Cass County
Soil Conservation District

District Partners News

2007 Achievement Winners

Walter and Pearl Richtsmeier		Richtsmeier Farm

Walter and Pearl Richtsmeier of Galesburg, ND (rural Cass County) were selected as the districts 2007 Achievement Winners.

Walter and Pearl have been farming on the same farmstead for over 44 years and were chosen for their dedication and outstanding use of conservation practices on their farm including: crop rotation, crop residue management and field and farmstead windbreaks to control wind erosion. They manage their crop acreage by using minimum tillage practices to reduce the disturbance of the soil and lessen the number of of trips in the field. They have planted a large 8.5 acre wildlife windbreak next to their farmstead which includes a large number of fruit trees which will become their hobby when they retire. They have also installed new rows of trees to the farmstead as they are restoring some of the old ones.

Walter and Pearl received an expense paid trip to Bismarck, ND where they were presented a 16 inch by 20 inch colored and framed aerial photograph of their farm. A photo of the farm and a photo of the Richtsmeiers' was shown on a large screen to approximately 600 conservationists attending the annual recognition banquet. A second photograph of the Richtsmeier Farm was 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.