Overton County Soil and Water District will host an annual awards banquet Thursday to honor farmers across the county.
District Conservationist Robert Halfacre said the District Board of Supervisors partnered with the Livingston Field Office to bring the awards banquet to the county for many years. Halfacre said they try to spotlight the hard work that county land owners and farmers complete throughout the year.
“So the Annual Soil and Water Conservation Board’s Banquet is meant to honor the individuals, both landowners and land users that made strides in their conservation efforts to promote soil and water conservation on their land throughout that year,” Halfacre said.
Awards exist in areas such as forestry and wildlife, and the biggest, the Master Conservationist of the Year. Halfacre said there are multiple categories, and each have gifts and awards such as signs, plaques or jackets. Halfacre said these are small tokens of appreciation for the work they have done for the county.
“So I feel like it’s important to, maybe today as much of a time as any, when agriculture is maybe scrutinized or possibly not as understood throughout the general public, I think it’s important to showcase the efforts that these individuals have chosen to make by participating with us to promote these actions on their land,” Halfacre said.
Agriculture is one of the largest enterprises in the sector for the county. Halfacre said it’s important to showcase the efforts these agricultural professionals are demonstrating to both produce and conserve. Halfacre said production and conservation can come together to promote the working land and strides to protect it.
“Anytime that we can showcase the voluntary work to solve some of these natural resource issues through a voluntary measure of conservation on the behalf of the participant,” Halfacre said. “I think it is certainty time well spent and an effort that we should make each and every year.”