Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds; Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig; Bruce Trautman, acting director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; and Jim Gulliford, regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, last week presented the 2018 Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards during the Iowa State Fair.

The awards recognize those who taken steps in their farming operations to serve as local leaders in environmental stewardship on their farms, utilizing a variety of techniques and best management practices. As environmental leaders, these farmers have adopted best management practices and incorporated environmental stewardship throughout their farming operations.

The 2018 Iowa Farm Environmental Leader awards winners are:

Doug and Jamie Bartels, Calhoun and Sac counties; Mark and Dee Batchelder, Appanoose, Lucas and Wayne counties; Gary and Wanda Bates, Chris Bates, Keokuk County; Baur Family Farms, Madison County,

Jim & Sylvia Berger, Carroll County; Joe Bormann & Val Weis Family, Emmett, Kellen and Calla, Kossuth and Humboldt counties; David & Jennifer Boswell, Humboldt, Story and Decatur counties; Larry and Bunny Buss, Harrison County; Eric & Jennifer Cherne, Scott & Sarah Cherne, Clayton and Delaware counties; Steve Copenhaver, Buchanan County; Donjan Swiss Inc., Sioux County; Heath Deyoung, Pocahontas, Palo Alto and Buena Vista counties; Jerome & Janet Dickson, Guthrie County; Twister Creek Partnership, Ben Dontje, Jim Dontje, Dale Dontje and spouses,  Winnebago County.

Aaron Easton, Plymouth County; Randy & Denise Eddy, Appanoose County; Don & Barb Eekhoff and Ryan & Lori Eekhoff, Hancock County; Rafter E Ranch LLC, Scott and Muscatine counties; Don & Chris Eyerly, Madison County; Dale & Sharon Fertig, Sac and Crawford counties; Flynn Family Farms, Story and Marshall counties; Mark & Justin Fraise Farms LLC, Lee County; Frederick Family Farm, Bill and Melissa Frederick, Al and Ann Frederick, Greene County.

Greg & Lori Gaskill, Shelby County; Tom and Kathy Goeken, Clay County; Hackman Farms, John and Sue Hackman, Winneshiek County; Roger & Kathleen Hawkins,  Sioux and Plymouth counties; Kevin Holl Farms Inc., Kevin D. and Debra S. Holl,  Marshall County.

Howell Farm Inc., Jim & Tom Howell, Louisa County; Maurice and Pam Johnson, Floyd and Mitchell counties; Curt and Missy Johnson, Taylor County; Brian Keehner, Clayton County; David and Jonathon Kiel, Sioux County.

 Roger & Elaine Kleve, Howard County; Dale & Lois Kraft, Wright County; Keith and Lorena Lain, Appanoose County; Lamis Farms Inc., Mark and Nancy Lamis, Wapello County; Lee Family Farms, Polk County.

Maas Farms, Stewart and Debra Maas, Jared and Abby Maas, Iowa and Poweshiek counties; Marsden Farms, Kent and Mike Marsden, Montgomery County; McBride Farms, Jerry McBride, Rick McBride, Kyle McBride, Ida and Woodbury counties.

 Dennis Messingham, Black Hawk County; Mark & Joleen Nechanicky and Adam & Lindsey Nechanicky, Tama County; Scott, Karen and Dylan Ness, Allamakee County; D G & Rosemary Partridge, Sac County; Clark Porter, Sharon Porter, Paul J. Porter, Audrey Porter, Grundy and Tama counties; BJR Farms, Crawford County; Virginia Reynolds, Clarke County, Randolph Schaefer, Dallas County; Schmitt Family Farm, Dubuque County; Travis and Linda Schulte, Iowa County

Dale & Lisa Siebrecht, Palo Alto County; Glenda, Jeremy and Josiah Sieren, Keokuk and Wapello counties; Silver Land Co., Polk County; Dennis & Debbie Sloth, Wright and Grundy counties; S & S Farms Inc., Tom, Mike, Mark and Ethan Smith, Buena Vista County; John Sobotka,  Pocahontas County; Thompson Farms, Mark, NancyAnn, Jackson and Juliet, Humboldt and Webster counties; Gene Tinker and Sharon Tinker,  Delaware County.

Thomas J. Vincent & Georgia M. Vincent, Dallas County; Watson Farms, Larry & Carol Watson, Harrison County; Wayson Family Farms, Benton and Tama counties; Charles R. Wearda, Franklin and Butler counties; Darrell Weems, Cass, Dallas and Carroll counties; Clark Whitaker, Henry and Van Buren counties; and Len Youngblut, Black Hawk and Tama counties.