“Mr. Jones is a very dedicated farmer and an outstanding conservationist too,” commented Deaderick. He also complimented Jones on his field borders saying that they are some of the best looking and most well maintained in the county. “I’ve seen a lot of field borders but Mr. Jones does an outstanding job keeping his mowed and maintained so that they can do their job,” he remarked. Field borders control erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and give Jones room to turn his equipment at the ends of planting rows. Jones admits that he wasn’t too sure about the field borders at first. “Doug told me about field borders and their benefits and I decided to try the. Once they were in place, I could see what he was talking about, and I try to keep them in good shape,” he said.

To illustrate just how motivated Jones is, he installed 2,700 feet of terraces on his land—with his own two hands and his own equipment. Under the Food Security Act in the early 1990’s, he chose to install the terraces to protect his highly erodible land.  The terraces, designed by Stone, served to shorten the slope length in his field and helped to slow erosion by diverting water. He is thankful that Deaderick told him about stripcropping, which is a similar practice but which allows more water to remain on the field. “In the midst of a drought, we need all the water we can get,” stressed Jones. Last spring Jones received cost-share to put in stripcropping on 20 acres of his land which he converted from idle land to cropland. Recently, Jones began native grass buffer strips in his corn fields. These strips, consisting of native plant species are beneficial for wildlife—something that Jones wants to protect. “Doug also told me about the buffer strip cropping system which was new to me, but it sounded like something that would benefit the wildlife, and I was glad to try it,” said Jones.

It is obvious that Jones is open minded and willing to try new conservation practices as long as they benefit his farm. He spoke highly of Deaderick and Stone and the assistance he received from NRCS saying, “I’ve enjoyed working with Doug and Tommy all these years, and I listen when they give me advice.” Likewise, Deaderick and Stone have a great respect for the conservation ethic of Jones. “Mr. Jones truly cares about soil and water quality and is always open to trying new ideas,” said Deaderick. This has helped him preserve his farm for future generations.

His conservation ethic doesn’t stop when he leaves his farm. Jones is the minority advisor to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee in Lexington and plays an active role in the farming community. He wants other farmers, of both big and small operations, to know that everyone can play a part in conserving natural resources. And that it is not only the right thing to do—it’s also a responsibility. “Farmers have to care about their land and do things to keep it healthy or it won’t be here in the future and then what would we do?” he asked.
Luckily, there are landowners like Jones who understand the necessity of conservation and serve as an excellent role model to future generations of farmers. “Mr. Jones’ success goes beyond crop yield or soil health,” confirmed Deaderick. “It’s his motivation that makes him a success—he is a conservationist for the land, not for financial incentive.”

And that is why Jones is still farming on the same farm where he grew up. He has a deep-rooted love for the land and for farming, and he feels a responsibility to protect it. So far, he has done an outstanding job and has no plans of stopping any time soon.