Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award®.
The award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In Minnesota, the $10,000 award is presented with the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition and Soil Regen.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others to consider conservation opportunities on their land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Award nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may apply themselves. The nomination form can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.
The nomination deadline is July 1, 2025. Nominations must be emailed to MinnesotaLCA@sandcountyfoundation.org.
Nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of Minnesota agricultural and conservation leaders. Last year’s inaugural recipients were Dawn and Grant Breitkreutz of Redwood Falls.
2024 Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award winners Dawn & Grant Breitkreutz
“Soil Regen believes that the foundation of ag starts from the ground up,” said Liz Haney of Soil Regen. “We are honored to support the many and varied conservationists celebrated with the Leopold Conservation Award. They are the true stewards of the land.”
“The Minnesota Soil Health Coalition is leading conservation through farmers helping other farmers. We are excited to see farmers honored for their good stewardship of the land,” said Mark Gutierrez, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition Executive Director.
“NRCS Minnesota supports the Leopold Conservation Award because it recognizes farmers, ranchers and forest owners who show a strong conservation commitment through action as stewards of working lands,” said Troy Daniell, State Conservationist.
“Leopold Conservation Award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”
“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the award recipients,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION inspires and empowers private landowners to ethically manage natural resources so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org
LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). www.
AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through its No Farms, No Food message. Since its founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families. www.farmland.org
MINNESOTA SOIL HEALTH COALITION works to reduce inputs and increase profits through farmer driven conservation and education. www.mnsoilhealth.
SOIL REGEN is a “farmer first” company focused on providing farmers, ranchers and the food and agricultural community education, consulting, and Regenerative Verification. By partnering with nature and utilizing holistic management practices we can improve producer profitability, human health, resilience to climate, carbon storage, water quality and quantity. www.agsoilregen.com
The Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award is made possible by the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Minnesota Soil Health Coalition, Soil Regen, Sand County Foundation, General Mills, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Audubon Minnesota, Minnesota Corn, Minnesota Ducks Unlimited, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation, Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council, Pheasants Forever, Renovo Seed, Saddle Butte Ag Inc., and The Nature Conservancy.
For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.