LOUDONVILLE — A Loudonville farm family has earned statewide accolades.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture awarded Atterholt Farms the Conservation Farm Family Award for practicing exemplary efforts to conserve natural resources on its farmlands.
ODA presented the awards to the five winners on Sept. 19 at the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio.
Mike and Aaron Atterholt farm 720 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and graze 100 head of Angus cow/calf on 85.4 acres in Loudonville.
“Farmers are known for keeping conservation at the core of their operations, but these five families have dedicated their lives to conserving and preserving their land for the future,” Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge said in an ODA article.
The families each received $400 from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and are featured in the September issue of Ohio Farmer magazine.
Atterholt Farms won the award because of the following practices:
- 200 acres of cover crops
- Crop rotation
- 170 acres of conservation tillage
- 150 ft of access road
- 840 ft of fencing
- One watering facility
- 300 ft of pipeline
Mike said the access road and fencing helps to keep the cattle away from the stream that runs through his property. That is important because cattle manure can add excessive nutrients to water sources, which damages the water quality.
The watering facility includes a spring that feeds into two watering troughs for the cattle, which again keeps the cattle away from the stream.
“We appreciate the recognition. I don’t think we’re doing anything out of the ordinary,” Mike said.
Cover crops help prevent soil erosion, improve water infiltration and retain soil nutrients. Crop rotation also improves soil structure and helps the soil retain water.
Aaron said the brothers found out that they won the award in August.
“We’re trying to disturb the soil as little as possible,” Aaron said.
The brothers have farmed since they were kids, and their farmlands have been in the family for generations. Aaron lives on what used to be their grandparents’ farm and Mike lives on what used to be their great grandparents’ farm.
“We want to leave the land how we found it for the next generation,” Aaron said.
Both the brothers hope their kids will eventually take over the farms, which would make them the fifth generation of Atterholt farmers.
The brothers live a mile apart from each other, and both farm crops individually on their land, including soy beans, corn, wheat and hay. But they both manage the beef cattle.
The award also honors farms that host educational programs. Mandy Atterholt, Aaron’s wife, works for Certified Angus Beef as a beef community educator.
In her role, Mandy hosts brand partners, which includes food service partners, chefs, retailers and more, at Certified Angus Beef’s Culinary Center in Wooster, Ohio, to show them a cattle farm up close.
“So a lot of them work with beef, but so few of them have ever been on a farm,” Mandy said.
The partners tour the farm and learn about the day-to-day operations of a cattle farm. Mandy said partners come from all over the world to tour the farm, some even come with interpreters.