Conservation Districts Honor Ag Commissioner at Annual Convention

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts has awarded the 2009 Tennessee Distinguished Service Award to Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens. Commissioner Givens received the honor at the 65th annual TACD Convention in Johnson City held Feb. 28-March 3, 2009.

In presenting the award, TACD President Barry Lake thanked the commissioner for making natural resources conservation a priority. “Commissioner Givens is a friend to conservation, and all Tennesseans are benefitting from the cost-share programs he administers at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.” 

Givens accepted the award on behalf of TDA employees and all the agriculture producers in Tennessee who take advantage of state and federal conservation programs. “I’m really honored to accept this award, and I’m glad to know that the Department of Agriculture is being recognized for its contributions to improving the soil and water resources of Tennessee,” said Givens. “We really value our partnership with TACD, NRCS, and all the county soil conservation districts that help make our programs successful.”

The TACD also awarded the 2009 Conservation Farmer of the Year Award to beef cattle farmer Austin Anderson. Mr. Anderson has served on the Coffee County Soil Conservation District Board for 46 years. He raises over 200 registered polled Hereford beef cattle and manages a commercial beef herd. His conservation practices include crop rotation, no-till farming, conservation buffers, rotational fencing, stream crossings, critical area planting, and pest and nutrient management. Mr. Anderson’s farm also serves as a Demonstration Farm for an Alternative Watering Systems tour. The Conservation Farmer of the Year Award is co-sponsored by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.

State Conservationist Kevin Brown, director of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Tennessee, says Mr. Anderson’s award is well-deserved. “Austin Anderson is constantly working toward profitable farming while being dedicated to the conservation of our natural resources. He’s proof that productivity and conservation go hand-in-hand.”

More than 300 farmers and conservationists attended the Johnson City meetings, making it the largest TACD convention in recent history. NRCS is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Source:  Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts, Danny Sells, Executive Director, 423-737-7667, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Perry Stevens, Public Affairs, 615-277-2533.  TACD is a nonprofit organization that represents local conservation districts, established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with landowners to help them manage and protect land and water resources.