On Monday, October 10, The Piedmont Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) held its Annual Conservation of the Year Award Banquet at Rock Eagle. This Banquet recognizes local farmers within the Piedmont District for outstanding work improving and conserving Natural Resources on their farms throughout the year.
This year, Mr. William Middlebrook was awarded the 2022 Conservationist of the Year for Jones County by local County SWCD Supervisors, Mr. Hoyt Brown and Ricky Yarbrough.
Mr. William Middlerooks is a retired veteran. After serving in the U.S. military for 26 years, Mr. Middlebrooks wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to a passion he had harbored since childhood, farming.
Mr. Middlebrooks has owned and operated Middlebrooks Farm for the past ten years. Midddlebrooks Farm is made up of 114.2 acres, the majority of which is dedicated to his livestock operation. Mr.
Middlebrooks is currently running 50 head of cow/calf herd, and at any given time has around 120 goats on his farm.
With the increasing herd size and a need for improvements on his farm, Mr. Middlebrooks requested assistance from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Mr. Middlebrooks wanted to improve the erosion problems he was having on his farm, as well as stabilizing his soil quality and health. Mr.
Middlebrooks applied for one of the many programs NRCS offers, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and was approved. Through this program, NRCS was able to provide technical and financial assistance to install practices on Mr. Middlerooks farm.
With NRCS’s assistance, Middlebrooks Farm installed a Drilled Well with Pump and pipeline to ensure his livestock have a permanent watering source with several Mira-fount Trough and Heavy Use Pads.
NRCS also assisted with over-seeding some of his pastures to a cool season legume (Clover). Middlebrooks Farm believes in rotational grazing, so new paddocks have been installed by clearing or managing underbrush by performing brush management.
Middlebrooks Farm is a true steward of the land and serves as a model.
