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Producer| Blog > Forbords Receive Conservation Award | |
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| Forbords Receive Conservation Award | March 04, 2008 |
| The Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS), comprised of wildlife professionals and enthusiasts from agencies, universities, and the private sector statewide, presented the following award at their annual meeting on Wednesday, February 6, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
CONSERVATION AWARD – Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord, Prairie Horizons Farm The Conservation Award has been presented since 1985 to an organization or institution that has shown an outstanding commitment to Minnesota’s resources. Past recipients include: MN Waterfowl Association, The Nature Conservancy, MN Sharp-tailed Grouse society, MN Prairie Chicken Society, MN Division of the Izaak Walton League, MN Conservation Federation, Nicollet Conservation Club, Rice Area Sportsmen’s Club, The Stearns County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, and The St Louis River Citizens Action Committee. Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord of Prairie Horizons Farm were nominated for their unwavering desire to change the Minnesota landscape through sustainable farming. Luverne and Mary Jo own and operate the 480-acre Prairie Horizons Farm in south central Pope County, the farm Luverne grew up on. They raise crops and cattle on their land, which is mostly grassland. They gave up their dairy cow herd about five years ago and planted much of their acreage to native grasses and alfalfa hay. They recently achieved organic status on their pasture and hay lands including a number of acres of native prairie. They cross-fenced the grasslands into small paddocks through which they rotate a cross breed of angus beef cattle, raising and finishing them entirely on grass. Prairie Horizons beef is processed less than 10 miles from the farm, so Forbords have calculated that they use only ½ a gallon of fossil fuel per animal produced, from calving to slaughter. The Forbords believe that prairies not only benefit wildlife but also can provide a viable and satisfying opportunity for rural communities to survive and thrive; their goal is not just sustainable farming or sustainable wildlife populations but sustainable communities as well. Part of their vision includes education and outreach. They have brought thousands of people to their farm to learn about grazing and farming in a sustainable manner. Mary Jo is the president of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota and a registered dietitian. She works to drive policy toward supporting sustainable farming practices in Minnesota as well as Washington, D.C. The organization also promotes locally and sustainably grown foods. Mary Jo and Luverne have been integral to the success of the Pope County Working Lands Initiative, which is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the local Soil and Water District, the Chippewa River Watershed Project and a number of other groups. The Working Lands Initiative (WLI) is designed to forge partnerships between agricultural producers and conservation advocates to implement conservation practices in a working agricultural landscape. The Pope County WLI just started implementing on-the-ground management activities this year and has already removed 112 acres of invasive trees on six different landowners’ properties and held Grazefest, a tour of three local grazing operations to learn more about grazing as a business and a conservation management tool. The last project for Pope WLI this year is the establishment of 40 acres of native grasses to be harvested for biomass and utilized for biomass establishment and marketing research. The Forbords will be converting 40 acres of row crop fields to native grasses. This involves a significant amount of risk since they will lose the farm subsidy benefits on this land long into the future because these acres will no longer have a cropping history. Research will take place on tonnage produced on diverse native ecotype seedings versus a more Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) like seeding with purple prairie clover as a nitrogen source. Tests will include the use of manure versus chemical fertilizer versus no fertilizer. Part of this project will be educating others. Field days are planned as education events for others who are interested in establishing grassland biomass as a crop on their farm. When a market for the biomass and money to do this project was not coming together, the Forbords pushed harder and found a market for their future crop. They also applied for and received a grant to fund the establishment costs for this project for two years. The Forbords have been hand-harvesting seed each year to slowly fill in a row crop field with native grasses and forbs from some of the native prairie near their home. They have also been managing the native prairie on their property which is not grazed, with fire. The entire family helped to cut trees before they began the grazing operation. They have since worked with Pope WLI, USFWS, and a private logger to remove nearly all of the invasive trees on their grasslands. Mary Jo and Luverne did this to conserve the prairie they love. This fall after trees were removed from some of the high quality native remnants on their farm, they saw fringed gentians for the first time. Their grassland work pays off for the birds as well; Prairie Horizons Farm is the most dependable spot in the county for a steady supply of singing meadowlarks. Mary Jo and Luverne have also opened their property to the Legislative and Citizens’ Commission on Minnesota’s Resources (LCCMR) for a tour about grazing, native grasslands, and sustainable farming. They hosted Grazefest the past two summers for people to learn about intensive, rotational grazing systems and sustainable farming. They allow research on their property to compare carbon storage on grazed grasslands versus corn fields. If they can learn something about prairies or grazing or teach others about sustainable farming or prairie conservation, Luverne and Mary Jo Forbord are involved in it. Mary Jo and Luverne Forbord are making an impact on the future of biomass energy and sustainable farming throughout Minnesota. It is a pleasure to rove their farm and hear bobolinks and meadowlarks singing in grasslands and native prairie on their farm. The Forbords are true prairie lovers and conservationist who are educating Minnesotans about the value of native grasslands for production agriculture, clean water, and wildlife benefits. | |
| posted by forbord1 | |
