MISSISSIPPI FARM WINS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD

DENVER, Colo. -- (August 3, 2000) - The Gaddis Farm has been in the agriculture business for more than 100 years, and it has continually maintained a goal to keep the land productive and profitable.

“We do this because we’ve been blessed with this land,” said Ted Kendall IV, vice president of Gaddis Farms, and a descendant of John Gaddis, who began the operation in the late 1800s. “This can only be possible if we protect and conserve all of the environmental attributes of the land.”

From its use of cow manure on the land to no-till planting and wildlife conservation, Gaddis Farms has proven to be an operation that is equally concerned about the environment as it is about the bottom line.

The NCBA today announced the Gaddis Farms as this year’s Region II Environmental Stewardship Award winner. Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the award is given annually to cattle operations that demonstrate innovative and sound environmental practices. The Mississippi Cattlemen's Association nominated Gaddis Farms for the award.

“Working to conserve the resources you’ve been given is something this family exemplifies in its every day business practice,” said George Hall, NCBA president. “The farm not only practices environmental stewardship, but sets an example for other operations in the area to follow.”

Gaddis Farms covers about 30,000 acres in central Mississippi. It’s a diverse operation that consists of a cow/calf herd with 2,100 brood cows and a winter grazing stocker operation with 5,000 head. Nearly 6,000 acres are dedicated to crop production including 2,000 acres of corn, 2,400 acres of cotton and 1,500 acres of soybeans. With the help of professionals from around the state, the farm ensures that it maximizes productivity while also nurturing the environment.

Gaddis Farms has worked with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to improve the wildlife habitat of the farm. Some of the practices it has used include: Planting food plots for deer and ducks; entering a deer management plan; managing timber production and CRP tracts with wildlife habitat improvement as a defining criteria; supplying information on wild turkey population through a season-long survey; and consulting with extension service about the management of lakes and ponds for maximum fish habitat and population.

“The farm does this at a cost to themselves,” said Larry Golden, district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “This family is very sensitive to the environment. They take very seriously their responsibility to the land, the animals and the water.”

Ten percent or about 1,200 of the forestland is in the Conservation Reserve Program. Twenty-five years go by before planted trees are harvested. In the meantime, the area provides habitat for deer, wild turkey and other species. When the farm clears a section of forest, a consultant helps to identify how best to replenish the land.

The farm wants to also improve the land. Hundreds of acres that were once abandoned pasture in the early 1900s were planted with trees in the 1950s. The area is now maturing pine and hardwood trees.

The Gaddis Farms routinely removes manure from concentrated feeding areas. The manure is hauled to areas on the farm that can benefit from the nutrients. It is spread using a bulldozer on areas where it can benefit not only fertility but also can help in erosion control.

Gaddis Farms has implemented several management programs on the farm to provide a synergy between production agriculture and the environment. These include such practices as incorporating grass strips into the row crop operation based on the erosion factor of the soil and crop rotation.

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See this winner's informational factsheet and reproducible images.

Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.