Sponsored by John Deere, Pheasants Forever’s Precision Ag Farmer of the Year Award recognizes ingenuity in farming through the innovative use of precision ag technology and utilization of data to identify profitable solutions and target conservation practices for a sustainable future, for both agriculture and wildlife on working lands.
2020’s award recipient, Christof Just, along with his wife Kelli and their three children, run a farm and cow/calf operation 50 miles south of Jamestown, near Berlin, ND which has utilized precision agriculture technology to allow the family to become more profitable, while staying dedicated to the principles of soil health and conservation. After speaking with Pheasants Forever at a soil conservation demonstration in the summer of 2017, Just concluded the family operation – suffering from frequent flooding, a rising water table and an increase in salty soils – could benefit by collaborating with Pheasants Forever’s precision ag and conservation specialist to identify his chronically unprofitable cropland acres and find a viable conservation solution.
Pheasants Forever’s precision ag vision is to demonstrate through the use of technology and collaboration, farmers will increase their profitability while also providing benefits for soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat. Pheasants Forever launched a national partnership with
John Deere in 2018, who is interested in promoting wildlife habitat and finding innovative ways to help farmers, ranchers and landowners turn marginal, unproductive acres into more profitable wildlife habitat.