Wisconsin Conservation Specialist Receives Top NRCS Award

MADISON, Wis., May, 16, 2006—U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight today presented the 2006 Excellence in Conservation Award to Paul Daigle of Marathon County during Wisconsin’s “2006 Year of the Soil” event at the state Capitol.

“Paul has made a tremendous contribution to conservation by protecting the soil, keeping nutrients on the pastures, and keeping families on the farms in Wisconsin,” said Knight. “His outstanding commitment to grazing land conservation demonstrates his love of the land and serves as a testament to the spirit of this award.”

NRCS honored Daigle of Wausau for his extensive work in managed grazing. As a conservation specialist for the Marathon County Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department for 15 years, he has assisted farmers in Lincoln and Marathon counties to plan, design and carry out conservation practices to reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff on private agricultural land. Though Daigle focuses on grazing, he encourages farmers to treat all the natural resource concerns on their farm—wetlands, streams, woodlands and croplands. He has spent most of his career helping farmers develop grazing plans, increasing the use of no-till drills on pastureland, and holding numerous educational pasture walks and annual winter conferences to teach farmers about good grazing practices. Nearly 200 farmers now practice managed grazing in Lincoln and Marathon counties compared with six farmers in 1993. Daigle also helped to create an “Incubator Farm Program” that will link beginning farmers interested in grazing with retiring farmers who practice grazing.

Daigle also practices good conservation on his family farm. He and his six brothers have planted more than 60,000 trees on the 340 acres of forestland they own in Tomahawk.

NRCS began the Excellence in Conservation Award five years ago to recognize the voluntary contributions of non-governmental individuals, groups and tribes toward conserving natural resources on private land. NRCS presents the award annually to those who have furthered conservation in all four categories—program delivery, technology transfer, outreach and communications.

Additional information on the Excellence in Conservation Award can be found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/partners/excellence2006.html.

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