OHIO PRODUCER RECOGNIZED FOR CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENTS IN NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 

Contact: Christina Coulon, 614-255-2471

 Listed On National Web Site as Stellar Producer 

Columbus, OH, Feb. 12, 2008 – Scott Stoller and his family were recognized for their conservation commitment as part of a national conservation campaign recently launched by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),  said Terry Cosby State Conservationist for NRCS in Ohio.

 The Stollers are featured in the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s national campaign called “Conservation…Our Purpose. Our Passion.” Stoller joins eight landowners and their families nationwide who are being honored for stellar conservation achievements. They hail from Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington State.  The campaign’s educational outreach materials include a five-minute video, web site, exhibits, and a brochure.

 “This family demonstrates its commitment to conservation by voluntarily taking conservation actions that yield invaluable public benefits such as cleaner air, cleaner and more abundant water, and improved wildlife habitat,” said Cosby. 

On their farm in Sterling, Ohio, the Stollers serve as a wonderful example of producers who have chosen to farm with excellent conservation practices. Scott and Charlene Stoller and their seven children operate a 250-acre certified organic dairy farm where they raise corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, and alfalfa. They milk 90 Holsteins and market all of their milk through Organic Valley Co-op. 

Their initial conservation work began as they transitioned from a conventional to a rotational grazing system. They currently manage about 50 acres of permanent pasture, divided into 11 paddocks for grazing, to reduce mechanical harvesting and the need for manure spreading.   

They have utilized Farm Bill programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), to complete a number of best management practices such as: developing a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP); constructing a 250,000-gallon manure storage structure; installing fencing to keep cattle out of streams; practicing woodland management; and adding 7.5 acres of riparian buffers with approximately 3,700 trees through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  

They have also hosted numerous field days, tours, and pasture walks for other producers. Scott has commented, “We’ve been using cost-share programs pretty much since they first became available; the programs make things we wanted to do economically feasible.  We’re not done yet. We’re trying to improve daily and weekly.” 

Stoller is one of thousands of conservationists who make a difference on the nation’s landscape. To showcase the diversity of these conservationists, NRCS has developed a web-based, searchable database that contains additional information about the eight featured conservationists as well as hundreds of others. These compelling stories demonstrate the landowners’ passion for conservation and their ability to use USDA programs and services effectively to achieve their conservation goals. 

NRCS employees work with many partners throughout the United States to help accomplish the Agency’s mission of “Helping People Help the Land.” Because of significant contributions of partners such as soil and water conservation districts, other Federal agencies, State and local government, and volunteers, NRCS can honor these landowners for conserving natural resources on private lands. 

For more information about these model conservationists, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/ourpurpose/index.html.   For more information about USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service’s program and services in Ohio, visit www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov.

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