WGCD Annual Meeting & Awards Recap
Greeley/Weld County CO – The West Greeley Conservation District (WGCD) hosted over 200 District members at their 71st Annual Meeting and awards supper Thursday, November 14th at the Island Grove Regional Park Event Center. Following their annual meeting John Leone, President of the Board of Supervisors, presented two local individuals Conservation Awards. Dr Ben Brown, DVM & Don Brazelton were recognized during the awards ceremony.
Dr. Ben Brown, DVM.
Dr. Ben Brown, DVM, is a valued and well-known large animal Veterinarian. Brown is respected in the northeastern part of Weld County and beyond where he serves his community caring for animals. His presence and talents are appreciated by his neighbors.
Ben and his wife, Debbie, both grew-up with livestock. They live in what once was the Cornish Post Office and converted the structure into their lovely home. It is located on property with historic significance. The Browns said, “Working with livestock together is a dream come true.” Their goal is to have more grass than cows and avoid over grazing the land, so they consider themselves grass farmers too.
The Brown’s raise Balancer and Sim-Angus beef cattle on their home place and have worked the past couple years with Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS). They own and lease a combined 1,800 acres with solar livestock wells, windmills and cross fencing for rotational grazing. Their efforts are being recognized as they earned WGCD’s 2019 Rancher Conservationist of the Year award.
Ben and Debbie have a blended family of children and eight delightful grandchildren they cherish spending time with, when their busy schedules allow.
Don Brazelton
(L to R) Board of Supervisors: Tony Becker, John Leone, Randy Miller, and Lenny Simpson.
Local citizens who have bought and sold properties in Weld County will recognize the name Don Brazelton. He is a realtor who works diligently to satisfy his clients. Don appreciates people who take pride in the property they own. He is a testimony of that behavior and it earned him the West Greeley Conservation District’s 2019 Small Acreage Conservationist of the Year award for the best practices he uses on his small acreage east of Greeley.
Don and his wife, Carolyn, have upgraded their ground and made the best of the water rights he owns by installing a Kifco irrigation system. There are multiple ports installed around his property. These ports attach to the Kifco sprinkler head/reel for efficient irrigation of his property keeping his small acreage pasture well maintained for livestock grazing. Another aspect of his place is on the western side of Don’s property. There is an area where wildlife can find all their most important life essentials, including: food, water, cover, and protection. Don enjoys seeing deer, hawks and birds of all kinds regularly on the property he owns and manages with great care creating a wildlife habitat. These are the conservation qualities most admired when a bit of extra work can truly make an environmental difference.
Don and Carolyn enjoy gathering with their family often. They have two adult sons, Kendal and Kevin who have blessed them with 3 grandchildren.
West Greeley Conservation District (WGCD) was established on June 14, 1948 in the wake of the overwhelming ecological disaster labeled The Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Congress created the conservation district network. West Greeley is one of 10 Conservation Districts in Weld County and 76 such districts (of various sizes) throughout the state. WGCD encompasses 66 percent or 1,650,000 acres in Weld. Federal and State land totals 260,000 acres and private land producers total roughly 1,390,000 acres. Since January of 1987 WGCD has been supported by a .414 tax mill levy.
Submitted to The BARN by:
Kandee Nourse, District Manager
West Greeley Conservation District
970.534.2317
4302 W 9th Street Rd
Greeley, CO 80634