James Vaughn was named the 2019 “Friend of Conservation” by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) at their Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet on February 5. This award “recognizes an individual, business or agency for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.” Mr. James Vaughn, owner and operator of Vaughn Farms, LP, was nominated for this esteemed honor by the Towaliga Conservation District and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts.
Based out of Forsyth, Georgia, Vaughn Farms is a family-owned and operated large scale cattle and forestry operation recognized for decades of farm conservation practices and sustainable development in Monroe County. The Vaughn family's decades-long partnership with the Towaliga Conservation District and the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has led to preserving the family farm for decades to come and continues to highlight the benefits of the Farm Bill on the local level to farmers and producers throughout the state of Georgia.
Mr. Vaughn gives a great deal of credit for his farm preservation and his knowledge of conservation to USDA-NRCS District Conservationist Carmen Westerfield out of the USDA Service Center in Barnesville, GA. Mrs. Westerfield has worked with Vaughn Farms for decades to design and implement longstanding conservation practices on his farm.
The Towaliga Conservation District has proudly served Butts, Fayette, Monroe, Pike, Spalding and Upson Counties since 1944, providing technical assistance, conservation education and community outreach to conserve the area’s natural resources for future generations. More information can be found at www.gacd.us/towaliga .
James Vaughn, NACD’s 2019 Friend of Conservation with Brent Van Dyke, NACD President.
Left to Right: GACD’s NACD Representative Danny Hogan, Beth and James Vaughn, NACD Past President John Redding & Levon Redding, GACD President Woody Snell