COLUMBUS, OH –Long Farms operated by Bruce and Tod Long has a stewardship goal to leave the land and environment a better place than which they found it. Because of that commitment, they’ve been presented the 2008 Environmental Stewardship Award from the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC), the Ohio Corn Growers Association and the Ohio Soybean Association.

The Environmental Stewardship Program recognizes the many accomplishments made by family farmers to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC) coordinates the awards program while seven cooperating member organizations – Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, Ohio Dairy Producers Association, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association, Ohio Soybean Association and Ohio Corn Growers Association – sponsor the individual commodity awards along with Ohio’s Country Journal.


The Environmental Stewardship Awards program annually recognizes the outstanding accomplishments made by individual beef, dairy, pork, poultry, sheep and grain farmers in developing and implementing exemplary conservation and resource stewardship management practices.


The Longs of South Charleston represent the fourth and fifth generations that have farmed in the Long family. Throughout the 54 years, the Long Farm has been at their present location, as a diversified livestock and grain farm now it is strictly an 1800 acre corn and soybean farm.


The Long’s operation is at the headlands of the National Scenic River, the Little Miami, so they do their best to protect the watershed for their neighbors. The Longs have used grass waterways and extended an open drainage ditch. They have also embraced new technology such as grid soil sampling, variable rate and prescription chemical application in order to lighten the environmental footprint that they leave for the next generation.


“Each Environmental Stewardship Award winner has worked hard and smart to protect the resources entrusted in their care while at the same time ensuring productivity and profitability for their individual farming operations,” said Sandy Kuhn, OLC executive director. “That’s what stewardship is all about – faithfully developing and using gifts, talents and resources to realize the maximum possible return on the resources that have been entrusted in one’s care.”