Woody Guthrie sings, “This land is your land, and this land is my land” which takes on a different meaning to farmers.  

“From California to the New York island” farmers across the U.S. work diligently to care for their land.  

The Leopold Conservation Award celebrates farmers and forestland owners for their sustainable efforts.  

“It’s great to recognize people that are doing good things for the environment,” said Nancy Kavazanjian, who represents Wisconsin on the United Soybean Board. “The Leopold award recognizes how important natural areas, pollinators and native habitat are and it’s a great thing.” 

It recognizes those who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land. 

Kavazanjian was a runner up for the Leopold award in 2020-2021. In 2020 her farm was awarded the American Soybean Association Conservation Legacy Award. 

She recently sat on a panel at the “Innovations on the Land” symposium held by the Sand County Foundation for this award. This symposium focused on inspiring real-life conservation success stories and creative approaches to engaging the next generation in ethical land management.  

She spoke on the cover crops and prairie strips they plant on her farm.  

“What was neat about the symposium, was there were Leopold winners from so many states: California, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico and of course, Wisconsin, it’s great that they’ve really expanded the Leopold award to so many states,” Kavazanjian said.  

The award consists of $10,000 and a crystal award.  

This wasn’t Kavazanjian’s first time working with the Sand County Foundation. The foundation sponsored her local FFA chapter to plant pollinator plants in their greenhouse and on her farm.  

She continued saying that in Wisconsin, the Leopold award recognizes the importance of taking care of the soil and when there is soil that doesn’t support a crop, farmers do other things with it that can renew and protect the soil from erosion. 

“To have a group out there that’s recognizing people who are doing the right thing for the environment, is very admirable,” Kavazanjian said.  

On her farm they practice sustainability in a lot of areas. They have cover crops, prairie strips to prevent erosion, 15 acres of pollinator habitat and more sustainable practices. 

“Farming isn’t a one and done deal,” Kavazanjian said. “Farming is a lifetime commitment.  We know we’ve inherited this land from our ancestors, and we hope to pass it on to the next generation. Land is our most important resource… We take care of the land and the ground and the soil because that’s what makes us better farmers. If we have good healthy soil, we have good healthy crops.” 

As Guthrie sings, “This land was made for you and me.”