The crowd at Agriculture Day at the Illinois State Fair Friday in Springfield.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture recognized several Soil & Water Conservation District Families Friday August 9 at Agriculture Day at the 2024 Illinois State Fair in Springfield.
Conservation Farm Family of the Year
Hobby Farms of Henderson County – 2024 Conservation Farm Family of the Year
Hobby Farms recognized during Agriculture Day at the State Fair.
Hobby Farms from Henderson County was named the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts’ 2024 Conservation Farm Family of the Year. The Hobby family operates a successful backgrounding cattle facility, feeding two turns of 400 calves per year to approximately 650 pounds. Over the past five years, Travis Hobby has significantly enhanced their farms’ environmental sustainability with the support of EQIP funds. These improvements include constructing a waste storage facility, an animal mortality facility, a roof runoff structure, and closing four open feedlots. Additionally, they have implemented numerous supporting practices such as underground outlets, subsurface drains, and nutrient management on 394 acres, with manure now strip-tilled to maximize crop nutrient use. The Hobbys adopted no-till in the 1980s, strip-till in the 1990s, and now use cover crops to combat soil erosion and provide cattle feed.
Beyond their farming innovations, the Hobbys are dedicated community members. Travis and Dave volunteer with the LaHarp Fire Department, and Susan has been a school secretary for 28 years. They actively participate in the Hancock County Cattleman’s Association, ABBI, and PBR. Their conservation efforts and community involvement earned them recognition as the Henderson County SWCD Conservation Farm Family of 2023.
Dave and Susan Hobby with IDOA Director Jerry Costello II.
Dave and Susan Hobby with Tom Beyers, immediate past president of the AISWCD, and Shannon Pence from Henderson SWCD.
Dave and Susan Hobby during Agriculture Day at the Illinois State Fair.
Woody Woodruff Conservation Award
The Illinois Stewardship Alliance announced Cliff Schuette of Schuette Signature Beef and Schuette Seeds in Breeze as the recipient of the Woody Woodruff Conservation Award. This award, named in memory of Robert “Woody” Woodruff, a beloved conservation leader and Alliance staff member who passed away after battling cancer in 2020, honors a farmer who embodies Woody’s passion for soil, water, and community. Cliff Schuette serves as treasurer of the Clinton County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Cliff Schuette has been farming regeneratively for over two decades. He joined the Alliance’s Soil Health Farmer Caucus, believing that healthy soil is one of the greatest legacies we can pass down to future generations. Much like Woody, Cliff understands that the mission of soil conservation extends beyond the farm. Cliff’s dedication to conservation is evident in his participation in various groups and boards. He is actively involved with the Soil Health Farmer Caucus, advocacy days at the capitol, his county Farm Bureau and Soil & Water Conservation District, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, among others. His well-rounded perspective is invaluable to the conservation community.
As a friend and mentor to many, Cliff taps into his passion for conservation, encouraging others to nurture the soil and recognize the power beneath our feet. He firmly believe in the importance of knowledge sharing and mentoring as powerful tools to expand regenerative farming practices in Illinois and beyond.
Cliff Schuette’s leadership, stewardship, and willingness to mentor farmers of all scales make him a true conservation hero. His contributions to regenerative farming and soil health exemplify the spirit of the Woody Woodruff Conservation Award.
Cliff Schuette with IDOA Director Jerry Costello II at the State Fair.
Cliff Schuette recognized at the State Fair.
Illinois Leopold Conservation Award
