Recipients honored at Greene County Conservation District awards ceremony
A Greene County duo and an area native were recently honored by the county’s Conservation District for their outstanding commitment to soil and water conservation.
The Conservation District held this year’s annual awards ceremony on Dec. 15 at Valley View Farm in Waynesburg, where awards were presented to Gene Saurborn and Bobbi Bailey, owners of Buckshot Cattle Company, and Zachary Frye, a 2021 graduate of West Greene High School.
Saurborn and Bailey, whose company is located on Big Shannon Run Road, were honored as the 2021 Outstanding Cooperator of the Year.
In a release issued by the Conservation District, Director Lisa Snider said this award is given to local farms that have shown substantial improvements to their operations by committing to the use of conservation practices that are intended to improve soil and water quality.
Saurborn and Bailey’s farm is located in Perry and Whiteley townships and is nestled within both the Dunkard and Whiteley Creek Watersheds. The 202-acre farm, along with additional leased acreage, supports a cow-calf operation that consists of mainly Simmental and Angus breeds and a few horses, Snider said.
“The farming operation has implemented numerous federal, state and local programs and practices intended to improve soil and water quality,” said Snider. “Their years of implementing farming practices that protect our natural resources were leading factors in being selected for this award.”
Also at the ceremony, Frye was honored with the Outstanding Conservation FFA Speaking Award.
Snider said he was recognized for his outstanding speaking skills at the county speaking contest with his speech entitled “Energy: Preserve, Not Replace.” During the 2021 speaking contest year, he advanced through the county and area rounds and placed first in the regional Conservation Speaking contest.
This, she added, qualified Frye for the State Prepared Speaking Contest, making him the highest placing Conservation Speaker in the Greene County FFA programs.
Frye, the son of Chris and Danielle Frye of Holbrook, also enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a November 2021 graduate of USMC Parris Island boot camp.