Each year, Headwaters Soil & Water Conservation District recognizes two local producers who demonstrate a strong conservation ethic on their operations.
The individuals have worked with the district to install Best Management Practices on their farms that reflect their exceptional commitment to improving water quality and protecting the soil.
For 2024, the district would like to congratulate Dennis Miller & family from Sunrise Farms in Greenville as the Shenandoah River Basin Virginia Clean Water Farm, and Tom Peters & family from Creekside Farm in Deerfield as the James River Basin Virginia Clean Water Farm.
Creekside Farm partnered with the district to install fencing along a section of the Hamilton Branch, which kept the livestock out of the stream, and added new watering systems in the pastures. Division fencing was also installed so that rotational grazing can be utilized for 20 cow/calf pairs and goats. Enhanced grazing and watering systems will enable Peters to use 48 acres to gaze livestock. The acres may also be used for hay production.
Sunrise Farms has 40 cow/calf pairs of beef cattle that rotationally graze 68 acres on their Greenville farm. The Millers use portable watering troughs so cattle have fresh grass while keeping waterways clean. The farm worked with Headwaters SWCD to exclude cattle from their streams, which are tributaries of the South River Watershed. By excluding livestock from the waterways, they have improved the soil and water quality. They have also increased rotational grazing and lowered farm inputs while protecting areas of environmental concern.
Both Sunrise Farms and Creekside Farm have proven their operations are excellent examples of how agricultural best management practices can help a farm in conserving the land’s natural resources for the next generation, as well as protecting the water quality of local streams and rivers.
Anyone interested in learning more about the conservation practices available through the Headwaters Soil & Water Conservation District should reach out to the office.
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Rebecca Barnabi
