Kowalski, Love Farms Earn Earth Steward Awards From Conservation Service
By Amy Polk

Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Coordinator Christine Perreault (far left) gives Earth Steward awards, plaques, certificates, and signs to Rudyard farmers (from left) Joan and Mike Kowalski, and Tina and Bob Love at the Chippewa/East Mackinac Conservation District annual meeting January 31.

While many farmers work hard to conserve land quality, often without any recognition of their good work, two Rudyard families, the Kowalskis and the Loves, both of Rudyard, have become the first farmers in the Eastern Upper Peninsula to receive Earth Steward awards, announced Will Bomier of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) rewards farmers working to minimize or eliminate pollution of land and water, the Kowalskis and Loves join 365 other farmers who have been verified through the Environmental Assurance Program.

At a time when the news seems filled with stories of large-scale, commercial farms creating pollution, Eastern Upper Peninsula farms lean in the other direction, Mr. Bomier said, speaking at the Chippewa/East Mackinac Conservation District January 31 annual meeting. Many farmers manage their property for the benefit of wildlife, soil preservation, and water quality, he pointed out.

Joan and Mike Kowalski operate a cow and calf operation at their Lazy K Farm, which they have owned for 18 years. Mr. Kowalski is a licensed crop insurance adjuster and has farmed all his life. The Kowalskis have been active in the Eastern Upper Peninsula farming community for several years.

Among the reasons they qualified for verification, the Kowalskis moved their livestock fencing away from their water well to keep livestock, a potential contamination source, further from the property's water source. They also moved oil, chemical materials, and other contaminants further from their well, said Christine Perreault, local Michigan Groundwater Stewardship coordinator who also assisted the Rudyard farmers with their Farmstead and Cropping verifications. Mr. Bomier is working with them on the Livestock Verification.

Tina and Bob Love and their two children, Bobbie Ann and James, operate a 600-acre farm. Mr. Love is on the Chippewa County Farm Bureau Board, while Mrs. Love serves as the Conservation District's secretary. The Loves also operate a meat processing business in Rudyard.

At their farm, they have installed fencing over the past 10 years to encourage intensive grazing, which rotates livestock grazing pressure from one section of the field to another. They have also improved the land for grazing, amending the soil and planting grasses. They have built stream crossings allowing livestock to move from one field to another without tramping through the streams and polluting the water.

Both families accepted the Earth Steward awards, verification plaques, signs, and congratulations from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Conservation District at the annual meeting. The signs they receive can be posted at their farm to make the public aware of their efforts.

"It really is about recognizing the good things you guys are already doing on your land," Mr. Bomier said.

Farmers can be verified in three areas, including livestock, farmstead, and cropping, through the Environmental Assurance Program. The Kowalskis and Loves each received Farmstead and Cropping verifications. Farmers must meet different environmental quality recommendations for each of the areas, Mr. Bomier said. Each area focuses on a different part of the farming operation. Afarmer may opt to use fewer pesticides on hay ground, for instance, to minimize pollution on the land. Livestock operators may choose to control odors created by their farm through longterm manure storage, or some other method.

Verification is a three-step process, Mr. Bomier said, and includes evaluating a farm to find areas to improve. Farmers will then work with resources professionals like Mr. Bomier and Ms. Perreault to create a plan to follow the recommendations. Farms that follow the recommended actions will get verified.

"When I worked with Tina and Bob (Love), most of the planning was done around a kitchen table, and that took about two hours," Mr. Bomier said. "But implementing might take two years. That's the hard part."

The rewards are better ground and surface water quality, less soil erosion, better plant health and productivity, and improved wildlife habitat, he said.

Earning verification, he added, is simply "like the gold stamp that says you have met all the requirements of protecting and improving natural resources."

Any farmer who wants to enroll in the Environmental Assurance Program should call Christine Perreault at (906) 635- 2136. MAEAP is a voluntary program, and enrollment does not obligate the farmer to do anything.