Scotty and Jo Herriman of South Coffeyville have been selected as the recipients of the Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award.

The $10,000 award honors farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.

Having weathered droughts and the 1980s farm crisis, Scotty and Jo Herriman thought they knew the ups and downs of farming. Although agile in the face of adversity, nothing could have prepared them for a historic flood’s wrath.

The heart of their 2,000-acre farm in northeast Oklahoma sits along the Verdigris River. Fertile river bottom land was cleared and terraced for growing corn, soybeans, wheat and milo in the 1970s, and a riparian area was maintained to prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for wildlife.

It began raining on June 26, 2007, and five days later the Verdigris River crested over 30 feet. A broken levee flooded the Herriman’s home and deluged a local refinery, dumping 42,000 gallons of oil into the river. Everything along the float line turned black, and the flood washed away the topsoil the Herrimans had worked three decades to preserve.

Their farm was nearly decimated with just 13 acres of crops left to harvest. That was followed by poor crop yields in 2008. Scotty says he was pushed to consider changing how he farmed.

Inspired by other farmers having success with reduced tillage, in 2010 he adopted no-till soybeans and strip-till corn. In addition to time savings and less equipment maintenance, Scotty noticed positive changes in his soil. The prior year’s plant-root channels that dig deep into the ground were improving soil infiltration and creating a more stable and resilient soil structure. Future crops were less stressed by drought and pests due to increased crop vigor.

To reduce herbicide use, Scotty planted a cover crop of cereal rye in 2016. Cover crops suppress weeds and leave a mulch layer an inch thick, which further increases soil moisture retention and moderates the soil’s temperature. Today, he sells cereal rye seed to farmers for cover crops and has hosted many farm tours to showcase the soil health benefits of cover crops.

The Herriman Farm was also one site for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and American Farmland Trust’s “Soil Health Case Studies” in 2022. The study analyzed the financial impacts of conservation practices on 350 acres of the farm. It found the farm’s net income increased by $4 per acre, per year, achieving a 7 percent return on investment.

The Herrimans have been repeat winners in the National Corn Growers Association’s yield contest for dryland corn in Oklahoma. Other sources of pride for Scotty and Jo are their three grown sons, each with agricultural careers.

The Herrimans have always been willing to try innovative techniques, such as terracing, prescribed burning, and brush management. In 1978, they purchased land that included 26-acre Chouteau Lake, the largest lake in Nowata County. The land was full of scattered timber and had poor drainage. Three acres of large trees along the lake act as a riparian area and natural buffer. Several fishing clinics have been hosted at the lake that serves as a popular community resource.

Scotty’s passion for working with other conservation-minded people led the governor to appoint him to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission where he served for a decade, two years as chairman. He also served as president of the Oklahoma Soybean Association.

“Scotty is truly inspirational, full of wisdom and counsel, willing to share and gently guide those around him,” said Kevin Norton, a retired associate chief with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “He is absolutely the most humble, peaceful, and optimistic farmer I have ever encountered.”