A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION, Honoring Cronin Farms as the 2016 Leopold Conservation Award recipient.

    WHEREAS, the Leopold Conservation Award, named for renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, recognizes farm and ranch families who demonstrate outstanding conservation leadership on their land and in their communities, and a commitment to the health of South Dakota's natural resources is exemplified by Cronin Farms as the recipient of the 2016 Leopold Conservation Award; and

    WHEREAS, Cronin Farms was established in 1910 as a diverse-mix livestock and crop enterprise when Carl Cronin moved from Nebraska to South Dakota, and Cronin Farms considers innovation as critical to its success, taking a holistic approach to crop and livestock management, integrating technology and forage and cover crops into diverse crop rotations and improving nutrient cycling, soil health, and biological activity; and

    WHEREAS, the diverse wildlife population attracted to Cronin Farms adjacent to the Oahe Reservoir is supported through perennial grass and forb plantings and deferred use during critical nesting periods, and the family's work with South Dakota State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service enables agricultural leaders from around the world to visit and learn about soil health and plant performance techniques:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the Ninety-Second Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that Cronin Farms is recognized for earning the 2016 Leopold Conservation Award in South Dakota.

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100 copies of this document were printed by the South Dakota Legislative Research Council at a cost of $.161 per page.

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Insertions into existing statutes are indicated by underscores. Deletions from existing statutes are indicated by overstrikes.

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