Molino’s Gizmo Angus Farm Wins Conservation Award

December 18, 2008

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The family behind Gizmo Angus Farm in Molino was named the Conservation Family of the Year by the Escambia Soil and Water Conservation District.

Owners Ronnie and Debbie Gilmore accepted the award Wednesday morning at the group’s annual awards ceremony in Molino.

The Gilmores, along with son Jacob, raise mostly purebred Angus cattle on two separate tracks in the Molino area. They currently have about 80 head of cattle.

“We appreciate the honor of this award,” Debbie Gilmore said. The Gilmores also thanks their partners Rick and Lamar Wiggins.

gizmo11.jpgThe Gilmores got their first cow in 1992 and have been improving their herd and land ever since. In 2001, they leased a large farm which allowed them to increase their herd size, and they formed Gizmo Angus Farms LLC. In 2006, they purchased the property they had been leasing.

In December of 2006, they stopped by the USDA-NRCS/Escambia Soil and Water Conservation District office to discuss what improvements they could do to help apply better conservation to their farm and improve their operation.

“We talked about their problems and objectives,” Conservationist Josh McElhaney said. “I told them that I thought that the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) could help them offset some of the expenses of applying conservation practices to help their farm.” The Gimores applied and were accepted into the program in May of 2007.

The Gilmores wasted no time in implementing  their conservation practices, addressing many issues with their land. They had areas infested with invasive exotic cogongrass, needed more fencing to improve their grazing system, and to fence the cattle out of sensitive areas like streams. They also installed a well, pumping plant, pipelines and watering troughs. That watering system included over 5,000 feet of pipeline. They also installed over 14,000 feet of fences. Their contract with USDA-NRCS was completed in just 14 short months in July of 2008.

The Gimores have been active in the Northwest Florida Cattleman’s Association, Florida Angus Association and other organizations for many years.

“We appreciate their dedication and hard work,” McElhaney said.

Pictured above: Conservationist Josh McElhaney, Soil and Water Board Member Richard Freisinger, Gizmo owners Ronnie and Debbie Gilmore and Gizmo partner Rick Wiggins. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Pictured below: A scene from Gizmo Angus Farm near Molino.

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Comments

One Response to “Molino’s Gizmo Angus Farm Wins Conservation Award”

  1. cAROL bILON on April 1st, 2009 2:12 pm

    Could you tell me what come in a quarter of beef. Are there alot of steaks? Thank you for your time.