Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts

News Release

SPRINGFIELD, IL, July 30, 2007—The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD) hosted their 59th Annual Meeting and Illinois Land and Water Resources Conference held at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield, Illinois.

This award recognizes farmers in Illinois who do an outstanding job of implementing sustainable agriculture systems on their farm, as well as promoting the use of sustainable agriculture practices throughout Illinois and is sponsored by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

The winner of the 2007 R.J. Vollmer Sustainable Agriculture Farmer Award is Don and Enid Shepherd of Kirkland, Illinois in DeKalb County.  Don and Enid became involved in farming in 1993. The Shepherds’ were “looking for a change in lifestyle and wanted to try their hand at farming.” “Our major requirement was that this not become a money losing hobby,” says Don.

The Shepherd Farm consists of 81 acres. The cropland has been seeded to smooth brome grass and native grass filter strips to control erosion below the tolerable soil loss level.  They installed conservation practices such as terraces, waterways and windbreaks. Reduced rates of herbicides control weeds and an Integrated Pest Management approach is used for insect control on the farm.  

This sustainable farm includes a prosperous agritourism operation known as Shepherd’s Carriage Livery. They have 5 Belgian horses which are used to pull 2 carriages, a covered wagon and a bobsled for weddings, parades, reunions, funerals, and hay rides on 5 miles of established trails, which Enid grooms, that meander along the creeks, wildlife food plots and wetlands. The Shepherds’ “set our price and created value through image and direct marketing, and did it on our terms” according to Don. In addition, Don sells grass hay generated from excess forage not utilized by the horses.

-MORE-

Don has been doing on-farm trails/research with nitrogen rate studies on smooth brome grass.  He is a member of the Carriage Operators of North America (CONA) and the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council. They also host an annual CONA farm tour to promote the carriage industry and have hosted wildlife tours in cooperation with the DeKalb County SWCD.

Don and Enid believe “more and more folks who spend their lives in cubicles are craving the country. The future of agriculture depends upon urban folks coming to understand that the real pulse of our survival can only be found in the country. Not only does our operation pay for itself, it gives us the opportunity to share this message.”

###