Jean Stewart received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award from the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) at their annual meeting on November 22, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program.

This award recognizes a PCM farmer who embodies the land stewardship ethic and farm conservation leadership that was modeled by the late Randy Stauffer. Special consideration is given to farmers who are on the leading edge of conservation technology, or those who work to share information to other farmers, leaders, and beyond.

Stewart has been farming in Vermillion County for 56 years and has been on the forefront of farm conservation efforts since the early 1980’s. He was one of the first to try no-till planters, and after two years of experimenting he moved to 100% no-till farming. Recently, Stewart no-tilled for his 36^th season. These early efforts did not go unnoticed; Jean was recognized by his local SWCD as the “Outstanding Cooperator of the Year” in 1984, and “Conservation Farm Family of the Year” in 1988. 

No-till was just the beginning of his conservation journey. Stewart was also an early adopter of cover crops and is a pioneer in terms of experimenting with the most economically viable nitrogen rates on corn. With a deep focus on soil health, he weathered the learning curve when adopting these systems and remained dedicated despite challenges.

Jean has dedicated his entire farming career to conserving the resources in his care and maximizing his returns through economically sound management while doing so. This is the epitome of what we strive to impart on our farmer cooperators in PCM. We applaud his approach to farming, and believe Jean embodies the qualities Randy Stauffer spent his career helping farmers work towards. We are honored to present him with this inaugural award!

Greg Goodwin, Director of PCM