Herriman wins Prestigious Leopold Conservation Award

The Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society congratulates Scotty Herriman and his wife Jo for receiving the Leopold Conservation Award from the Sand County Foundation. The award celebrates outstanding conservation achievements by private land owners in the United States.

The Oklahoma Association of Districts honored the Herrimans at the OACD state meeting in Norman in February. You can read more about the Herriman’s story on the Leopold Foundation website. Below is an excerpt: 

The heart of [the Herriman’s] 2,000-acre farm in northeast Oklahoma sits along the Verdigris River. Fertile river bottom land was cleared and terraced for growing corn, soybeans, wheat and milo in the 1970s, and a riparian area was maintained to prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for wildlife.

It began raining on June 26, 2007, and five days later the Verdigris River crested over 30 feet. A broken levee flooded the Herriman’s home and deluged a local refinery, dumping 42,000 gallons of oil into the river. Everything along the float line turned black, and the flood washed away the topsoil the Herrimans had worked three decades to preserve.

Their farm was nearly decimated with just 13 acres of crops left to harvest. That was followed by poor crop yields in 2008. Scotty says he was pushed to consider changing how he farmed.

Inspired by other farmers having success with reduced tillage, in 2010 he adopted no-till soybeans and strip-till corn. In addition to time savings and less equipment maintenance, Scotty noticed positive changes in his soil. The prior year’s plant-root channels that dig deep into the ground were improving soil infiltration and creating a more stable and resilient soil structure. Future crops were less stressed by drought and pests due to increased crop vigor.

The Leopold Foundation produced an excellent video about the Herriman’s which is embeded below.

Scotty Herriman is a Founding Member of the Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society. He served two terms as Area 3 Commissioner on the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.  He is Past President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts and was a graduate of the first OACD Conservation Leadership Class.  He has championed conservation in his farming career and mentored many folks around the state in conservation matters.  The Oklahoma Conservation Historical Society is proud to have Scotty Herriman as a member and proud of the conservation work he has done on his farm and the lifetime commitment he has had in promoting conservation in Oklahoma.