Eric Weber Receives the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award

07-01-2021 in Good Farm Neighbor

Secretary Naig awards Audubon County family for leadership in agriculture

DES MOINES, Iowa (July 1, 2021) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to Audubon County farmer, Eric Weber, and his family today at the Audubon Recreation Center in Audubon, Iowa.

“I want to congratulate the Weber family for receiving the Good Farm Neighbor award and thank them for being good stewards of our land and livestock,” said Secretary Naig.

JEM Investments, LLC, Eric’s custom hog finishing company, is committed to animal husbandry best practices and environmental stewardship. The company monitors air quality and barn temperature and makes sure their animals have adequate nutrition and regular checkups.

Eric also assists his father, Mike Weber, in farming corn and soybeans. The Weber family models exceptional environmental stewardship practices on their operation. They utilize no-till to improve soil health and rotate their corn and soybean acres. They oversee Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to grow native grasses and implement terraces, filter strips and grass waterways to reduce erosion. In addition, they follow a farm manure management plan to use the hog manure as a fertilizer and regularly test soil samples to maintain nutrient levels.

The Weber family was nominated by Nick Smith, director of growing and finishing at AMVC Management Services. Smith noted that “Eric does a great job raising the pigs placed under his care.”

Eric stays active in the Audubon community by volunteering as a youth basketball and baseball coach. Aside from serving as a board member for Audubon County Pheasants Forever, he also regularly assists with the True Impact Outdoors program helping disabled veterans, first responders and troubled youth become involved in outdoor recreational activities.

The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible thanks to financial support from the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. This award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment, their livestock and being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

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About the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Led by Secretary Mike Naig, the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship serves the rural and urban residents that call Iowa home. Through its 12 diverse bureaus, the Department ensures animal health, food safety and consumer protection. It also promotes conservation efforts to preserve our land for the next generation. Learn more at iowaagriculture.gov.

Media Contact:
Keely Coppess
Communications Director
(515) 326-1616
Keely.Coppess@IowaAgriculture.gov

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