H*4707 Resolution, By Weeks, G. Brown, G.M. Smith and J. Young
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO COMMEND OWNERS AND EMPLOYEES OF H. C. EDENS JR. AND SONS
 FARM IN SUMTER COUNTY FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO PRESERVE OUR STATE'S RICH SOIL AND
 FARMING HERITAGE AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON BEING NAMED THE STATE'S
 CONSERVATIONIST FARMER OF THE YEAR.

   02/12/02  House  Introduced and adopted HJ-9

TO COMMEND OWNERS AND EMPLOYEES OF H. C. EDENS JR. AND SONS FARM IN SUMTER COUNTY FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO PRESERVE OUR STATE'S RICH SOIL AND FARMING HERITAGE AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON BEING NAMED THE STATE'S CONSERVATIONIST FARMER OF THE YEAR.

Whereas, H.C. Edens Jr. and Sons Farm in Sumter County has been named the state's Conservation Farmer of the Year, an award given by the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts; and

Whereas, Edens Farm is owned and operated by seventy-seven-year-old H.C. "Curt" Edens, Jr., and his sons, Charles, Hank, and Mark, and the farm consists of eight turkey houses and twenty-three hundred acres of cotton, corn, and peanuts near Dalzell, South Carolina; and

Whereas, farming is an Edens' family tradition that dates back to the early 1900's, and except for the years they were off at college, the Edenses have spent all of their lives working on the farm; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts believes that the methods of conservation tillage adopted last year by Edens Farm may have prevented more than four thousand tons of soil from being washed away by rain or blown away by the wind; also the family's duck pond serves as a "high quality habitat" for waterfowl and other species; and

Whereas, the conservation tillage practiced at Edens Farm is considered more environmentally friendly and gentle on the land than conventional methods because it preserves moisture and the land's root system; it also saves farmers time, money, and fuel because it allows them to make fewer trips across their land; and

Whereas, officials with the state's forty-six conservation districts can nominate a candidate from their area for the Farmer of the Year award; however, a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service stated that it has been twelve years since a local farmer has received the honor; and

Whereas, the business of farming is as difficult now as it ever has been given modern weather trends and increasing competition from foreign producers; consequently, Edens Farm and others that employ agricultural innovations to preserve the land and make their operations more efficient are to be praised by all Americans. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, commend the owners and employees of H.C. Edens Jr. and Sons Farm in Sumter County for their efforts to preserve our state's rich soil and farming heritage and congratulate them on being named the state's Conservationist Farmer of the Year.

Be if further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the owners and operators of Edens Farm in Sumter County.