The Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District honored a number in the farming community for their promotion of conservation practices at the 81st Annual Meeting held last week.
The Conservation Teacher of the Year is Centralia High School Teacher and FFA Sponsor Mehgan English, who noted in all her years of teaching this was her first award.
“I do really enjoy ag, working with FFA and all of my students. I think it’s great to teach them, whether it’s about animals, crops, soil and water conservation, I think it’s all important. My goal as a teacher is that they know where their food and clothing and everything is coming from besides going to Wal-Mart.”
The Cooperator of the Year Award was presented to Kaskaskia College instructor Bill Waggoner who is also a first-generation farmer with a 250-acre farm.
“Soil conservation is a key element I teach at Kaskaskia College, just because we’ve got to take care of the ground, the land that we have, and leave it better for the next generation,” Waggoner said. “We need to treasure what we have.”
Waggoner is proud that the new Marion County District Conservationist Jonathon Wilkins is one of his students, with four others working for the USDA.
The Jacob ‘Jake’ Davis ‘Friend of Conservation’ award was presented to Terry Wyciskalla. He currently runs a soil testing service for Southern Illinois farmers after earlier teaching agriculture at SIU-Carbondale.
The Marion County Farm Family Award was presented to the Erin Donoho family of the Kell area. Erin’s two daughters Sierra and Sydney Donoho plan to continue to operate the farm after their dad retires. Sydney says her grandparents purchased the farm in 1956.
“I have the pleasure of farming alongside my dad, and I just feel that it is important as a younger person, especially a woman, that I get to be involved in agriculture and get to continue the family farm that my grandparents have started for us,” Donoho said. “I just hope that younger generations like me see the importance of farming and agriculture because there’s not many out there that do. As a whole family, we appreciate this and hope that people understand the importance of family farms and they don’t turn them into cities and neighborhoods.
The Donohos’ farm operates 1,750 acres rotating corn, soybean and wheat plantings along with hay and pasture for their cow-calf operation.
Fifth Grade Poster Contest Winners were also honored. Aspen Morris of Franklin Park took first place, Nyla Biggerstaff of Central City second and Ryker Lane of South Central third.
South Central High School’s FFA team was honored as the Land Use and Envirothon winners.
An election for Soil and Water Conservation board members was held. Tom Byers and Charles Thompson were re-elected while Owen Donoho was seated as a new board member to replace the retiring Ryan Kemp.
Mehgan English wins the Conservation Teacher of the Year Award. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Bill Waggoner receives the Cooperator of the Year Award. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Terry Wyciskalla receives the Jacob ‘Jake’ Davis ‘Friend of Conservation’ Award. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
