Date:
7/11/2006 12:00:00 AM
Title:
Michigan Family Wins Top Environmental Award
For Immediate Release
Blight Farms is ESAP Region I Winner
Washington, D.C. (July 11, 2006) – Bill and Fran Blight of Blight Family Farms
in Albion, Michigan are one of seven Regional Winners in the 16th annual
Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award program recognizes
cattle operations that are proven stewards of the land, dedicated to natural
resource conservation through the use of innovative, cost effective stewardship
practices.
Located
in south central Michigan, Blight Family Farms was selected from entries
submitted within the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA)’s Region I,
which includes nine states from Kentucky to New York and were nominated by
Michigan State University Extension.
“The
Blights are proactive environmental stewards who are concerned about
conservation on their farm and make a continuous effort to assure future
generations understand the importance of good stewardship,” explains Stacey
Katseanes, coordinator of the program. “This family understands the bigger
picture and is dedicated to long-term land preservation efforts.”
The
Blight family operation spans three generations including Bill and Fran’s two
sons Art and Ken, their families, and their grandson Stan. The farm started
with 319 acres in 1965 and has grown into a diverse enterprise of 2,200 acres
today. The Blights feed 570 feeder steers every 6 months and have a farrow to
finish hog operation with 110 sows, turning out 1700 market hogs each year.
“After
many years of working to best manage runoff, much their cattle feeding operation
has been converted from dirt lots into open sided barns with sloped concrete
floors to eliminate outside runoff,” explains Katseanes. “Additionally, they
have planted grass filter strips and windbreaks to catch runoff from dirt lots
still in use.”
Their
environmentally friendly, no-till cropping system allows for more organic matter
to be left in the soil and the fields drain more efficiently during wet seasons
while maintaining a higher than normal water holding capacity for their area of
the state. The farm was recently given the highest stewardship standing in the
state, becoming Environmentally Assured through the Michigan Agriculture
Environmental Assurance Program.
The
Blight’s farm also includes 130 acres of forest land which had been over cut in
the past, and they are coordinating with a local forester to initiate
reforesting projects. In addition, the Blights are currently constructing a
five acre wildlife habitat area for game birds using native warm-season
grasses.
“There
is an abundance of wildlife surrounding the family farm, including ducks, geese,
deer, pheasant, coyotes and turkeys,” say the Blights.
The
family is extensively involved in community service and land use planning. They
work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to seek technical
assistance in planning and implementing windbreaks, conservation tillage,
nutrient and pesticide management, woodland improvement, filter strips and
animal waste management.
“Working with the Blights has always been a learning experience, as they
continue to come up with innovative ways to do things better,” says Daniel
Kesselring, past USDA-NRCS district conservationist.
Members
of the family have served in numerous associations and governing boards
including the Michigan Cattlemen’s board of directors, the Beef Industry
Commission and the Innovative Farmers of South Central Michigan. They are
active with their local 4-H clubs and lend their farm to cooperative research
and educational projects with Michigan State University.
“The
only way to continue thriving in agriculture is to recognize agriculture’s value
to our national economy and continue to make it a strong priority,” says Ken
Blight. “Land needs to be conserved by each farmer and policy must be
implemented to achieve this.”
The
Environmental Stewardship Award Program, now in its 16th year, is sponsored by
Dow AgroSciences LLC and USDA’s NRCS and is administered by NCBA. The 2006
National Winner will be selected from of the seven ESAP Regional Winners and
revealed at the 2007 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tennessee next
February. For additional information, contact NCBA’s Washington D.C. office at
202-347-0228.
~ visit our web site at
www.beefusa.org ~
The National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is the largest organization representing
America’s cattle industry. Initiated in 1898, NCBA is the industry leader in
education, influencing public policy to improve producer profitability and in
preserving the industry’s heritage and future. Efforts are made possible
through membership contributions. To join, contact NCBA at 1-866-BEEF-USA or
membership@beef.org.