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| 2003 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture
Presentation at the Iowa State Fair |
 Diane, Dresden and Dave Petty |
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Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack presented one of the state's largest awards in sustainable agriculture to Hardin County beef producer David Petty, his wife Diane, and their daughter Dresden.
“The Petty family has invested a lot of time, energy and resources in doing things right,” said Vilsack, commenting about the many conservation practices employed in their operation.
“They have a true compassion and passion for the land,” Vilsack added. “They understand the challenges of farm families today; they have been creative and innovative in looking for ways to continue to be profitable and at the same time protecting the environment and being great stewards of the land.”
Leopold Center advisory board chair Jim Penney, who manages the Heart of Iowa Coop, said the Petty family is “an outstanding example of what it means to put sustainable agriculture to work.” He added that their success is important to the success of the Leopold Center.
“The Leopold Center’s success depends on people who are willing to take our research one step further – and adopt sustainable agricultural practices on their own farms and in their own communities,” Penney said. “They’ve invested in conservation for the long term.”
Also on hand for the presentation were Elaine Spencer and her brother Robert, who helped set up the award to honor their parents, who farmed near Sioux City for 40 years. She said her parents were committed to the land grant mission of Iowa State University.
“Our parents believed that as one of the oldest land grant universities in the nation, its mission was not only to educate young people, but also through its research, education and extension to make a major difference in the lives of Iowans,” she said. “The Leopold Center, by focusing its efforts on the preservation of sustainable agriculture and the family farm, carries out the fullest realization of that mission.”
She said they also were committed to sustainable agriculture and the family farm. “My parents believed that family farmers were the best possible foundation for decent, reliable communities, which formed the building blocks of a decent, enlightened greater society,” she said. “The Petty family’s work has epitomized that belief. They stand as an example that family farms can remain financially successful, while at the same time exercising the most enlightened stewardship.”
More about the Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture
Full text of comments by Jim Penney
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