LaGrange SWCD Honors Oesch, Yoder at Meeting
Published: Friday, March 17, 2023
Dennis Yoder of Middlebury and Reed Oesch of Howe were among the farmers honored during the annual LaGrange County Soil and Water Conservation District meeting March 2 in Honeyville.
Yoder was named Conservation Farmer of the Year. His farm is located along the main branch of the Little Elkhart River near the Forks community in western LaGrange County. Yoder employs cover crops, comprehensive nutrient management including livestock management, reduced and no-till cropping practices on his farm. Under the SWCD's 319 best management cost-share program in the Little Elkhart Watershed, Yoder installed over 1,700 feet of exclusion fence and a livestock watering access facility on his farm several years ago.
Oesch was named Young Farmer of the Year. A graduate of Westview High School, Oesch was active in soil judging, small engines and was a 4-H member. After high school, he attended Black Hawk College in Illinois, where he majored in ag business and ag production. He currently works for Co-Alliance, Howe, handling seed corn management as an area supervisor. He also raises steers and is planning to move his livestock operation to a larger feedlot this spring. He also raises seed corn and soybeans.
In other awards, the SWCD presented the River Friendly Farmer Award to Stan Miller of Pine Crest Farms Inc. Pine Crest Farms consists of 2,200 acres in western LaGrange and eastern Elkhart counties, in close proximity to the main branch of the Little Elkhart River. The farm is a corn-bean-seed corn rotation operation and a small hog operation. The Millers utilize cover crops extensively, filter strips, reduced and no-till crop practices. They are currently serving an unspecified term of Christian service with Baitoa Ministries in the Dominican Republic, a mission focusing on elder care.
Receiving the award on behalf of Pine Crest Farms was Will Darr, operator.
Steve Weideman and Ron Vaughn were honored as Conservation Cooperators of the Year. Weideman has served in various capacities on the Shipshewana Lake Assn. and the LaGrange County Lakes Council for many years. As part of those duties, he started regularly attending SWCD meetings, becoming an associate board supervisor several years ago. More recently, he took on the responsibility of remodeling the kitchen at ParGil Natural Resources Learning Center to make that facility more user friendly.
Vaughn began interacting with the LaGrange County SWCD in 2019 due to a high E. coli water quality concern that had been identified on Pretty Lake. Pulling together a partnership group including the LaGrange County commissioners, the LaGrange County Health Department, the LaGrange County Regional Utility District and the SWCD, Vaughn has pursued identifying the source of contamination and the solution to this problem unrelentingly for the past five years. He regularly attends SWCD board meetings as an associate board supervisor. He also works in the warmer months for conservation partner IDNR in helping monitor invasive insect populations in northern Indiana.
Todd Feenstra was the keynote speaker for the evening. He discussed "Measuring and Monitoring Irrigation Impacts to Earn Trust." Following his presentation, he was honored as the Environmental Educator of the Year.
Feenstra has been instrumental in the operation of two water quality related businesses, Tritium Inc, which has been in the business of installing monitoring wells to determine the effect of agricultural irrigation on water withdrawal and recharge rates for over 20 years in the Tri State (Indiana, Ohio, Michigan) area; and more recently, Midwest Water Stewards, which is a group of farmers and agribusinessmen who are driven to protect and preserve the water resources that make our area one of the most valuable and viable regions for agriculture in the world. Feenstra is a licensed, certified and professional geologist who has USGS training to carry on stream and groundwater analysis.
In supervisor elections, Scott Beecher took the oath of office, administered by Kevin Myers.
Pasture Walk hosts for 2022 were recognized. Among them were Dan and Leah Chupp of Jones, Mich. They were recognized as Graziers of the Year for 2022. The Chupps have hosted three pasture walks since 2010. They operate a rotational grazing dairy farm. Other Pasture Walk hosts were: Leroy and Kara Miller, LaGrange; Ezra and Ida Schrock, LaGrange; Vernon and Rachel Plank Borkholder; Kevin and Marlene Miller, Millersburg; and Kenneth and Pauline Imhoff, Tippecanoe.
In other awards, the SWCD recognized soil judging participants from 2022. The county soil judging contest was held Sept. 29, hosted by Kenny Miller on the Sue Emmert Farm near Topeka. Westview participated with junior and senior high teams; Prairie Heights and Central Noble participated with senior high teams.
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