The Nature Conservancy announces Soil Health Hero Award winners
Michigan farmers honored for implementing regenerative practices and other sustainability efforts at their successful operations
The Nature Conservancy in Michigan today honored the owner-operators of three farms, naming them “Soil Health Heroes,” at the 2026 Great Lakes Crop Summit.
“These winners represent the future of regenerative agriculture and a healthier Michigan,” said Benjamin Wickerham, agricultural program director for The Nature Conservancy in Michigan.
“We are proud to share their stories not only to honor them but also to inspire other farmers toward healthy soil practices that support successful crops, build resiliency, maintain economic success and protect our lands and waters.”
The 2025 Soil Health Hero Award winners are:
Zach Cook, of Big Rapids, Conservation Newcomer Award, given to a farm applying conservation practices for the first time (within three years);
Sklarczyk Seed Farm, in Johannesburg, Conservation Innovation Award, given to a farm applying new or experimental conservation practices;
Tom Hess, of Vassar, Conservation Legacy Award, given to a farm applying practices for five or more years.
More details about the winners are below.
Farmer awardees were peer-nominated and selected by an independent review committee of cross-cutting agricultural partners. As a group, the awardees have implemented various soil health principles, including reducing tillage, armoring fields with vegetative cover and managing nutrient inputs.
“These efforts help reduce input costs, rebuild soil structure and buffer farm fields against weather extremes, all while protecting water quality,” Wickerham said. “As people learn about how well soil health practices are working on farms like these, we’re hopeful they continue conversations and action toward conservation on more Michigan farms.”
About the Winners
Conservation Newcomer Awardee Zach Cook is a third-generation farmer at his Big Rapids farm, where he lives with his wife and three children. They recently added cattle to the cash crop business there. “As I got into it more, I was more interested in the regenerative portion of it, like no-till and cover crops because we have very sandy soils here, and if I can maximize those soils doing just a few things to make it better, why not try it?” he said. He uses cover crops as animal feed for his growing herd, and waste from the herd then fertilizes the fields. “It’s going to be some investment, but long-term it’s going to make the soil way healthier and just more diversified income streams as well for the farm,” Cook said. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to make it efficient.”
Watch a video of Zach Cook.
Conservation Innovation Awardee Sklarczyk Seed Farm is the business owned by Alison and Ben Sklarczyk. The farm, specializing in hydroponic seed potatoes, began with Ben’s grandparents. His parents started to specialize in seed potatoes, which led to today’s tissue culture lab and greenhouse. The yields for the hydroponic seed potatoes exponentially exceed previous efforts. “We were, prior to hydroponics, producing between two and five potatoes per plant. Today we’re producing between 25 and 35 potatoes per plant,” Ben said. “So hydroponics has made us very efficient with our square footage. It’s made us very efficient with the fertility that we use. It’s made us very efficient with our water use through the process.” Alison said sustainability is a “huge” piece of farmers’ journeys. “We live here. We recreate here. We eat and drink everything right here. We always want to be taking care of and improving everything that we’re doing and doing it the most cost- and environmentally friendly way as possible,” she said.
Watch a video of Sklarczyk Seed Farm.
Conservation Legacy Awardee Tom Hess only needed five years of conservation practices to qualify for this award. He has more than 40, having adopted no-till practices in 1983 because of the erosion on his property in Vassar where a glacial ridge speeds water runoff during rainstorms. He’s reduced erosion with long-term no-till cover crops, several acres of pollinators and grasslands, grass waterways, sediment basins and filter strips. He’s seen it work. “We took a five-inch rain in 55 minutes a few years ago. There really was very little water running off the farm,” Hess said. Not working the ground is a goal for Hess, and one that he’s achieving without negative economic impact. “We’re hopefully going to bring some of that soil health back and on into the future,” he said. “The legacy that we hope to leave is even better soil health moving forward. The life of the soil is going to be the life of the future.”
Watch a video of Tom Hess
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 83 countries and territories (39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. For more news, visit our newsroom or follow The Nature Conservancy on LinkedIn.