Cass County
Soil Conservation District

District Partners News

2005 Achievement Winners

Steve and Lisa Eicoltz		Eicoltz Farm

Steve and Lisa Eicholtz of Fargo have been selected as the 2005 Achievement Winners from Cass County. Steve has planted trees on his acreage to best benefit the wildlife species in that part of the county. He also maintains a healthy riparian buffer along the Rush River. His desire to improve the site has increased the amount of waterfowl, range and game birds, and deer that reside in a quiet and picturesque environment. On one area of the quarter, he plants corn for a feed plot for the animals to assist in survival over winter.

Steve and Lisa were presented a 16 inch by 20 inch framed colored aerial photograph of their farm. A photo of the farm and a photo of the Eicholtzs' was shown on a large screen to approximately 600 conservationists attending the annual recognition banquet. A second photograph of the Eicholtz Farm will be placed in the traveling Soil Conservation Achievement Awards Program Exhibit where it will be displayed at the North Dakota State Fair, several agricultural shows and at many shopping centers for the next year. The photograph will then be removed from the exhibit and placed in the Cass County Soil Conservation District’s “Hall of Fame”.

The North Dakota Soil Conservation Achievement Awards Program has been recognizing farmers and ranchers who have made an outstanding effort to conserve their valuable soil resources since 1948. It is a statewide program with each of the 56 Soil Conservation Districts participating. The achievement awards program is the only program of its kind in the nation.

The North Dakota Soil Conservation Achievement Awards Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Newspaper Association, North Dakota State Soil Conservation Committee, North Dakota State University Extension Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and each soil conservation district.