2024 Fillmore County Outstanding Conservationists Carter and Abigail Lee – South Fork Cattle Company

Fillmore SWCD would like to recognize and congratulate Carter and Abigail Lee and their family of Rushford, Minn. The Lee family has been utilizing Federal dollars through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. (EQIP) and Root River One Watershed One Plan (RR1W1P) funding to establish pasture management by converting cropland and permanent pasture to a rotational grazing system, they have also been improving their forestland and addressing and removing invasive species. Their current cow/calf operation utilizing many sensitive features throughout the grazing system, which includes management of trout streams, highly erodible land and DNR grasslands. With their grazing system, this allows them to have green grass pastures for eight months of the year and then they switch to their season-long cover crop fields which helps give their pastures their needed resting period. With all their dedicated time and their willingness to promote conservation, Fillmore SWCD is honored to have the Lee family as our Conservationists of the Year.