Sand County Foundation

The O'Toole family looks back over its storied history and to the future in this great profile.

This family at the reins of Ladder Ranch uses cutting-edge virtual fencing technology, which allows them to draw up new rotational grazing fields by drawing them out on their smartphones.

Learn more about the recipients of the 2014 Wyoming Leopold Conservation Award at

How Savery’s 145-Year-Old Ladder Ranch Is Beating The 'Third-Generation Curse’ Legacy ranches across Wyoming are folding, and many of those remaining struggle to survive the "third-generation curse." Then there's the historic…

Our team has been busy collecting silage samples during .

Our work with dairy farmers, Daybreak Fund & Agri-King Inc. examines the nutritional value and environmental benefits of growing diverse cover crops amid corn fields chopped for silage.

To learn more, visit https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/conservation/livestock/diversifying-silage-for-feed-quality

Scenic and sustainable are two ways to describe The Corse Farm Dairy, New England's 2026 recipient of the Leopold Conservation Award.

Learn more about this Vermont family's conservation success story at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2026/corse-dairy-farm-receives-new-england-leopold-conservation-award

Award made possible with support from American Farmland Trust, New England Forestry Foundation, Farm Credit East, ACA, Organic Valley, LandVest, American Farmland Trust - New England, UVM CALS, & Vermont Housing & Conservation Board.

Great insights from our 2020 recipients of the Colorado Leopold Conservation Award on utilizing virtual grazing technology to promote conservation.

The fundamentals of good management aren’t new. We’ve long followed a simple principle: “fast growth, fast moves; slow growth, slow moves,” adjusting how quickly we move cattle based on grass growth. Technology now allows us to put that principle into practice with greater precision and speed, while giving our pastures the most rest possible.

Read the full column from Amy and Toby Johnson at

Drought Survival: Lessons from Five Generations of Ranching We can’t control when it rains on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, but pairing a disciplined drought plan with virtual fencing has allowed us to double our pasture rest and protect our grass.

Learn more about conservation in agriculture! Are you a farmer or rancher between 18 and 35 years old in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, or Wisconsin?

Join one of Sand County Foundation's conservation learning groups based on your needs. Register at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/.../midwest-farmer-cohort

This opportunity is no cost to you thanks to Farm Credit, Cargill, Nutrien, and The Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation.

Meet the three farmer finalists for the Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award.

Each is improving soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on their working land: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2026/pennsylvania-leopold-conservation-award-finalists-selected

Award made possible with support from American Farmland Trust, The Heinz Endowments, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Horizon Farm Credit, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of Pennsylvania, Association of Conservation Districts, Inc., Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, Pennsylvania State Conservation Commisssion, Center for Beef Excellence, Center for Dairy Excellence, Center for Poultry & Livestock Excellence, and The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania.

Congrats to our colleague Eli Halverson on being selected for the 2027 class of the Soil and Water Conservation Society's Emerging Leaders Program.

Learn more at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2026/eli-halverson-accepted-into-an-international-emerging-leader-program

As a founder of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, Jim Hershey has long seen the importance of sharing his conservation story with other farmers.

Jim, who received last year's Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award, hosted a farm tour last week.

Watch this land steward's inspiring story at
https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/leopold-conservation-award-program/jim-hershey

Meet Maryland's finalists for the Leopold Conservation Award.

Each land steward is improving soil health, water quality, & wildlife habitat on their working land. Find out who they are at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/news/2026/maryland-leopold-conservation-award-finalists-selected