award.
Anyone interested in nominating their neighbor for the
award should write a letter or e-mail explaining why their neighbor should
receive this designation. Applications may be submitted to the Iowa
Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attn: Wergin Good Farm Neighbor
Award, Henry A. Wallace Building, Des Moines, IA 50319 or emailed to Communications@iowaAgriculture.gov.
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For more information, contact Dustin Vande Hoef, (515) 281-3375 or (515) 326-1616 (cell) or Dustin.VandeHoef@IowaAgriculture.gov
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