Congratulations to the 2018 Winners!

On March 1, 2018, farmers, practitioners and agribusiness professionals walked the green carpet to receive awards for their significant contributions to agricultural conservation in the Saginaw Bay watershed. More than 140 people attended the inaugural event, including leaders of The Nature Conservancy and agricultural industry.

Four of the award recipients--Wayne "Lee" Wackerle Jr., Chad Dzurka, Dan Ritter and Steve Tait--were selected from a pool of nominees submitted by their peers. The remaining awards were presented to professionals in agribusiness, agencies and conservation organizations for their enthusiastic support of key conservation programs. All recipients were selected by a committee with members from: Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Bureau, Michigan Agri-Business Association, Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, and the Delta Institute.

Click on an image or name below to watch a brief video for each awardee. 

​ Conservation Excellence Award: Agribusiness Chad Gruden, on behalf of J.J. Metz, Crop Productions Services-Linwood	​                  Conservation Excellence Award:                                     Practitioner                                                          Huron County Field Office
​ Conservation Excellence Award: Contributor Paul Sweeney, Ecosystem Services Exchange	​   Conservation Newcomer Award            Chad Dzurka, Dzurka Brothers Farms
​ Conservation Veteran Award Wayne "Lee" Wackerle Jr., Wackerle Farms	​   Conservation Innovation Award                        Dan Ritter, Ritter Farms
​ Conservation Impact Award Steve Tait, Tait Farms	​