A Hanley, Sask., area ranching couple has won the 2013 Environmental Stewardship Award from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
Allen and Lillian Patkau of Sandy Arrow Ranch were announced as recipients earlier today at the CCA semi-annual meeting in London, Ont. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 cheque and an engraved belt buckle.
Attention to soil health and ranch sustainability were cited as reasons for Sandy Arrow’s win. The Patkaus run a cow-calf operation and a rotational grazing system on the ranch, which is east of Hanley along the sand hills beside the South Saskatchewan River.
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“Sandy Arrow Ranch is the latest example of producers using innovation to overcome and enhance challenging environments to achieve beneficial and sustainable outcomes,” said CCA environment committee chair Lynn Grant in a news release.
“Saline soils are extremely difficult to deal with and the judges were impressed by the management practices the couple deployed to create productive land.”
Sandy Arrow Ranch was once considered broken farmland and its sandy soil was prone to erosion. Holistic management practices, including cross-fencing, defined watering areas and better manure control resulted in improved conditions.
