Washington, D.C. – Carl Hoverson of Hoverson Farms in Larimore, N.D., was named the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Environmental Stewardship Award presented at the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2014 Annual Meeting, held January 10-11, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas.
The annual award is a component of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, a partnership between NPC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to protect the environment and promote the safe and effective use of pesticides.
Hoverson Farms is a family farm and an example of large-scale, capital-intensive farming that is both economically and environmentally sustainable — enhancing the environment, protecting the resource base, and producing high-quality potatoes.
“As a larger farm, we can spend more time and resources trying to be better stewards of the land,” said Hoverson. “With my operation, it gives me time to be aware of what we can do to make the whole situation better by planning and implementing these stewardship plans, and that’s what it is all about.”
Hoverson Farms was recognized for its outstanding achievement in reducing the risk of pesticides on the farm without compromising potato yield or quality. The tools of precision agriculture – such as GPS – make it possible for the farm to be more efficient with fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation. Additionally, pesticides are used sparingly, sometimes just on the edges of fields, chemistries are rotated to avoid pest resistance, and the farm is transitioning to slow-release encapsulated fertilizer.
The fifth generation family farm started raising potatoes in 1982 in response to the farm crisis in the early 1980s that depressed other commodity prices. In addition to Carl, the family operation is managed by his sons Mike, who handles the farm’s agronomy, and Casey, who manages its irrigation.
A video of Hoverson Farms’ sustainability practices was created through the generous sponsorship of DuPont Crop Protection. Each year, videos of Environmental Stewardship Award winners are used by schools, agricultural organizations, and civic groups to demonstrate the potato industry’s commitment to sound environmental stewardship.
The video is available online at http://www.youtube.com/NatlPotatoCouncil. Complimentary DVD copies are available by emailing spudinfo@nationalpotatocouncil.org.
The deadline to submit nominations for NPC’s 2014 Environmental Stewardship Award is March 15. The selection will be made by the NPC Executive Committee and presented at the 2015 NPC Annual Meeting. For more information, contact spudinfo@nationalpotatocouncil.org or (202) 682-9456.
The National Potato Council is the advocate for the economic well-being of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues. NPC supports the U.S. potato industry by monitoring issues affecting the strength and viability of the potato industry, influencing regulators and legislators on issues crucial to the industry's long term success, ensuring fair market access for potatoes and potato products, and bringing the unique issues and interests of diverse growing regions in the U.S. together on a national level.
Source: The National Potato Council
