Jim Hershey of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, has received the 2025 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award, one of the state’s highest honors for agricultural conservation. Presented by the Sand County Foundation, the award recognizes farmers who demonstrate exceptional stewardship of soil, water, and wildlife habitat.
Jim’s conservation journey began during the farm crisis of the 1980s, when financial pressure led him to try no-till farming to save time and fuel. Over time, that decision grew into a comprehensive, whole-farm approach to land stewardship.
“All of the components — the soil, the water, the livestock, the crops — it’s a whole system approach,” Jim said.
Today, Jim and his family farm 500 acres using no-till practices, diverse cover crops, and riparian buffers that help keep soil and nutrients on the field and out of nearby streams. The results are visible on the land — and in the water. Clear streams and the return of sensitive aquatic insects signal improving ecosystem health.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding described Jim as “a living, breathing textbook on how conservation practices can make a farm sustainable for the long run,” noting his commitment to sharing knowledge with others.
Beyond his own farm, Jim serves as president of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance and as a member of the State Conservation Commission, helping bridge the gap between farmers, researchers, and policymakers.
As Lamonte Garber, Stroud Water Research Center watershed restoration coordinator, noted, “There is no more effective way to communicate to farmers than through other farmers they respect.”
Jim Hershey’s leadership shows how conservation and agriculture can thrive together — and why his work exemplifies the spirit of the Leopold Conservation Award.
