Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District recognized four local farms with Clean Water Farm Awards at the winter awards banquet in Fincastle. Ginny and Will Barkett and Greg and Barbara Teets were the Botetourt County award winners. Jeannette Kremer and Graylen Alley were the Craig County winners.
“Due to several factors, we weren’t able to recognize the 2022 Clean Water Farm Award winners last year, so it was great to recognize four very deserving farms on the same night,” said Dan Naff of Mountain Castles SWCD. Each year, the conservation district recognizes farmers who have demonstrated a commitment to conservation through Best Management practices such as livestock stream exclusion, rotational grazing, and planting cover crops.
Mountain Castles also recognized Beth Wiegandt of Camp Bethel’s Your Outdoor Classroom as the district’s Educator of the Year. “Beth has been an instrumental part of our outdoor program over the years, particularly our seventh grade canoeing program,” said Tim Miller, district coordinator. “We knew from the beginning that if we wanted to provide an experience on the James River for every Botetourt County student, then Beth was the person to do that safely and with passion.”
The district also premiered a new video highlighting local farmers. The video was directed by Jess Wiegandt, a graduate of Lord Botetourt High School. “We need to do a better job of storytelling instead of just bombarding people with facts,” said Miller. “We’re thrilled with the way it turned out.”
The link to the six-minute video can be found at https://www.mountaincastles.org/.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
