Ben Wever Farm Selected for 2026 AEM-Leopold Award
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced that Ben Wever Farm of Essex County has been selected for the 2026 New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award. Given in partnership with the Sand County Foundation, the award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in the management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. Shaun and Linda Gillilland, who own and operate Ben Wever Farm near Willsboro, were presented with the award at a special ceremony on October 16.
Commissioner Ball said, “On behalf of the Department and New York State, I congratulate Ben Wever Farm on receiving this esteemed award. With assistance from the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District, farmers Shaun and Linda Gillilland now join a long line of New York’s AEM-Leopold Conservation Award winners who are serving as an inspiration to other farm families across New York who are keeping their land healthy, productive, and thriving. I’m honored to join with the Sand County Foundation today to honor their hard work of conserving the land, contributing to the community, and protecting our natural resources for future generations.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Successful conservation efforts at our local farms helps protect the environment in New York State for future generations. Congratulations to Ben Wever Farm of Essex County for their well-deserved AEM-Leopold Conservation Award, which recognizes their leadership on adaptive management, improving water quality, and protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat along the Bouquet River.”
Ben Wever Farm is a diverse livestock, equestrian, and agroforestry operation on 495 acres along the Boquet River. In addition to raising rotationally grazed beef cattle and sheep, they produce honey and forest products. Since purchasing the farm in 2005, the Gillillands have engaged with the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program through their work with the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District. The farm’s riparian buffers and 220 acres of woodlands provide wildlife habitat. The Gillillands have allowed the US Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to monitor salmon along their stretch of the Boquet River. The farm also allows public fishing rights along the river and has taken measures to improve and protect its water quality.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust will present Leopold Conservation Awards to landowners in 28 states this year. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
New York’s longstanding Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Award joined forces with the Leopold Conservation Award program in 2020. In partnership with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the AEM-Leopold Conservation Award honors a farm and its nominating soil and water conservation district (SWCD) for their efforts to promote and protect the environment through the preservation of soil and water quality while helping to ensure farm viability for future generations.
Earlier this year, New York State SWCDs were encouraged to identify and nominate the best examples of conservation success in their district. Applications were evaluated by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders from New York.
Ben Wever Co-Owner and Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Clinton County Linda Gillilland said, "Our family has always lived a life of service to others. Our commitment to service and conservation continues into the future to provide and improve habitat to the seen and unseen flora and fauna that occupies the land we live on and share our ecosystem while continuing to provide economic value to county and New York State. Our family is simply delighted to receive the AEM-Leopold Award and be recognized for the many years that we have dedicated to improving the world around us."
Alice Halloran, District Manager, Essex Count Soil and Water Conservation District said, "The District congratulates Ben Wever Farm on this achievement. Their stewardship shows the benefits of conservation in agriculture, and exemplifies what the AEM program is all about."
“These award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO. “Their dedication to conservation is both an inspiration to their peers as well as a reminder to all how important thoughtful agriculture is to clean water, healthy soil, and wildlife habitat.”
“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of the award recipients,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that exemplary conservation involves the land itself, the practices employed on the land, and the people who steward it. This award recognizes the integral role of all three.”
New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee Chair Matt Brower said, “The story of the Ben Wever Farm is a great one. Not only are they improving and protecting the environment, but they are also passing on what they have learned to others. Shaun and Linda Gillilland have certainly demonstrated “a land ethic” and congratulations to them for being selected to receive the New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award. Thanks to Shaun for his 25 years of service in the US Navy and for his continued work with military Veterans. Thanks also to the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District for assisting the farm with their conservation efforts.”
Sand County Foundation, a national not-for-profit conservation organization, presents the $10,000 cash award through the support of American Farmland Trust, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Farm Credit East, The Ida and Robert Gordon Family Foundation, New York State Agribusiness Association, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of New York.
Last year’s recipient was Oechsner Farm of Newfield. For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.
ABOUT BEN WEVER FARM
Shaun and Linda Gillilland bought their farm from Ben Wever in 2005. The 495-acre farm in the Adirondacks had been in Wever’s family since 1829.
Ben spent five years passing on what he had learned about farming and conservation to the Gillillands, who then honored their mentor by naming the farm after him.
Since then, the Gillillands have sought to embody Ben’s land ethic while creating a living laboratory of agroforestry and regenerative agriculture. They raise grass-fed beef cattle and sheep with a rotational grazing system, and sell honey and forest products derived on the farm.
As an active participant in New York’s Agricultural Environmental Management program, Ben Wever Farm is a conservation showcase in Essex County. For the Gillillands, innovation is not just about adopting new practices but weaving them together into a resilient, adaptive, and productive system.
An example of this synergy was establishing grazing paddocks amid the farm’s forests. Incorporating silvopasture into their managed grazing and forest management plans ensures that the movement of livestock supports forest regeneration, control brush, and maintains open understory for wildlife. Mushroom cultivation and sustainable mushroom foraging also take place in the farm’s forests.
Livestock are fenced away from the Boquet River, and a runoff management system was built next to a heavy use barnyard to protect water quality. The establishment of riparian buffers to protect a stream from runoff included planting 10,000 trees.
As New York State’s steepest river, dropping more than 2,700 feet over its course, the Boquet provides habitat for diverse flora and fauna, imperiled mussels and landlocked Atlantic salmon. The Gillillands allow state and federal agencies to monitor salmon along their stretch of the river to restore salmon habitat.
In 2023, the Gillillands committed 294 acres, including two miles of river shoreline, to a permanent conservation easement with the Adirondack Land Trust with support from The Nature Conservancy. This safeguards vital habitat while improving biodiversity. Public fishing access is also granted along the river.
The Gillillands improve conditions for wildlife in several ways. Planned forest stand improvements will provide critical habitat for bats and songbirds. Following construction of a new pond system, waterfowl returned to the farm. Hay harvests are timed to avoid disturbance of nesting grassland birds whenever possible.
The farm also houses their daughter Chauntel’s equestrian business that offers riding lessons and programs that provide youth with a connection to animals and the land. Her husband, Pierre-Luc worked with two regional non-profits to develop a community composting system on the farm. They use livestock manure and food waste from local restaurants as part of the compost that provides a natural fertilizer for their cropland.
Shaun, who served as a U.S. Navy Captain for 25 years, has championed efforts to support military veterans transitioning into agriculture. He also served in town and county government offices.
The Gillilland family’s commitment to learning, experimentation, and passing their knowledge on to others includes hosting logger trainings, silvopasture workshops, 4-H and legislative tours, and a guided birding walk for the public with the Bobolink Project.
Ben Wever used to say, “If you aren’t learning something new every day on the farm, you aren’t working hard enough.”
The Gillillands say that ‘Ben-ism’ and his conservation ethic still drive them today.
Ben Wever would be proud.
NEW YORK STATE AEM AWARD
New York State’s annual Agricultural Environmental Management Award winners are chosen from nominees submitted by County Soil and Water Conservation Districts from around the state. The first Agricultural Environmental Management Award was presented in 2002; prior to that, the award was known as the Agricultural Stewardship Award. New York State’s AEM framework is a model for the nation as a voluntary, incentive-based approach to protect natural resources and meet the economic needs of the agricultural community.
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION inspires and empowers farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners to ethically care for the land to sustain water resources, build healthy soil, and enhance wildlife habitat. www.sandcountyfoundation.org
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