Magness Nursery earns state conservation award

Pictured, from left, are Jim Nance of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Nicole Magness, Rickey Magness, and daughters Mackenzie and Gabriella of Magness Nursery. (Photo provided)

Magness Nursery was named the category 1 Conservation Farmer of the Year at the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts Annual Convention held at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg recently.

Rickey Magness is a dedicated conservation steward of the land. His many years of hard work toward applying conservation practices have made for a more productive and aesthetic area.

Magness also has a beef cattle operation. He maintains his farm, buildings and machinery as well as keeping fences in a good state of repair.

The family owns and operates 1,050 acres of land. The farm is nestled in the foothills and lies between Ben Lomand and Nunley mountains. Approximately 400 acres are used for field-grown nursery plants, 25 acres for hay production, 150 acres of pasture is used by the 125-head of cattle and 475 acres are in forest or woodland.

The majority of the nursery acreage has been laid out in contour buffers and field borders. Filter strips are in place along drainage ditches for water quality improvement. Nutrient and pest management are also carried out in this farming operation.

A tail water recovery system has been installed to recover irrigated water as a water conservation practice. Cross fencing and water tanks have been installed for rotational grazing in his beef cattle operation. Soil loss is reduced by more than 90 percent and well below the allowable soil loss limits.

Magness Nursery is a member of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association and the Middle Tennessee Nurserymen?s Association. Magness has served on the Warren Farmers Coop Board.

He has also served on the Warren County Farm Bureau Board and represented his district as a county commissioner for four years. He currently serves as an alternate to the Warren County Farm Services Agency Committee.