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Midkiffs win top soil and water award
OUTSTANDING COOPERATOR OF THE YEAR — James and Carolyn Midkiff accept
the top award of the Halifax Soil and Water District for 2007 during
Thursday night's 2007 annual banquet, held at Ernie's Restaurant, from
District Director Hudson Reese. (SOMcL photo)
Jimmy and Carolyn Midkiff were the winners of the 2007 Soil and Water
Conservation District's Outstanding Cooperator Award. The award which
has been presented since the 1960's was made by Director Hudson Reese
who was a former winner of the award as were several other members of
the audience at the Thursday night Awards Banquet held at Ernie's
Restaurant.
Halifax Soil and Water District vice chairman S. Baxter Wilson
presented the Virginia Clean Water Farm Award to Mr. and Mrs. William
Wooding of the Mercy Seat community. The award which was initiated by
Governor Gerald Baliles in 1986 is based on guidelines set by the
Department of Conservation and Recreation and focuses on the prevention
of runoff of chemicals into the water stream.
Betty and William Yates received the Stewardship Award from Associate
Director Bobby Hall , who noted that they used Best Management
Practices and crop roation to eliminate severe erosion and were
diligent caretakers of the land.
Shannon Lewis of the Forestry Service presented this year's Forestry
Award to the brother and sister team of Elise and David Farmer of
Vernon Hill. The pair, Lewis said, has been working successfully on the
farm which was left to them by their parents since 1968.
District Chairman Page Wilkerson presented the Wildlife Conservation
Award to Mr. and Mrs. Robbie Smith.
In addition to the conservation awards winners of the Wildlife Food
Patch Contest were recognized. In the Junior Division Ellen Crowder was
the first place winner of $50 while Ashley Barksdale was the second
place winner of $40. Cameron Reese won third place and $30 while
Zachary Chapell was fourth with a $20 prize and Heather Griles fifth
and a $10 prize.
Ecan Oven was the first place winner of $50 in the Senior Division and
Will Reese was second with a $40 prize. Trey Reese was third with a $30
prize, Hunter Martin fourth and a $20 prize and Justin Younger fifth
with a $10 prize.
Marc Puckett of the state Depoartment of Game and Inland Fisheries
quipped that he felt anybody who grew anything this past season
deserved a prize due to the drought.
Also on Thursday night those in attendance at the banquet heard a
reprot from three youth, Megan Rosche, Dylan Lowery and Graham Bryant,
about their participatiion at this year's Va Tech Young Camp. Bryant
told the group that the things he had learned at Conservation Camp
would apply for the rest of his life. Lowery described the fun of
canoing along the New River while Rosche told of the adventure of
hiking the Cascades.
The mission of the Halifax Soil and Water Conservation District is to
develop, to promote the proper use of and to protect the natural
resources of the Distric*t through programs of information, education
and technical assistance in cooperation with other agencies.