Blog post by Nicole Montna Van Vleck: A Lasting Legacy

The Leopold Award is a coveted conservation award given out to agriculturalists in eight different states each year, and is named after conservationist Aldo Leopold. My father, Al Montna, was this year's recipient of the award at the California Farm Bureau Convention.

The message of "sustaining agriculture and wildlife" that appears on the sign in front of our ranch at Montna Farms is pervasive throughout our farming operation because of his ideals to create a better environment for agriculture, waterfowl and people. He began as a leader in conservation practices such as the phasing out of the burning of rice fields and replacing that practice with flooding fields after harvest to provide valuable habitat for migrating waterfowl. Later, he enrolled over 2,000 acres into permanent agricultural easements that also greatly benefitted waterfowl in the winter. This land that currently is covered in Tundra Swans, duck and geese will never have a strip mall or housing development on it. My dad's vision will keep it in agriculture forever.

I believe Aldo Leopold would have been proud of his accomplishments just as I am.

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Nicole Montna Van Vleck is a third generation rice farmer who farms with her parents and sister in Sutter County. Nicole is Managing Partner of Montna Farms which grows, dries and stores super premium short grain rice. Montna Farms partners with many waterfowl organizations to protect and enhance waterfowl habitat primarily on its working rice lands.

Nicole is a graduate of UCLA and The California Agricultural Leadership Program. Nicole and her husband Stan have two school-aged children.