Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tom and Mimi Sidwell pose at their JX Ranch south of Tucumcari. JX Ranch is a semifinalist for the 2021 New Mexico Leopold Conservation Award.
A Quay County ranch has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2021 New Mexico Leopold Conservation Award.
Given in honor of conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working lands.
The Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust give the Leopold Award to private landowners in 22 states for achievement in voluntary conservation. In New Mexico, the award is presented with New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, Quivira Coalition and New Mexico Coalition to Enhance Working Lands.
JX Ranch of rural Tucumcari is one of the finalists. Owners Tom and Mimi Sidwell have adopted grazing practices that create a resilient landscape and mitigate drought.
According to a news release from the Sand County Foundation, the Sidwells' efforts have increased ground cover, which means more forage for livestock and wildlife, and less sediment in the air and water. It also pulls carbon out of the atmosphere and increases soil's ability to infiltrate and store water.
The other finalist is the Ute Creek Cattle Company in Harding County. Tuda Libby Crews and husband Jack revitalized their ranchland by removing invasive species and adopting a rest and rotation grazing system for their beef cattle. They've improved wildlife habitat by restricting grazing on six miles of riparian area and established a 23-acre sanctuary dedicated to imperiled shortgrass prairie birds in 2014.
The award recipient will be recognized at an event this fall. The winner will receive a $10,000 award and the conservation success found on their farm, ranch or forest will be featured in a professional video.
"Recipients of this award are real life examples of conservation-minded agriculture," said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation president and CEO. "These hard-working families are essential to our environment, food system and rural economy."
The Leopold Conservation Award is given to farmers, ranchers and forestland owners across the U.S. in honor of Leopold, whose influential 1949 book, "A Sand County Almanac," called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
